Derek Neary
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (Mar 19/99) - Sarah Cli is a month away from being certified in chic.

Cli will be the first graduate of the fashion-design program offered by Aurora College in Fort Simpson. The program encompasses some introductory and basic elements of fashion, such as pattern-making, knowledge of fabrics and construction techniques.

She will be the only one to complete all 10 required courses, which include math for artists, design and art history, textile preparation and basic sewing in a single year.

"She's been persistent," Barb Tsetso, adult education instructor at Aurora College, said of Cli. "She raises herself above the ups and downs of the workplace and rides it out. For that I think she deserves a pat on the back and a lot of commendation."

Cli said her interest in the class was generated by her work at Nats'enelu, where she has been employed since the business opened about 18 months ago. The fashion-design program has "taught me a lot of things," she said, adding that she now knows much more about working with leather. Her favourite task is making jackets, one of the most glamorous garments.

D'Arcy Moses, manager of Nats'enelu and chief designer, said Cli is an outstanding sewer, and she has obviously benefited from the fashion-design course.

"I saw marked improvement from day one," Moses said of Cli. "I'm actually quite proud of her because of all the improvements that I've seen, not only in her sewing, but just being committed to this business like she has been."

Sewing is a craft that requires intense concentration, Cli acknowledged. Great care and attention must be paid when adding zippers or snaps, or even in the early stages of making a garment.

"If you make a mistake you have to cut out another pattern and do it again," she explained.

When asked if she hoped to ultimately become a fashion designer some day, she replied, "I don't mind."

Her sewing experience pre-dates Nats'enelu, going back to when she was five years old and learned the skill from her mother, Lucy. She too hopes to train others throughout her lifetime.

"I don't mind passing it on to somebody else," she said.