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UQSUQTUUQ/GJOA HAVEN
One stitch at a time, a dedicated group of mothers, aunts and grandmothers are sewing sealskin mitts with the aim of keeping Gjoa Haven students' little fingers warm for the winter.

Veronica Aaluk, standing, is part of a group of mothers, grandmothers, aunts and others making mitts for Quqshuun Ilihakvik's 212 students in Gjoa Haven in time for Christmas. - photo courtesy of Quqshuun Ilihakvik

The mitt-making project has seen the group gather three times a week since Nov. 1 to sew the mitts for Quqshuun Ilihakvik's 212 students, explained Margaret Joyce, the school's principal. The parents will present the mitts to their children during a school assembly Dec. 18 or 19, in time for Christmas.

"I think the kids will value them," said Joyce. "If my mother had made me a pair of sealskin mitts, I would treasure them. So that's what we're hoping – that the children will receive these and feel really good."

The staff last year thought it would be a good idea to have elders sew mitts for the students, said Joyce, but this year they decided to have the parents sew the mitts for the children.

"And it's a real social activity, really, because they come in and people are all sitting around – they talk and they share," she said. "We just thought it would be a good way of having the parents in the school working on a project with us."

Some mothers knew how to make the mitts while others are learning. Joyce said some students have kids with just wool mitts and gloves. Sealskin mitts are lot warmer with the liners, she added.

"That's certainly going to be an advantage for the children to have nice warm mitts," she said.

Vera Kaloon and Mollie Apiana both agreed to participate in the project when the school contacted them.

Kaloon, who has been sewing since a teenager, teaches mothers and grandmothers how to size, cut and sew the mitts. She will personally sew three pairs but only one pair is done to date. She added the sewing has been going well so far. Some of the mitts have designs on them but all are lined, explained Kaloon. She said she thinks children will be happy to get their mitts at Christmas.

"I wanted to and it is fun. I love sewing," said Kaloon. "It's warm and we'll have mitts during the winter. I think that will be really nice."

As for Apiana, she said she decided to participate as she likes sewing and has children who are attending the school. She also teaches other mothers how to sew the mitts.

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