Alla Kechgichaivina demonstrates how to make thread

"You have to carefully separate the meat remnants from the tendons. You shouldn’t dry them by the fire. Somewhere further away, in the shade. It’s good to dry them inside the yurt; that’s suitable for drying tendons. To prevent them from becoming too dry, you place them on a bed of twigs under a tarp, and the next morning the tendons are soft. These here are thick threads for sewing boots, and the thin ones are for sewing a kukhlianka. The even thinner ones are used to sew the soles onto boots or onto short boots made of smoked leather. When we sew short boots from smoked leather, we smear a little bear fat onto the threads and then rub them with charcoal so that water won’t penetrate later. We also have to rub them with charcoal so they don’t rot quickly, and we use a little saliva to moisten them. Then we twist the threads. If you twist them poorly, the thread will unravel later, so it’s better to do it right from the start. Yes, it’s better to take your time for this."

Recorded by Erich Kasten. Shanuch, 2000.