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INUVIK - The Inuvik Quilting Guild spent this past weekend learning how to dye fabrics.

The group met at the Aurora College studio on Veteran's Way.

The sessions started on Friday night and kept the quilters busy until Sunday afternoon.

Arlene Hansen was one of the participants of an in-house workshop held by the Inuvik Quilting Guild this past weekend. The three-day sessions focused on fabric dyeing. - Dez Loreen/NNSL photo

Participant Arlene Hansen said it was a good experience to work with both natural and commercial dyes.

She said there was a distinct difference between the two.

"The natural dyes seem to be a bit more muted which would be good for certain projects," she said.

"The commercial dyes are very, very bright and vibrant. They'll work well with quilts and wall hangings."

Hansen said she surprised herself with some unique designs.

"I created some projects and I didn't know I was that creative," she said.

"I came in here with absolutely no experience and no knowledge. The whole weekend was wonderful for me."

Earlier this year, the guild received funding from the NWT Arts Council to hold the workshop.

Co-organizer Carolyn Hunter said the weekend was a good way for the members of the guild to share their knowledge with each other.

"We wanted the eight of us to get together and experiment with new things," she said.

"There has been a lot of learning from each other.

"Some of us had limited experience with the dyes, some people had no experience at all."

As part of their agreement with the arts council, the guild will now take their newfound skills and bring them to the community.

"Now we're looking to host a public workshop on fabric dyeing," she said.

"We'll be teaching the techniques we've mastered during this three-day workshop."

Hunter said the plan is to hold an arts show in late winter.

"We're all working on a collaborative piece," she said.

"That will be unveiled at a later date."

Hunter said she was grateful to be a part of the workshop.

"I had a good time and we had a lot of growing as a group," she said.

"It's always good when you can get a group of eight people to work together. Personally, it's always a good thing to grow as an artist."