Eight Rankin Inlet students in need will have new parkas for the upcoming school year thanks to the stylish work of young seamstresses enrolled in a sewing program.
Earlier this year, the Ilitaqsiniq Nunavut Literacy Council launched the Ikajurniq youth corps program, which encourages youth to give back to the community. To complete the program, each participant must volunteer 120 hours.
During this particular two-week program, participants were taught how to sew a parka from scratch in the first week. The garments sewn during this period were made for students without parkas.
Participants then spent a second week refining their skills by sewing a customized jacket for themselves.
SA国际影视传媒淓veryone really enjoyed it. Maybe half the participants had never used a sewing machine before. You could tell in the end they are going to continue sewing,SA国际影视传媒� said Ilitaqsiniq program manager Kelly Clark-Lindell
In addition to sewing, Clark-Lindell said the students spent 45 minutes each morning doing a literacy activity, like journaling or group discussions, meant to encourage mindfulness.
SA国际影视传媒淵ou really want them to leave bettering themselves. We sometimes donSA国际影视传媒檛 give ourselves time to reflect on those things in our crazy world,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
Elders Rosemary Sandy and Ipiqsaut Dion ran the program along with instructor Tracy Ayaruak.
Clark-Lindell said the girls spent the first day of the workshop going through all the materials they might want to use before sitting down to draw their designs.
SA国际影视传媒淭hey kind of had free rein,SA国际影视传媒� Clark-Lindell said.
Ilitaqsiniq co-ordinator Amy Ainglidik said that once the girls started on their second parkas for themselves, they became more confident in their skills.
SA国际影视传媒淓veryone had a very different style SA国际影视传媒� you could see that especially in the jackets they made for themselves,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
Princess Autut, who was one of the eight participants, told Kivalliq News the workshop was her first time sewing.
SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檇 never sewn a parka before so I didnSA国际影视传媒檛 know what to expect,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淢y mom usually sews everyoneSA国际影视传媒檚 winter parkas. I thought about it a bit and thought I could help her.SA国际影视传媒�
As soon as she arrived and saw all the materials and the people in the program, Autut said she knew she would be fine.
SA国际影视传媒淎t first it wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 too bad. We just cut off the material and zig-zigzagged it so it wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 fray,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淲hen I started doing the parka, I started getting afraid and I was like, ISA国际影视传媒檓 gonna mess this up. But after finishing the first parka, I felt a lot more comfortable.SA国际影视传媒�
Autut said she focused on making her first parka functional, with lots of space for pockets and a more traditional wide fit.
However, when she started working on her own, she tailored it to fit her sense of style.
SA国际影视传媒淪ince my mom always makes my parka, she always makes it boxy. You canSA国际影视传媒檛 see any curves. But I wanted to make something more fitted. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 more girly,SA国际影视传媒� she said.
While more-fitted parkas arenSA国际影视传媒檛 considered as warm or traditional, Clark-Lindell said thatSA国际影视传媒檚 the way younger seamstresses are expressing themselves these days.
SA国际影视传媒淭here is a trend nowadays. Parkas are fashion. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 not necessarily what you need, itSA国际影视传媒檚 what you want to look like. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 where our younger generations are going: toward fashion.SA国际影视传媒�
