Sinew thread, nylon, and dental floss
For thread, the Inuit originally used only sinews, taken from narwhal or seals, for example. This sinew thread has a very special characteristic: it swells when wet. Garments sewn with sinew thread are waterproof along the seams, since when the thread swells with water it fills up the holes left by the sewing needle. Thus for a long time women preferred to use sinew thread, rather than nylon. ^[15]

Ultimately, however, nylon sewing thread and yarn replaced sinew thread. A major cause of this was its ease of use and the ready availability of artificial yarns, in comparison with the difficulty of preparing sinew thread and working with it.

Hand-sewing machines have been in use since c.1950. When electricity was brought to the houses, electric sewing machines came into use. (Photo: Gerti Nooter, 68-3-45-32a).

Nowadays, sewing with dental floss is also popular in East Greenland, since this material is very strong, sticky, and pleasant to use. It is used especially for sewing seal-skin boots.

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