Tag: sew yup’ik

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Step-by-Step Nasqurrun Making Guide

Prepping for Nasqurrun Making

Materials Needed:

  • Wolf fur (cut into ½” strips) – One wolf can make approximately 15-20 nasqurruns
  • Beaver fur (cut into ¾” or ½” strips) – One beaver can make approximately 10-15 nasqurruns
  • Canvas (cut to 21″ wide, 10.5″ height)
  • Razor (for cutting skin)
  • Decorative trim (for karaliqs – embellishments)
  • Elastic or moosehide (for ties)
  • Beads (Size 6mm or 8mm for general beading, 10mm for finishing)
  • Beading needles (Glovers size 10 recommended)
  • D-Nymo thread (Black and white)
  • Sewing machine & Thread

Traditional vs. Modern Materials

  • Brown beaver was traditionally used.
  • With the introduction of dyes, black beaver was incorporated.
  • Today, the choice of fur color is based on personal preference.

Step-by-Step Guide to Making a Nasqurrun

Step 1: Stretch the Wolf and Beaver Skins

  • Wolf: Split the skin, wet it, fold it skin-to-skin, and let the water soak into the fibers before stretching.
  • Beaver: Block-stretch by wetting the skin, folding it skin-to-skin, letting the water soak in, then stapling it to a plywood board.

Step 2: Cut the Fur into Strips

  • Once stretched and dried, carefully cut the fur into the designated strip sizes.

Step 3: Prepare & Decorate the Canvas

  1. Hem the edges: Fold ¼” down and sew to create a clean edge.
  2. Cut and iron:
    • Cut canvas into 21″ x 10.5″ pieces.
    • Fold in half and iron to create a crease.
  3. Decorate:
    • Start decorating one side only (the side with the crease).
    • Begin with karaliqs and work your way toward the end.
  4. Sew fur pieces:
    • First, attach karaliqs.
    • Next, sew beaver fur using a sewing machine.
    • Finally, layer and sew wolf fur on top.

💡 Need a visual guide? Check out my Sew Yup’ik YouTube channel!

Step 4: Finish the Edges

  • Sew both ends down with a ¼” seam to complete the edges.

Step 5: Add Beadwork

  1. Mark Placement:
    • Try on the nasqurrun and mark the end of your eyebrows—this is where the beading will start.
  2. Bead as Desired:
    • The amount of beadwork is your choice!

Step 6: Attach the Ties

  • Sew one side with elastic or moosehide ties.
  • Adjust and sew the other side accordingly.
  • Final stitching: Sew the top canvas edges together, avoiding sewing into the wolf fur.

💫 Tuai! Your nasqurrun is complete. Wiinga aqa taqua!

🌟 Stay Connected with Me!

Follow my journey, support traditional Yup’ik arts, and never miss an update on workshops, tutorials, and cultural storytelling:

🔗 Sew Yup’ik

📸 Instagram: @sewyupik
📘 Facebook: Sew Yup’ik
▶️ YouTube: Sew Yup’ik Channel
🧵 TikTok: @sewyupik
🌐 Website: www.sewyupik.com 

💌 Stay in Touch

📧 Email: sewyupik@gmail.com

If you would like download the PDF it is below. If you make a nasqurrun please tag me on social media. Quyana Chuck Norris!

Here is the YouTube for reference: https://youtu.be/xSdluEebTec

Nasqurrun MakingDownload
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Qaspeq Resource List

Waqaa!

Here is an amazing Qaspeq resource list for those amazing makers who make qaspeqs, and teach qaspeq workshops.

I will create a separate list for those amazing atkuk/parka makers around the state.

