Rannva Eringsdottir Simonsen aims to make the world a better place one stitch at a time”

Fur designer Rannva Erlingsdottir Simonsen has no lack of energy, judging from her busy workshop and the array of finished pieces on sale in her Apex boutique.

Sewing also offers Simonsen time to think about how the world could be a better place.

One of her most recent ideas is for Iqaluit to ban plastic shopping bags in favour of compostable or recyclable bags, such as those she uses in her workshop.

But while many people only talk about changing the world, Simonsen proves it's possible – one stitch at a time.

For her, picking up a needle and thread is how you sew. Yet sewing is also the key to self-sufficiency and pride.

Last November, Simonsen launched a "Sewing for Survival" program with the Qimaavik Women's Shelter, which is located right behind her home in Apex. Through "Sewing for Survival," women at the shelter are able to earn money by using their skills as seamstresses.

"By their own means, they can create something," she says.

Simonsen supplies the raw materials. Then, armed with duffel and thread, the women sew purses, coasters and key chains. They decorate the finished pieces with designs of their own choosing. It's a win-win arrangement for her and the shelter residents.

"Their pride just pops out. They can see their talent and their skills," she says.

Simonsen says she came up with the program because, as a one-time Qimaavik resident herself, she wanted to do something for the women there.

"I know how it is. It just seems like there's no opportunity," she says.

The sewers receive cash for each piece they finish. The pay equals about $15 for an hour of work. Some money also goes back to the shelter: $1 for every keychain sold, $1.50 for coasters and $2 for each purse.

"Sewing for Survival" is totally unsubsidized. Simonsen hopes to break even on her investment through sales. The YMCA has expressed interest in selling the items across Canada. They're also sold at her shop and on her web site at www.rannva.com.

But the Nunavut government could bolster self-sufficiency through sewing on an even larger scale, Simonsen suggests.

"The government should sell skins to Nunavummiut at low prices and support their own economy," she says.

Promoting home-grown clothing is how the Faroe Islands created a thriving domestic market for wool. Simonsen, who has lived in Nunavut for 10 years, originally comes from these North Atlantic islands, which are located between Iceland and Norway.

The Faroese government encourages residents to wear garments made from local sheep wool. This home-grown wool is collected, spun, boiled and then sewed and knit into brightly-coloured designs.

Now, Simonsen says everyone in the Faroe Islands wears wool. Wool is a symbol of national pride for the islands, which, like Greenland, are an autonomous region of Denmark.

Building up respect for local products and skills played a large part in the Faroese promotion of wool – and Nunavut could do the same with sealskins, she says.

"That's the beauty of it. You don't need a million dollar investment. "

Simonsen says her own seven-year-old business is proof that it's possible to make money from a small capital investment.

A sealskin sewing and design course now under development for Nunavut Arctic College next year is a step towards promoting Nunavut sealskin and local fur production, she says.

But, in the meantime, Simonsen has a lot of trouble getting good sealskins to sew. Due to a lack of sealskin, she often works with other furs, including fox.

Simonsen recently travelled to a fur auction in North Bay, Ont., to purchase sealskins.

"The fact that I'm still in business with these problems with raw materials is a miracle," she says.

That she's not an Inuk hasn't hindered her business or affected relations with Inuit sewers. However, some are skeptical of her at first, Simonsen admits.

"But they look at my work and see I know what I'm doing. In the love of the craft, race disappears, and we're all the same."