Yellowknife (Jan 24/05) - Textile artist Margaret Nazon hardly has time to sew anymore.

Since October she has been training for the managerial position at Nor-Art Gallery in Yellowknife and this month she took over the reins from outgoing manager Paul Davie.

She moved to Yellowknife from Inuvik to take the job at the gallery, but her original home is Tsiigehtchic.

"I brought my stuff from home, but I haven't had much time for textiles," she said.

Nazon's mother taught her to sew and she later trained as a fashion designer. She still sews as a "stress reliever," though not many people would whip up a thigh-length blazer over the weekend as a way of relaxing.

"When you shop at Wal-mart, everybody has the same thing," she said. "When you sew it yourself, no one else has that."

Nazon sews her quilts using silks and wool fabrics.

"They're not traditional quilts," she said. Nazon creates landscapes using fabric, beads and embroidery. She buys any fabric that catches her eye, paying particular attention to colour and texture.

"A lot of times when I'm at the store I don't have an idea for it," she said. "But I buy it because it's pretty and two years down the line I still have it in my closet."

She also frequents garage sales looking for old-fashioned silks and brocade she can incorporate into her art.

Nazon taught part of the now defunct native artisan program in Inuvik, then went to work with a self-employment program.

Nazon has also taught quilting workshops in Fort Simpson and Whitehorse.

Three months working at the gallery has opened her eyes to the business of art.

Nazon said she understands the logic behind gallery price mark-ups now that she has seen all the work that goes on behind the scenes.

Along with learning about purchasing art, Nazon has spent time with all of the gallery's experts.

She spent two weeks working with the framer, learning to size and cut matte board and helping to put art into frames.

"It's a skill few people have," she said. She's also learning a lot about stone from the carvings specialist and display methods from a staff member with museum expertise. She picked up marketing skills back when she was learning fashion design and said learning to market art is a valuable skill for artists who want to make a living doing what they love.

"If you don't promote your art, no one else will," she said. "The general public won't know you exist."