Ideas for a Clothing and Pattern Display

This might be a good project for a traditional sewing and literacy class, such as the Reclaiming our Sinew Program.¹

• Collect traditional clothing patterns for different articles of clothing.
• Trace the pattern onto good quality paper or cloth.
• Or enlarge the pattern pieces by projecting the original from the overhead projector onto a large piece of paper on the wall. Trace and cut the enlarged pattern pieces.
• Label the parts of the pattern. Ask for Elders’ help to be sure of the correct names for all the parts of the pattern.
• Your group can add drawings or photographs of people wearing traditional clothing to the display. Scan photographs from books. Look for traditional clothing in archival photographs. Take digital pictures.
• Add actual articles of clothing to the display.
• The group can write text for the steps in creating the article of clothing, including skin preparation.
• Write about care of the clothing.
• Write about the best time of year to get the skin for this clothing.
• The facilitator teaches mini-lessons on the writing process, syllabic keyboarding, grammar and any other topics as they come up during the progress of the writing and editing.
• The group could compare traditional clothing patterns to modern clothing patterns. Create a display that shows the similarities and differences between the clothing of the two different time periods.
• Compare clothing patterns from different communities or regions. Partner with another community group. The group could partner with a community group from each Nunavut region – Qikiqtaaluk, Qitirmiut and Kivalliq. Or partner with groups from other circumpolar countries to compare patterns and sewing methods.
• Put the display in a public place where community members can enjoy it.
• Or hold a public event where people can look at your display and talk with your group about your project. (See Public Presentation or Open House in the Active Projects section for more information.)

1. Reclaiming our Sinew is a program sponsored by the Kivalliq Inuit Association and Community Learning Centres in the Kivalliq Region. Young women learn traditional skin preparation and sewing half the day and work on Inuktitut and English literacy skills the other half of the day. The content in the literacy portion depends on the needs and interests of the women, but is often related to their sewing and skin preparation projects.