NWT Arts

I make various apparel with sealskin, beaver and otter fur, including mittens, vests, and trapper hats. I also make smaller items such as bow ties, earrings and keychains. I love to incorporate beadwork, caribou tufting, embroidery and metal accessories in my designs.

I was introduced to sewing in high school, around the age of 16, where I took a liking to working with furs and hides. Afterwards, much of my learning process was self-led, mostly with the help of online tutorials. Luckily, my coworkers and mother-in-law gave me guidance and advice along the way when I needed it the most.

My daughter is my biggest inspiration and the reason why I really took on sewing. One day, she noticed that some of her friends were wearing traditional footwear, and she asked if she could also have a pair. So, my first project was matching mukluks for her, which I even embellished with embroidered flowers!

My business name - Nauttiaq Apparel - means “flower” in Inuinnaqtuun. Because of the floral design on my daughter’s mukluks, it felt important to incorporate that to my label, in my traditional language. My daughter is also interested in learning how to sew; she made handmade ornaments, has started to draw uppers and has even asked me if I could help her make slippers for her dolls!

I started to sew in 2019 and have evolved a lot since, from making footwear to mitts, and learning to work with a wider range of materials. I make my own patterns through trial and error. I’ll use scraps to put them together and if something isn’t right, I’ll take everything apart and adjust until I love what I see: that’s the best way for me to learn.

I create art as a hobby first and foremost. It’s my personal time to sit down and decompress from work and life. It makes me feel calm and at peace when I sew, but I especially love to see the finished product, knowing that it’s all done and complete.

Sewing and making art also connects me to my Ancestors, who survived because of this craft. Making traditional clothes was a crucial part of their lives and it’s something that I now align with through my work with deep respect.