pipe stem

its not very fancy but I did finish decorating a pipe stem for a friend; he bought a wooden stem from Crazy Crow so I wrapped with white deer hide, added some beads to the ends, beaded the quills of 3 hawk feathers and hung them along with white horse hair, red glass and brass beads. He was pleased with it (but suspect he wasn't keen on the bead work pattern, a bit too busy maybe) and took me to lunch.

It was an interesting project and I tried to learn about pipes & stems in preparation. He showed it to an art dealer who asked me to make another but already have too many projects in line; tipi possibles bag is likely the next one up!

Late Spring

Friends have commented on the lack of postings...guess I got busy at work and didn't do much craft work for awhile. Several older projects need some updating: still have not finished my most recent doll (he needs moccasins) and a slight mishap occurred. Nor sure how it happened (I suspect kittens) but he was knocked down from the bookshelf and a dog ate most of the coyote claws. Have found brass and glass beads all over the living room too, so I'll have to buy more claws and restring.

My wonderful dress arrived and sadly didn't fit at all...because it was made back in Oklahoma there were no fittings; in retrospect we should have made one from a cheap cotton first rather than the nice wool. I read on the internet several posting about how this pattern line tends to run a size small but that didn't help soothe my sad feelings. My friend Tracy doesn't seem worried and thinks its a simple matter to open the seams and insert gussets but I am suspicious and think the project is a complete bust. I'm guessing we buy new fabric and try again...maybe the other dress could be sold to help some of the cost, bummer.

I made a few things during the spring break to give away as prizes to my students who got the highest score on each exam. These included a pen wrapped in gourd stitch, a black suede bag with a university logo medallion, and another rosette that needs to be finished into a necklace (the student agreed to wait). Another student is expecting a child so I offered to make a lizard amulet bag for the umbilical cord, guess that should be next as the due date is approaching.

A friend asked me to decorate a pipe stem for the red stone bear effigy bowl he is carving. I had hoped to learn enough quill work to wrap the stem, but that skill seems too far away and I don't think its appropriate to experiment on a pipe stem...so I bought some lovely white suede from Wandering Bull (www.wanderingbull.com) and wrapped the stem, then gourd stitched the ends in a rainbow pattern with 11/0 translucent seed beads. Next I added strips of white suede with small brass sequins, white horse hair scalp locks with red and brass beads, and am now wrapping 3 hawk feathers which belong to my friend in gourd stitch with 11/0 French luster beads. Hope to be done over the long holiday weekend but have papers to grade and a test to write as well.

My next big project will be to make beaded hide covers for the large Gladstone bags that I bought on Ebay...think I may do the first using a Lakota/Cheyenne tipi possibles bag motiff (simple thin lines of beadwork) rather than the full beadwork of a smaller doctor's bag. The bags are so much larger than I had expected and the task seemed overwhelming but this seems like a nice solution and is still in keeping with the idea of a nice bag. I need to go hide shopping; am considering pig suede this time as its generally thinner and I can place it in a large rectangular quilting frame which keeps all the lines straight. Lane or lazy stitch is said to be easy but I find it to be quite challenging and prefer single needle running stitch instead! But maybe with some luck I can make something happen...intended recipient is my friend Tracy who made my dress (we are trying to work out trades as compensation). Summer isn't the best time for big projects as there are lots of other things to do but it is nice to have something I can pick up from time to time so this may be it (and I will be happy to move the large Gladstone's out of my office).

new dress

ages ago I planned a new pow wow dress for myself...got as far as ordering the fabric, a nice green wool known as 3 band broadcloth and I started picking up some brass sequins each time I placed a bead order. A friend had offered to make it for me as I don't sew but then her life got busy with a baby, work and her own projects. Happily another friend agreed to make it for me in exchange for some bead work. She has just finished it and will be sending to me to add the brass embellishments.