Qaspeq/Atikluk Makers:

Sew Yup’ik – Teaches Qaspeq Workshops

Nanuk’s Creations

KSIS Originals

Frozen Stitches– Teaches Qaspeq Workshops

Pilianka

Coastal Rock Design

Maryxmaskuspuks– Teaches Qaspeq Workshops

Qaspeq.com

Chloemade

Sue’s Kuspuk-Qaspeq

Parka & Kuspuks made by Janet Kelly

Gray Designs

Crafts by Lish

Stitches by H

Kapuq akmommade

Beebe’s Crafts

Kilugik Kustom Kuspuks & Martha’s Crafts 

Salmonberry Sewing

Sew Unorthodox Atikluk’s

Alannah’s Parkas

Michelle König– Teaches Qaspeq Workshops

Inupiaq Eskimo Designs

Canaar Seams

Quyuk Kuspuks

Zena Stylz

Qasiaq’s Atikluks

Syl’s Designs

Nunaniq Designs

Sarah’s Qaspeqs

Cikigaq Creations

Paniggaq

xo, COCO

Sew Sassy Qaspeqs– Teaches Qaspeq Workshops

Bristol Bay Babe Designs

Yup’ik Furrier

AKK Made

Qaspeq Workshop in Alarneq (Alakanuk) sponsored by AVCP Tribal Workforce Development

Please if you are a qaspeq/atikluk maker and would like to be added to the list send me a message.

Quyana!

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Sew Yup’ik Uluaq Bag Pattern

Waqaa,

Here is a fun bag pattern that represents an Uluaq. Uluaq in Yup’ik translates to woman’s knife. Below is the translation of uluaq taken directly from the Yup’ik Eskimo dictionary which can be found here at this LINK

uluaq traditional Eskimo woman’s knife shaped like a broad wedge set in a handle opposite the arc- shaped edge; semi-lunar knife; any type of knife (CAN meaning) # sometimes called ‘ulu’ in English, from the Inupiaq name for this kind of knife; the sharp edge of an uluaq is its kegginaq, the handle is its egkuaq; uluakun ulligciuq ‘she is cutting fish for drying with a semi-lunar knife’; Urluvminek- gguq tauna tan’gaurluller tegumiarrarluni. Tauna-llu-gguq aipaa nasaurluq uluamek. Nanikuangengamek taum tan’gaurlullraam tauna nasaurluq pillinia, “Uluarpegun kepqerru.” ‘The little boy clutched his bow and arrow and the girl her semi-lunar knife’. When they panicked, not knowing quite who to do, the boy told the girl, “Cut it with your semi-lunar knife.”’ (PAI 2008:400); NS, Y, NI, NUN, CAN, K, BB, NR, LI;cf. ulu; > uluara-, ulurpak; < PE ulu(3) and ulu3a3

Sew Yup’ik Uluaq Bag Pattern

The image above is what your uluaq bag will look like. You can create your uluaq bag however you would like. You can add a separate material for the handle. You can embellish it with qupak designs. Here is this video on my Sew Yup’ik YouTube channel I show you how I make my qupaks CLICK HERE

To make this bag pattern you will need:

Material for the outside, the uluaq bag pattern is 19″ wide by 12.5″ height

Material for the inside, the uluaq bag pattern is 19″ wide by 12.5″ height

And interfacing, I personally like to use 987F Pellon Fusible Interfacing when making these bags

10″ zipper or longer

And then sewing machine, coordinating thread

To make the handle you can utilize scrap material as well, I like to make my straps 2.5″ wide and iron in a fold, and then sew them together and the length is up to your liking

(I will share this in the video on my Sew Yup’ik Youtube Channel)

You can mix and match your material if you wanted to use scrap fabric for the outer material and liner material

Here is the downloadable PDF pattern to use. You will need to print it on two pages and then tape the handle to the blade pattern.

sew-yupik-uluaq-bag-pattern-Download

Once you have the material, and the pattern printed please refer to my Sew Yup’ik Youtube channel for the instructional video. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/6nAmDHRIuxo

Or click HERE to access the video

When I have the time I will create a written downloadable instructional outlining the steps. For now please refer to my Sew Yup’ik Youtube Channel here: https://youtube.com/@SewYupik

Quyana for downloading this Sew Yup’ik Uluaq bag pattern. I hope you had fun creating your own uluaq bag and please if you make one and share it online tag me Sew Yup’ik. I am on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Youtube.

