Yellowknife (Sep 22/04) - Sixteen Yellowknifers took a trip to the not so distant past over the weekend and came back as voyageurs, or at least looking the part.

The group gathered at the Smoke House to learn from Suzan Lagrove, a heritage expert with the Hudson's Bay Company, how to sew their own voyageur coats out of her employer's famous blankets.

Clint Caswell took part in the Hudson Bay Company's seminar on how to make a coat over the weekend. Seen here, he has mastered the sewing technique and is completing the sleeve of his coat. - Pamela Corie/NNSL photo

"The traditional way is to sew it by hand with a blanket stitch," she said.

All of the participants at the Gallery of the Midnight Sun-hosted event followed her lead, forsaking sewing machines for thimbles, and took a stab at learning a disappearing art.

"This project has been really fun and it was easy to grasp the concept," said Clint Caswell, who has a classic fall coat to show for his efforts.

"The pieces aren't complicated and there aren't hundreds of little things to worry about."

He decided to try the seminar for the historical aspect.

"Back in their day, the trappers who wore these coats sewed them themselves, and I thought it would be neat to try it," he said.

"With the exception of sewing on a button now and then, I haven't ever been able to fix or create something with a stitch."

He certainly wasn't alone in his lack of experience with a needle and thread.

"I sewed a button on

my pants three weeks ago and it fell off yesterday," said Norm Larocque.

"If it's torn, it's dead."

With more people focusing on their careers nowadays, sewing is less common than it once was.

"I used to sew when I was young and even knitted at the time," said Heather Duggan, another seminar participant.

"But now if I need something hemmed, I take it to a seamstress. That's why it's nice to get back to it on a project like this."

Times are changing

But some of the participants believe times are changing and today's children may have more of this traditional knowledge than their parents.

"My daughter can sew, and in general, I think the younger generation is picking it up again," said Mary Rowe, who also participated in the seminar.

"Either they take sewing in school or just want to have the independence and ability to do their own repairs. To me, that's nice to see."