ELY- What do you do if you have too much of a good thing? That spark of a question was what initially ignited a fire of hard work for children far across the ocean who’ve been left with nothing due to the ongoing war. Bert Hyde and Mark Olson have offered many classes at the Ely Folk School teaching people interested in learning to make a beaver hat and/or long beaver mittens. After each class, Bert and Mark wondered what to do with the scrap left over from the class. Hyde explained that when dealing with fur, the scrap is something you’d hate to throw away and would much rather find someone who could put a piece or two to good use making small mittens or booties with the warm fur. “We keep trying to find a way to use them (the fur scraps),” Hyde explained.
Hyde got to talking to Ely Folk School (EFS) board member Ozzie Reif who currently teaches the EFS Outdoor Skills and Knowledge class, “Sew What: Mittens.” Reif is a former Wintergreen Northern Wear employee who, like Bert, also struggled to see scrap materials left from creating Wintergreen products (outerwear, etc.) going unused. The pair felt like there must be a better way to put what’s left over to good use. The conversation grew to include current Heart of the Woods Quilters Guild member and former EFS board member Autumn Cole. As the group grew, the conversation evolved to how they could help others with these surplus materials. Hyde said, “We make mittens and stuff already, so why not do that?” Hyde said the group “kicked the idea around awhile,” but when Tatiana Riabokin, who has family back in war torn Ukraine, offered an idea of who could use mittens this winter, the mitten project really started to take shape. “That was all we really needed to get the idea going,” Hyde said.
Once the idea was born, the group needed a place for it all to happen. Reif suggested the Ely Folk School as a place big enough for everyone who wanted to be involved to gather and sew. The Ely Folk School even has four sewing machines on hand to use for classes. With the location set, Hyde made an announcement about the effort to the Tuesday Group, EFS Program Director Lucy Soderstrom posted the event on the Ely Folk School website and word of mouth helped to get the message out to other community members who might be interested in making mittens for children in Ukraine.
Hyde said he thought this particular project might hold extra meaning for many people who live in and around Ely. “Initially, I thought there’s so many people in Ely who have roots in Eastern Europe, and they might want to be doing something (for the people affected by the war).” Hyde went on to say, “It’s something small that a lot of people could do for little kids who are suffering because of war.” He also mentioned that he hopes the mitten project is something that catches on not only throughout the community, but even statewide. “Everybody around Minnesota knows the value of mittens,” he said adding that the state has various woolen mills and other manufacturers that likely also have scrap that could be put to good use helping others. “I hope this keeps going and catches on, a lot of people around Minnesota could get in on this.”
The Mittens for Ukraine campaign had its first informational meeting back on Sept. 24 and was off to a great start the following Thursday, Sept. 29 thanks to Wintergreen Northern Wear’s large donation of fleece scrap. Sola Anderson marketing lead for Wintergreen Northern Wear said the company was happy to be able to donate to the project. “We’ve been looking for outlets for our fleece scrap.” Anderson said, adding “We’re absolutely happy to do it as long as they’re willing to make mittens.”
Reif and Cole designed four patterns for the mittens to be made, and their expertise with sewing and working with fleece is an invaluable asset to helping volunteers of all abilities. The first Thursday meeting of the group involved mostly sorting fabric and cutting. Reif explained that some mittens will be single layer and others will be double, and “this all makes a difference when the scissors comes out.”
Anyone of any ability who’d like to get involved with helping, can come to the Ely Folk School on Thursday mornings. Hyde said that knowing how to sew is not a requirement for coming to help. “There’s a place for almost everyone to do something.” Already a group of more than two dozen people began meeting on Thursday mornings to cut and sew mittens for babies and children with the intent to send these mittens to the young people of Ukraine who will soon face another cold winter displaced by a war that looks at times like it may never end.
According to EFS new program coordinator Alexia Springer, the group has a goal of making 500 pairs of mittens, and she says at present they’re about 1/5 of the way there. When Hyde learned of the goal he asked, “Are you crazy?” but he then admitted this is a project that could keep going all winter. Springer noted that the initial donation of fleece from Wintergreen has already been put to use, but others have started contributing too, and the EFS welcomes further donations of fleece to continue towards their goal.
EFS Program Director, Lucy Soderstrom said “This is really a community activity. Ely Folk School is the perfect place to do it with the spirit of what we do.” Once the mittens are sewn and ready to be shipped out, the journey is far from over. The package with mittens will be first sent to international shipping company, MEEST in New Jersey, before being sent to Ukraine where Riabokin has family connections to those who can make sure the humanitarian cargo gets to those who need it most.
According to Ely Folk School’s website, “A project like this takes a village!” The Mittens for Ukraine campaign will continue meeting at the EFS Thursday mornings at 10 a.m. with work sessions scheduled based on the supply of available fabric. There are several ways to contribute to the project including time and donations of money to cover fleece purchases and shipping costs. Interested volunteers should visit the EFS website at https://elyfolkschool.org/volunteer/email or email info@elyfolkschool.org to be added to their list.