Julie Landry originally learned to bead and sew as a girl from her grandmother, but she didn鈥檛 start dedicating serious time to traditional crafts until she became a mother herself. 

鈥淚 became a mother at a very young age,鈥� she said from Fort Simpson, where she resides. 鈥淚 stayed home with the children, because I had three kids, and two of them were back-to-back. 

鈥淚 sewed when my kids were sleeping.鈥�

Some 13 years later, Julie鈥檚 daughter Helena began to show interest in traditional crafts. By the time Helena was a young adult, she was catching up to her mother in terms of ability. 

"She doesn't ask for help very often," Julie said of her daughter. 鈥淪he鈥檚 thriving. She makes tons of stuff.

"Her work is getting better and better."

Today, the mother and daughter duo 鈥� who refer to themselves as "best friends" 鈥� frequently spend hours crafting together. It brings them closer to their Indigenous heritage, and also to each other, they agreed. 

"My mind is constantly spiralling," 19-year-old Helena said. "Then I sit down with my mom, and we just talk and talk for hours while beading.

"It calms me down."

The pair talk about "everything and anything" while they work, Julie added, which is how they "became so close."  

Julie admits she gave almost all of her work away for free when she was starting out, but she has been successful selling her pieces in more recent years.

Helena is now following in her mother's footsteps. 

鈥淎 few years ago, she did her first Christmas bazaar, and she made some good money," Julie said of her daughter's burgeoning career. "She was really, really excited 鈥� like 鈥楳om, you can make this kind of money?鈥欌�� 

The mother and daughter will soon have the opportunity to sell their wares together, far from home, amid the hustle and bustle of Toronto. In March, they are set to travel to the Ontario capital to participate in the Indigenous Art Market at the 2025 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention. They will make the trip with support of NWT Arts, a branch of the GNWT that supports the territory's artists. 

It will be their first time visiting Toronto. They are both excited for the experience, though Helena admits she's feeling some nerves ahead of time. 

"I'm really excited and nervous at the same time," she said. "During [other] craft sales, my mom would do all the talking, and would price all our work, but now I have to do the talking and price my work."

Outside the market, the pair are hoping to find some time to explore the city together. When all is said and done, Julie is hoping it will have been a positive experience for her daughter.

"My girl's growing up," she said. "I'm truly proud of her. She's come a long way. 

"I just want her to be confident in herself and confident in her work, to meet people and engage with the public," said Julie. "She takes a lot of pride in her work and she deserves to showcase her stuff."