An Alutiiq artist from Old Harbor is 70 hours away from completing the first pair of traditional uuleegux socks to be made in decades.

Alaska Heritage Museum in Anchorage commissioned June Pardue, a 58-year-old professional artist living in Sutton, to create the grass socks to strengthen the Aleut and Alutiiq section of the museum.

“My predecessor, Artemis BonaDea, realized that our Aleut and Alutiiq section in the museum is particularly weak,” Tom Bennett, Alaska Heritage Museum curator, said.

After BonaDea did some research she discovered Pardue and contacted the artist to commission her to create some art for the museum.

Pardue was more than happy to contribute artwork to the collection.

“I was just thrilled knowing that they’re going to be in a place where they will be preserved,” Pardue said.

Making the traditional boot liners came after years of study and was quite the challenge for the artist.

“I had to figure it out,” Pardue said.

Pardue didn’t know how to make the socks, so she had to spend some time figuring out how they were made before she could begin.

“June, subsequently, did a lot of research and even went to the Smithsonian and figured out how to weave them herself,” Bennett said.

Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka also was an important place for Pardue to learn how to weave the uuleegux. While there she studied Alutiiq baskets and woven socks in the museum’s collection.

She also was inspired to weave grass socks while working as a consultant for the Autry National Museum based in Los Angeles.

“I was one of several consultants who assisted the museum in putting together a basket exhibit,” Pardue said. “While doing that I studied JPEGs of Koniag socks they have.”

The journey was long, but with the experience she gained over the years she was finally able to attempt to make the socks.

“I’ve been wanting to do this for quite a few years now, and it finally clicked, and I knew that I could weave a pair,” Pardue said.

The first attempt at making the grass socks didn’t turn out for Pardue.

“I attempted my first pair, and I threw them away,” she said. “It took me 70 hours. I just tossed them in a corner.”

She began her second pair about a month ago and has completed 70 hours of work. She is almost at the halfway point and expects around another 70 hours to finish.

“I’m thoroughly happy and pleased that they’re turning out,” she said.

The long hours of work are necessary to complete the socks and are typical for Pardue’s projects.

“Just preparing the grass for the socks takes a lot of care and time,” she said.

She soaked the Kodiak beach grass in hot water for half an hour and then rolled it up into a towel for an hour or two. After that she soaked again. When those steps were finished she began putting two blades of grass together, thin end to thin end for length.

She said it could take several hours just to get the soles into an oval shape to fit over a foot.

“That takes an entire day, about eight to 10 hours,” she said. “I personally have to work for several hours and get a good start on them.”

Picking the grass necessary to construct the socks is important and sometimes difficult, Pardue said.

“The weather season really plays an important part in the quality of the grass,” she said. “When it’s a really bad rainy season up here I end up having a difficult time finding a good spot to pick grass.”

Grass in the Sutton area isn’t preferable to the former Kodiak Island resident.

“I’m partial to Kodiak Island grass,” Pardue said. “That’s where I grew up.”

The Kodiak Island beach grass socks when finished will be a rare purchase for the Alaska Heritage Museum.

“It’s pretty unusual,” Bennett said. “It’s been some years (since they purchased art). It is pretty clearly the most important and most unusual addition in a long time.”

The socks are more than just a display however; the pair will offer a new educational opportunity.

“They will help us teach more about survival techniques,” Bennett said.

Pardue values the cultural importance of the socks — for Alutiiq people and others.

“They’re something I’m reviving,” she said. “I would like to see something like this continue on. It’s important to capture articles we’ve lost. It’s part of the Alutiiq culture, and I’ve always thought it was important to weave and for me to teach it.”

After completing the socks before her Dec. 15 deadline, Pardue will be right back to work on different pieces of art after presenting them to the museum.

The multi-talented Pardue plans future projects that include making an Alutiiq doll using fish skins and walrus stomach she salvaged from an old drum; painting Alaska scenery; and tanning skins for the Alaska Native Heritage Center for a summer project to teach staff and students to skin sew with fish skins.

After 140 hours of working on the grass socks, Pardue will be ready to start on some new things.

“I want to take a break from weaving and use some different muscles,” she said.