Archives for June 2017

This is the second in the series from The Canadian Embroiderer’s Guild of Guelph for Canada’s 150th birthday and is all about the winters here in Canada.

Winter in Canada

What is more Canadian than hockey? Canadians love their hockey. Hockey is played most of the year – and some centres – all year. I have seven grandsons – six of the seven play hockey – so I could almost always be at a hockey game.

Hockey skates

When I was young in the 1950’s, hockey was an exclusively male game. Even years later, when my daughters were grown, I remember stopping at a local arena and marveling that there were girls on the ice, not figure skating but playing hockey! Now, my grand daughters take hockey for granted, and will be given equal ice time, equal teaching and equal encouragement. My Canada is a country where girls’ hockey is commonplace and thriving.

Our hockey lives

Our family grew up with hockey. Gord (Dad) played hockey as a teen then coached for 30 years. Our two boys played from ages 7 to 16. One son refereed through teens and University. Now in retirement we are season ticket holders for the Guelph “Storm” team.

Tuques and baseball hats

I made a piece with a tuque and a baseball hat. It represents winter and summer. Being a mother of 3 boys, it is what I see all the time. They either wear a tuque or a hat. Both are a Canadian necessity.

Mittens

During the 1970’s, I spent most of the decade in the Northwest Territories. I was teaching in Inuit communities. One of the first pieces of clothing I made was a pair of moosehide, beaded, blanket lined and fur trimmed mitts. I learned the 4 string braiding to make my “idiot” strings. Hung around my neck, the mitts could then be twisted behind me when not needed. Mittens were an absolute necessity!

Snowmen

Growing up in Sudbury in the 1950s, kids played outside all year round. I have many happy memories of outdoor skating rinks, tobogganing, broomball,
building snowmen, snow forts, snow ball fights – girls against boys, walking home from school at lunch time for a hot meal. I remember all this with great fondness.

What Canada means to me

Canada has always meant the true north strong and free. Montreal born in the 30’s, I grew up on lots of snow, ice and sunny skies typical of Montreal winters. A common sight was Montreal girls in Red River coats (navy) with red tuques, sashes, mitts and leggings crusted with snow balls. Would they dry by morning? We wore black overshoes with four buckles and the leggings had feet to cover our shoes and keep us warm. Snow forts and snow ball fights kept us outside. My father flooded the backyard for a rink – brave man. I still have his wooden shovel. In the spring, we had matchstick races to the sewers with the riverways chopped by big brother in icy streets. Oh My! We had lots of carefree fun.

My world expanded from sea to shiny sea by reading everything from Sgt Preston of the the Yukon to the Anne of Green Gables books. My background was Maritime and a natural segue to World War 11 and shipping overseas without the responsibility of adulthood. We were safe, and, yes, I did toboggan down “Cow Hill”. We are truly blessed to live in this country. We stand on guard for thee.

Snowshoes and skis

This piece reflects the childhood memories of snowshoeing with my family and now as an adult, cross country skiing. Enjoying the Canadian winter and seeing the wonderful changes in our beautiful landscape is what being Canadian means to me.

On July 1, 2017 Canada will be celebrating its 150th birthday. Or, you can call it a Sesquicentennial celebration. In 1864 the Fathers of Confederation met in Charlottetown to begin the process leading to the enactment of the British North America Act which, on July 1, 1867, united the four provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario into one country, Canada. The other six provinces and three territories joined at varying later dates culminating with the creation of Nunavut in 1999.

Canada has been populated for thousands of years. The original settlers may well have migrated over the massive land bridge between Siberia and Alaska which eventually became submerged with the end of the last ice age about 13,000 years ago. As the climate warmed the descendants of the earlier migrants moved south and east. The many tribes of indigenous people have spread to all parts of Canada. The name of our country is thought to come from Huron-Iroquois word “kanata” meaning “village” or “settlement”. Many of our place names come from the languages spoken by the aboriginal settlers.

In reality, what we are celebrating is the European exploration and settlement of this country which occurred over a span of several hundred years. Today, our indigenous people have been joined by others from all over the world who have chosen to live here, creating a multicultural and multinational nation.

The Canadian Embroiderer’s Guild, Guelph, proposed a project for its members.

Create a 6” square in any fabric, your choice of design and stitching. Add an explanation on

What Canada Means to Me

Our Guild of 80 members produced 110 pieces and we are proud to share some of them with you.  All the stitchers expressed individual and varied experiences.

Canada 150 Logo

I loved the colour and the symbolic maple leaf. It speaks to the diversity and inclusiveness.

Go CANADA!

Parliament Hill in Ottawa

Parliament Hill symbolizes Canada. It is a public space, historic buildings and is open
to citizens and visitors. I remember summer visits to Ottawa and seeing the fireworks framing the Canadian flag flying at the top of the Peace Tower.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Musical Ride

When I was in my 30’s I went to a swearing in ceremony for new Canadian citizens.
The stands were full of of many different nationalities all waiting to become Canadian.
The R.C.M.P. performed their musical ride with the interweaving of horse and man
into various formations. This was spectacular but the passion I saw for Canada as the new citizens pledged allegiance to Canada was spectacular and inspiring. We should not take Canada for granted.

Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket

These blankets were traded to First Nations in exchange for beaver and buffalo pelts in the 18th and 19th centuries by the Hudson Bay Company. The lines or points denote the size of the blanket.

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

As an immigrant to Canada, I had a lot to learn. CBC has proven to my best teacher of Canadian values and, along the way I also learned so much about Canadian writers, musicians, politicians, everyday people and all that we hold dear. When I worked to adapt to life with small kids after a busy career, Peter Gzowski kept me sane. When I felt smug in my comfortable corner of Canada, my eyes were opened to the challenge others face throughout the land, when I needed hope it was there.

Thank you CBC – the best of Canada!

Dove of Peace

As a first–generation Canadian, with Latvian roots, this country was a safe-haven for my parents, who sought a life of peace an stability. Imagine the trauma of leaving family members behind an “iron curtain”. Canada welcomed us, healed us, and made life whole again.

From different lands
By different ways
They come to make
Our Canada

We The North… is the slogan which depicts the stoic toughness of some of the Canada’s people. It is admirable but more so is the endurance of all the creatures great and small who have been blessed with bodies able to withstand unbelievable cold and deprivation to survive and grace Christmas stamps. Bravo!

I have always loved animals of all kinds especially those indigenous to Canada. Can Spring be far behind?