Sewing-up skills
Baker woman takes good with bad while trying to help
Darrell Greer
Northern News Services
Wednesday, November 9, 2016
BAKER LAKE
A Baker Lake woman continues to teach others how to sew while helping her community at the same time, despite the odd setback.
Dody Jorah displays the before and after of the caribou legs her group is using to make mitts for members of search and rescue in Baker Lake this past month. - photo courtesy of Karen Yip |
Alice Mannik led a sewing program to put parkas on some less-fortunate people this past year, and is almost ready to run the program again this year.
She also ran a small program to put new mitts on the hands of search-and-rescue members this past month, but that didn't go as planned.
"We had about eight in the group and, just when we were almost done, everybody fell behind," said Mannik.
"I was very busy with my own sewing and other things were happening in the community, like when someone passes away, so I didn't want to continue anymore.
"I asked the ladies to come to my home, pick up what they started, take it home and finish it off, but it's hard to get volunteers to see things through these days.
"If everybody was getting paid for this, the mitts would have been done in no time."
Mannik, Baker Lake's health and wellness sewing program co-ordinator, said her new program was supposed to start on Oct. 31, but she had to delay it.
Hopefully, she said, it will start again soon.
"Every parka will go to a needy family.
"The program will give some people another opportunity to learn more about making parkas, so they can make them for their families or sell to make a bit of profit."
Mannik said some women really appreciate the chance to learn how to make a parka properly.
She said a few times, after being finished for the day, she would be secretly thanked by someone in the group.
She said they were always emotional moments.
"One lady told me she never thought she'd learn to sew again after her grandmother died.
"Another tapped me on the shoulder and asked if it was OK for her to cry.
"She started crying because she was so happy to learn how to make a parka."
Knowing how to make a parka and other traditional items are valuable skills in the North.
Mannik said she's happy to see interest growing in her parka-making program.
"We're going to have evening classes, so the women who are working will have a chance to participate.
"I couldn't do that if Sanaaq Kreelak wasn't helping with the evening class.
"She didn't hesitate in offering me her help and I'm really grateful to her for that."