Copyright © 2023 Nicolette Corbett

This pattern graphic, the photos and the instructions are copyright Nikki Corbett at Sew Yup’ik. Please do not copy, publish, sell, redistribute or alter them in any way. Please do not rebrand this work as your own and sell or give it away, even if altered. This is intended for your personal use. If you would like to recommend these instructions, please pass on the original download link at Sew Yup’ik . Thank you for your understanding.

Usage – you ARE allowed to use this pattern to make things to sell on a small handmade basis, such as for craft fairs and for your Etsy shop. However it may not be used for larger scale commercial purposes without a commercial license

Quyana Chuck Norris!

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The many faces

this is the many faces of a tired soul

a soul that has been carrying years and years of trauma

the trauma that has scarred her deep into her bones

the bones that have held her upright to continue to keep going

to keep at it

to never give up

but this is the face of a tired soul

who has wept a sea of tears

the cuts of generational trauma has left her

tired

but she must keep going

because this curse of generational trauma

must and will stop with her

her children

my children they are my strength

and even though they open new wounds that have been

forgotten for many years

she must face those demons

in order to move forward

the tired that she feels can feel

overwhelming

but the determination to heal is overpowering

and that is what will keep her going

to never give up

to always keep moving forward

this is the many faces of a tired soul

the many faces of a tired soul
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Sharing is Caring

As I was sharing around resources to my friends and family for various areas of need I thought why not share them with all of you.

This first micro grant is with the Division of Agriculture for the Food Security program. I just applied because I have been wanting to put a fish camp in my backyard and if I receive the funding that would be covered by the micro grant. There are many other areas in which you could apply the funding. Check out the link HERE.

The Alaska Housing Finance Corporation is hosting another ground of applications for their rent relief and homeowners assistance. Check this LINK to see if you qualify for their application. I don’t believe that my household qualifies but I was checking anyways.

Check out the Emergency Broadband Benefit to see if you qualify for assistance with your broadband services. Check out the link HERE.

Go to your local library and sign up for a library card. I believe if you don’t have a library you can choose the nearest library and sign up through them. Once you’ve signed up you can go download the Libby App. Input your library card and you can listen to audio books for free if your library carries then and then you can also download books to read on your phone. I believe you have a week to listen to the audiobook or read the book on your phone but it is pretty neat. And honestly I don’t know what else it can do I just downloaded it today and started listening to Michelle Obama’s audiobook so I am still learning.

We also discovered our local library Soldotna Library is giving out free seeds to start your gardens. Check out this Facebook post for more information if you are in the Soldotna area. We picked out our five packets and we are going to try our hand at that green thumb again. Every year we yield a few more peas, and a couple strawberries but I would like to try and see if we can get more than 6 peas and 4 strawberries.

And if you are an artist check out Cerf+ The Artists Safety Net. They provide artist relief grants and you don’t want to miss out on applying. Check out their website HERE.

And please if you know of any other resources please share in the comments.

Quyana Chuck Norris!

Here is a recent photo when we were flying to Anchorage from Bethel.
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Zoom Qaspeq Classes

I plan on hosting three qaspeq zoom classes.

The zoom classes will be over three different weekends. The three weekends are:

November 27-28

December 4-5

December 11-12

The first two zoom classes will be traditional qaspeq classes. And the third class will be a modern qaspeq class. There will be three sessions over the weekend. There will be two (2) hour sessions on Saturday, and one (2) hour session on Sunday.

Students will need to provide their own material, and sewing machine.

The fee to participate in the class with $75 per person. And there will be at 15 person maximum capacity.

I will create three different events on Facebook for these events. If you do not have Facebook you can send me a message to sewyupik@gmail.com if you are interested in participating.

I wanted to create this post to prepare those of you who are interested in attending. Please do not ask me to remind you, or to message you when I post the events. I work full time, work part time, have two little ones at home, and my mom brain is in full force. I forget when I showered last so I am not a good person to ask to remind anyone. Sorry for the TMI but I want to be honest.

