Sanikiluaq (May 23/05) - The popular ladies sewing group in Sanikiluaq has been put on hold for now due to a lack of funding.

They will know soon whether or not the hamlet has enough money to keep funding them. But for now many socks and mittens lay unfinished.

About 30 ladies have been meeting to sew mitts, slippers and duffle socks at the Wellness Centre in Sanikiluaq on Monday nights 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Dinah Kavik said the current situation is "inconvenient" for all the ladies.

"We're not getting together again until the Brighter Futures gets the funding," explained Kavik. "It was a nice getaway for mothers."

The ladies did more than just sew. They made friends, laughed and forgot about the stresses of daily life.

Now they must wait for the hamlet to get back to them on the funding issue.

When it starts up again, all the ladies will be happy, said Kavik.

"I made two mitts, and I was working on socks," she said. "The program was offered to us before we even asked, then it was taken away," she said.

"The younger people were impressed with themselves," she said speaking of the younger ladies who came and learned from the older ones. "They realize they can do it."

The group would like to tackle larger projects, like kamiiks and parkas, said Kavik.