TETLIT'ZHEH/FORT MCPHERSON - If you drop by Margaret Vittrekwa's home on any given afternoon, you're likely to find her seated on the couch surrounded by her craftwork.

Margaret Vittrekwa shows off a pair of traditional dolls sewn by her daughter Doreen Tardiff. Vittrekwa's own sewing work is highly sought after by locals and tourists alike. - Brodie Thomas/NNSL photo

Vittrekwa, 71, has been honing her sewing skills for the past 50 years. Now that she has retired from teaching, her sewing has almost become a full-time job.

"It is mainly what I do besides housework. I mostly do beading. It's really popular. I can't keep ahead of myself, especially with slippers," she said.

Margaret has converted her home into a small craft shop. There's a glass display case in one corner of her living room filled with slippers, embroidered wall hangings and traditional dolls. Another shelf just inside the door shows off more of her slippers.

She reaches into the case and produces one of her more popular wall hangings, a miniature baby strap. Mothers would have used a full size baby strap to hold an infant to their body. Vittrekwa's is purely decorative. It has flowers and "NWT" embroidered on it.

"Right now I'm getting ready for the Great Northern Arts Festival. I've been going for the past 10 years," said Vittrekwa.

Although the festival is good for meeting new artists and showing off her wares, she said she gets much more business from tourists in the summer. Her home is right on Tetlit Gwich'in Road, the main street in Fort McPherson. A sign out front and another above her living room window draws in road-weary travelers who are looking for a handmade souvenir.

Vittrekwa said demand often outpaces supply. Many tourists put in orders for slippers to be mailed down later. She doesn't just ask for shoe sizes. She takes an imprint of each person's foot so the slippers are custom fit.

While the cost of the slippers might be pricey when compared with what you could buy at a store, most buyers are more than happy to pay for the intricate beadwork and long-lasting moose hide. She said it takes her two weeks just to do the beading on a pair of slippers.

"All last winter I was busy making slippers to mail out," said Vittrekwa.

She started her craft shop in 1998, a year after retiring from teaching at the local school. Ten years later she shows no sign of slowing down. Reaching into a bag near her seat, she produces item after item, each in various stages of completion. Despite being busy with orders, Vittrekwa still finds time to work on personal projects as well. She is working on wall hangings for her grandchildren, with each grandchild's full name, date of birth and flowers.

"It always takes longer than I planned," she said as she packed up the items and resumed work on a pair of slippers.