Materials needed for a traditional qaspeq:

3 yards for sizes XXS-XL with no skirt

3 1/2 yards for sizes XL and up with no skirt

Add 1/2 yard if you would like a skirt

2-3 packages of bias tape, trimming of your choice

I personally like using the extra wide double fold bias tape, and piping

Materials needed for a modern qaspeq:

2 yards for sizes XXS-XL

2 1/2 yards for sizes XL and up

1 yard of rayon knit spandex

Here is what I like using from Joanns Rayon Knit Spandex

Please let me know if you have any questions. Please keep an eye out for those events created on Facebook and it will have all the information on how to register for the classes.

Quyana Chuck Norris!

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Its been hard

Being a school nurse during this difficult time has been unbearable at times to the point that I am breaking into a million pieces.

I cherish my times with the students and generally love every aspect of being a school nurse. But now it has been so hard that I get physically sick to my stomach every morning when I drive to the school. Being yelled at daily is normal. Most times its more than once.

It is all out of my control.

I don’t have control over the school policies. I am not making up any nilly willy rules just because it’s fun and I feel like it. I want students in school just as much as the parents. We all saw how last year students suffered mentally and emotionally because they were not socializing. It was tough. For every single one of us and some more than others who have lost a family member, friend, coworker. I get it. I too have lost family members to COVID related illnesses and it sucks.

It is not hard to be kind. It is not hard to be empathic or sympathetic. We are all doing our best. Most days I am prepared to be yelled at and that is the shittiest feeling in the world. But today is not one of those days.

So please be kind. It’s not hard. And I hope that you can find joy. Life is too short to be angry.

My beautiful babies

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Setting your children up for success

My two little investors

Here are my two littlest investors and I am going to share how I am setting them up for success. First and foremost I am not a financial advisor and by no means an expert but I am sharing what I know and have learned in my investing journey.

I first learned about 529’s at a young age when my father started putting my Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) in my own account. He was also gracious and put half of his PFD in my 529. A 529 is a tax-advantaged savings plan designed for future educational expenses. The only downside to a 529 is that the funds can only be used for educational purposes. It may not work in your favor if your child does not have plans on attending college, or a vocational school. I am not planning on investing huge amounts into each of my children’s accounts. With each of their PFD’s half of the funds will go into their accounts and the other half will be invested in their UTMA which is a Uniform Transfers to Minor Act.

My children who are 4 years old and 6 months old each have an account for their 529’s with Alaska 529 which is associated with T.Rowe Price. There are many other websites that offer 529 plans make sure you do your research. I chose Alaska 529 because my children’s PFD’s can be deposited directly into their accounts.

Now I chose to open UTMA accounts for my children because I can invest in Mutual Funds, ETF’s (exchange traded funds) and individual stocks. With a UTMA I am able to invest as little or as much as I prefer up to $13,000 per year per child. I chose Vanguard to open their UTMA’s because I have been a Vanguard investor for the last 10+ years and I like how their website is user-friendly also their funds have low expense ratio’s.

Creating an account on Vanguard is fast and easy. Once you decide which account you want to open with them then it takes a couple days for the funds to hit the account. Once you see the funds in the Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund the key is moving those into a mutual fund, index fund, or individual stock. You do not want those funds to sit in the Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund because they will not start accruing that compound interest.

When it came to selecting funds for my children my go to tickers have always been VOO (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF), VTI (Vanguard Total Stock) and VTSAX (Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares). The key to choosing funds is selecting ones that have a low expense ratio. I prefer funds that have an expense ratio of 0.10% or less any more than that you are losing out on free money.

If all this is another language to you and confusing I recommend checking out Personal Finance Club’s website Jeremy does an amazing job of explaining all of this in simpler terms. At the beginning of the year I knew that I wanted to learn more about investing and the stock market. I went head first and started watching hours of YouTube videos, researching the web and then started stumbling across great finance accounts on Instagram. If I can start, you can do it! Sure, it can be scary at first but the scarier thing is not starting. If you have funds sitting in a bank account and you are not sure what do with it I suggest you start researching investing. And if you are scared to put it into the stock market look into HYSA (High Yield Savings Accounts) at least allow your money to work for you.

