NWT Arts

I do brick stitch and flat stitch beadwork, including earrings, graduation stoles and slippers. I use delica beads on moose hide and stroud, with 14 carat gold studs and 18 carat gold hooks. I use triangular findings at the top of a colourful combination of beads, which has become my signature look. I also love to make funky mismatched and upside down pairs.

One of the biggest hit in my collection has been a statement piece that I call the “Protect the Peel” earrings. I take much pride in those, because I live in Fort McPherson, along the beautiful Peel River. It’s important for me to bring awareness to how important this body of water is to our community. With the river as the central piece, I can come up with different colour combinations to reflect seasonal changes or to create sunset and sunrise scenes.

I make my own patterns using an application on my phone. If I have ideas, I will note or draw them as soon as possible to ensure that I don’t forget. After I put my kids to sleep, I work on my projects. Sometimes, I look up from my work and realize it’s 5 AM, hours passed my bedtime! I love the quiet time while I create and I tend to get lost in the process.

I learned to sew from my grandmother. Growing up, she would make various things for me, but one day, she said she’d stop because she knew I could make it myself. She was willing to teach me, so I would go to her house, sit with her, and learn. Looking back at my work, I can see the evolution from tight and crinkled-up stitches, to now, where I see my grandmother’s work in mine — nice, flat and solid.

When it comes to jewelry, it was my sister-in-law who asked me to sit with her one evening to make earrings: I did and I never stopped! I am now in the process of learning how to tan my own moose hide, a skill that I have always been interested in adding to my creative process.

Knowing how to sew and bead allowed me to have opportunities to teach these skills to others. A few program coordinator in my community reached out to me and asked if I was willing to teach Gwichʼin youth how to make earrings. I held my first workshop in my own home and have taught tufting workshops since.

What I love the most about sewing is the calmness it brings to me. Ultimately, I create art because it’s simply a big piece of who I am. I have always been creative. Doing this allows me to explore every aspects of myself. And, it is no secret to my loved ones that as a Gwichʼin woman, once I go, I go all in!