 Using some thread scraps of fabric and a sewing machine, a traditional ribbon skirt can be made in just a few hours. Mal Meyer went to one of the classes held at Leach Lake Tribal College for this week's in focus. Do you want to try and find a different fabric that matches this purple? Esther Humphrey wanted to bring this class to the campus when she started working at the college last June. I think all women deserve to wear a beautiful skirt and ribbon skirts are beautiful. The college provides all the needed materials and supplies for free to anyone interested. Since the reoccurring class started, they've now expanded into men's ribbon shirts as well. Ribbon shirts are usually used in ceremonies. You have shirts to go to powwows. The teachers are hoping to pass down this tradition to another generation. Well, I hope that they can start making their own, that they are going to take some of these skills of using the machines and pinning and measuring. This was Carmen Johnson's first time making a skirt and she needed some direction to help fix part of the sewing. You just have to stick this needle in for any part to go in. Tamara Howard had never used a sewing machine before, but you wouldn't know it. She was the first person to finish making her new skirt to wear to school. I went a little slow the first time I tried and then I started going fast. Nina Moshe Congerstone had some practice making quilts, but never clothing. She just finished pinning the parts together. Pretty soon I'm going to be learning how to sew them. But even the teachers were learning something new today. I always did my shirts first and then put the ribbon on, but then I'm finding out it's easier to put the ribbon on the material and then sew it together. The Extension School and Community Outreach courses teach a variety of skills, such as yoga, needle felting and cooking. In Cast Lake with this week's In Focus, I'm Mal Meyer, Lakeland News. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.