My goal for my children is to set them up for success and allow them to have that financial freedom that I am working hard to create for myself. I am working on that generational wealth. Money should not be a topic that is taboo it should be something that we discuss with our children at a young age. I know that when my daughter is old enough I will allow her to choose her own stock to invest in for her birthday present. For now mama will invest in one stock for her each year and right now mama is liking AAPL (Apple).

And if you have any questions don’t hesitate to reach out I am willing to share what I know to help others. I hope that this post was helpful and if you enjoyed it please feel free to leave me a comment. Quyana Chuck Norris!

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Boundaries

Boundaries are something that I still struggle with to this day. The month of April was a difficult one because it is always a reminder of how long it has been since I spoke to my mom.

The morning Sydney was born after being in labor for 29 hours, pushing for an hour and a half, and sleeping for a few hours I had a difficult conversation with my mother. That was over four years ago. In that moment and the moments leading up to having Sydney I knew I was only going to allow healthy people in my life and my family’s lives. In that conversation I made it very clear what I expected of her and what I needed from her in order for her to be allowed back into our lives.

I needed a healthy mom. A healthy grandmother. A healthy mother in law. Those were the boundaries that I set in place. I need to be healthy for my children, my family but mostly for myself. Toxic is toxic family or not. In the times when she tries to reach out to me or send me things it is a trigger for me. It is triggering because she clearly ignores my boundaries and yet still tries to send things. I don’t want things they mean nothing to me I want a healthy mom. And I just wish she would respect my wishes. Things mean nothing to me if she is not healthy.

I was around 12 or 13 years old when I was called a c-u-n-t. In high school I was told to go spread my legs and have men f*** me. And I was called and told so much more that I will not dare to share. When I set my boundaries in place please know that I am doing it because I am protecting myself. Before saying “she’s your mother,” and “you only have one of her,” maybe try to understand where I am coming from. The years of damage and trauma have taken a toll on my mental health and there were times when I thought I was those names that she would scream at me. I had been called those names so many times over the course of my life I started to believe her and I thought I was a wh*** or a b****.

I share these things not to shame my mother but to give a small glimpse of my life. My boundaries are mine to set and I am more than willing to share why I have them in place. I have worked really hard to get to the place where I am today.My happy memories of my mother are far and few but I do remember in those sober times she was hilarious, caring, vibrant, and beautiful. I know I will never get that version of her but I do hope someday I get a healthy and happy mom. I am thankful for my life the good and the bad. I wouldn’t be here today if I didn’t have those deep, dark moments where I was able to find strength to keep going. And again please know this post is not to shame my mother but I want to share what I struggle with everyday❤️

I struggled for many years with boundaries and holding true to them. It got to a point when I just couldn’t handle the emotional trauma and I knew I needed to do something before I lost it. I am so thankful that I was strong enough to set those boundaries in place and hold them. My children are my motivation to be the best version of myself and I want to be happy and healthy.

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My Financial Independence Journey

Waqaa & Hello!

I am going to highlight each of these slides and how I began my financial journey. First and foremost I am not a financial advisor, this is not financial advice. I am merely sharing what I have learned on my journey since getting my finances in order. In the early 2010’s I opened a Roth IRA with Vanguard. I set up automatic monthly investment to my Roth IRA for a few years. And then life got in the way and I was not able to contribute and stopped. This January 2021 I got serious about my finances and investments and went down the rabbit hole of investing, cryptocurrencies, various side hustles, and learning everything anything money.

In January I opened up my Vanguard account and familiarized myself with my Roth IRA again. My funds had been allocated in mutual funds that had HIGH expense ratios. I moved my funds to ETF’s (exchange traded funds) and mutual funds with low expense ratios such as the S&P 500, Total Stock Market Index, and Total Stock Market International. The specific funds that I invest in are VOO, VTI, VFIAX, VTIAX, and VTSAX. Again these are my personal investments and this is not financial advice. The maximum amount that you can contribute to a Roth IRA is $6,000 per year. The deadline to contribute is when taxes are due which is typically April 15th. Make sure when you contribute to your Roth IRA, brokerage account or rollover IRA that you move the funds from the Federal Money Market and invest it in a specific ETF (exchange traded funds), mutual fund, or individual stock. Do not forget to do this step otherwise your money will not work for you.

Along with ETF’s and mutual funds I also invest in individual stocks. The stocks that I invest in are things that I use everyday such as my Apple, Disney, Etsy, and other things that I use on the daily. I also have researched and invested in other various stocks that could potentially become beneficial down the road. Those specific stocks are in the renewable energy sector and other areas. I spend at least 30 minutes everyday and try and learn about something new with regards to investing, the stock market, cryptocurrencies, and anything and everything related to investing!

With my Employer Retirement Account when I initially opened it I apparently opted to have a financial company allocate my funds. I was scared for the longest time to move it around because I wasn’t sure what to do or what funds to pick out. And honestly I thought it would be complicated to do. I finally found the courage and time and opted out of that service and allocated a majority of it into an S&P 500. The other smaller portion I invested into an International Equity and World Equity fund. I also contribute the maximum amount that my employer will match.

After maxing out my Roth IRA for 2020 and 2021 I opened up a brokerage account. I will not do justice by trying to describe a brokerage so I am sharing a link to Personal Finance Club’s blogpost created by Jeremy. Click HERE to get to the post regarding what a brokerage account is. In my brokerage account I invest in VOO, VTI, VFIAX. I also invest in other individual stocks and ETF’s.

I also rolled over two of my old employer retirement accounts from when I worked at the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation. I had around $100K that I rolled into a Vanguard Rollover IRA. Back story I worked at YKHC for over 10 years and I don’t remember when I started my retirement account with them but I am thankful that I did. I just recently rolled over the $100K to my Vanguard and just finished allocating it today. I had a little more fun with a small portion of it and invested it in some risky stocks. I also have one more old employer retirement account that I need to rollover. Once I roll it over to my rollover IRA I will look into a Backdoor Roth IRA and see if I can do that. Again I will not try and explain what a Backdoor Roth IRA but click HERE. Jeremy from Personal Finance Club does an excellent job explaining what it is.

I work full-time as a School Nurse. I had two part time jobs at one point as a Contact Tracer. I have my small business Sew Yup’ik. I teach classes via Zoom and in-person. And I try to find any and every single side hustle there is out there. I am currently in the process of going down the rabbit hole and researching Turo a car sharing company. I am also looking into ways that I can monetize my Sew Yup’ik Youtube channel, and my Sew Yup’ik Instagram page. Like I said I love to learn anything and everything if it helps me to become financially independent.

I would not have gotten serious about my finances, budgeting and daily tracking if it was not for stumbling across The Budget Mom’s Instagram page. I started following The Budget Mom in 2019 and got serious about daily tracking my finances and budgeting. When I started following her I had $81K in debt with my student loans and car loan. I started tracking my daily finances. I created monthly budgets. Challenged myself to no spend days. And threw whatever I could to my student loans, and car loan. I was able to pay $71K of my loans and still have $10K left of student loans. I could be paying it off but instead I am choosing to invest that. I am also secretly hoping President Biden will cancel some student debt haha but I won’t hold my breath. My goal is to reach Coast FI meaning that I want to invest enough money so that it can work for me and I will not have to invest another penny down the road. Again I wont explain it but check out this blogpost from Personal Finance Club on what Coast FI means.

All of this information is what I have done for my financial journey. I will continue to educate myself and keep going. My ultimate goal is to work when I feel like it and set my own schedule. I hope that this information is helpful. If you have any questions comment below. If you are not following me on IG or FB head over to my Sew Yup’ik pages I share a lot of my information on those platforms. And again my motto as always is don’t buy dumb sh**.

Please let me know if you would be interested in a post regarding my children’s accounts.

Quyana Cakneq!