I have to make new moccasins (have a tan cowhide waiting for me to start) as well as the small beaded pouches that hang from a belt....am considering ordering the leather & brass concho belt from a shop in Tonkawa OK rather than make it myself (they do such nice work and their prices are quite fair). For a look at their work see:

http://www.littlecrowtradingpost.com/pagebelt.htm

may also ask my friend to make a new shawl...perhaps cream fabric with emerald fringe. Her ribbon work shawls are so amazing but likely out of my price range for now. She made my fan which is incredible! See some of Tracy's work at:

http://www.ndnregalia.com/index.html

2011 doll part 5

he is slowly coming together...he will also have a Peace Medal made from a drilled French franc coin; peace medals were given by government officials as tokens of friendship and were highly prized by Native peoples in the Great Lakes and Northern Plains. He needs earrings and bead necklaces as well as moccasins and perhaps a rawhide shield across his back

2011 doll part 4

In keeping with a central plains feel to the doll I decided to decorate him with a bear claw necklace; I selected coyote claws from Noc Bay, a native craft supplier located in Michigan. They were pre-drilled and just the right size but too small to use with a fur strip like real ones. Among the Pawnee certain families held the right to assemble the claws into a necklace and were usually paid a horse for their efforts. Photos of museum held necklaces almost always show them spaced with blue glass beads but I have not found an explanation for this; I have opted to use brass beads on this doll version.

Another feature of prominent central plains men is the otter fur turban, also commonly found in the Great lakes and Prairie states. It is worn today by men who dance a style known as straight dance. My doll version is made of imitation fur decorated with brass sequins, lined with red felt and edge beading using 12/0 pearl seed beads. It will need to be secured to his head but that will happen after earrings, bead necklaces and moccasins are made...he will be handled and bumped around for a bit yet!

2011 doll part 3

The old saying "clothes makes the man" seems to be true, at least for this guy anyway. He now has a shirt made from a golden colored deer hide suede split (probably 2-3 oz weight). I attempted to dye interfacing orange using food coloring but it didn't hold (interfacing is probably synthetic instead of organic like cotton and needs a chemical dye which I didn't have on hand); I then beaded this interfacing but unfortunately didn't double the material...the thinness makes the beads seem loose. Note to self: always double the beading medium (which I usually do). Forgot to take photos as I worked but had taken them during an earlier doll construction; working on interfacing in an embroidery hoop is easier, keeps the bead work straight and reduced strain on the hide. Old hide shirts show a similar effort and presumably beaded sections could be removed and placed on new shirts when necessary.

I made a strip for each arm and two for the body (passing over each shoulder) then sewed each onto hide with enough space on either side to cut fringe. Then these were sewn onto the shirt and the side seams closed (gets a bit tricky under his arms). The fringe could have been cut a bit thinner but it floats fairly well.

For me a doll really comes to life once hair is added. In this instance I used a mix of gray and black horse hair; braided and then sewn onto the head with a curved upholstery needle. The braids were tied with a short strip on suede and wrapped with red ribbon to help hold them together.

2011 doll part 2

because of the dark hide color I keep thinking this doll looks like a tall gingerbread man! But now he has black deer hide leggings with fringe & bead work and a long loin cloth decorated with brass sequins. The loin cloth is long in front & back, like the modern dance style. Both are held up by a simple deer hide lace

He is starting to look more like a doll and less of a gingerbread man!! But its winter, so a nice warm shirt is needed; the slightly larger doll body with new arm positioning will require that I make a new shirt pattern. Likely I will also make a cloth shirt to test before cutting out the golden colored deer hide.

2011 doll part 1

don't think I have ever really documented my doll making projects other than to send occasional updates to the intended recipients, so this will be an attempt to present the process. I decided to make a doll now rather than the more complex doctor's bag mainly due to a temporary lack of bead supplies and funds; I had doll supplies on hand and enjoy making them...its really a series of many small projects that ultimately come together in a final product. Step 1 is thinking about the whole thing, getting motivated and finally getting started! I wish I could say I plan my projects out carefully; some are but most are not (hopefully I will develop better work habits in the near future). At best I can say I decided to make a male doll; the clothes are less elaborate (and less work) than females...I made a nice woman last year so its time for a new project. I vaguely have someone in mind to receive this one but that doesn't really influence how it turns out.

my dolls are now made entirely from deer hide; initially they were cloth, then cloth body with hide head, and now finally all hide. I had a pattern for cutting the hide, but decided to enlarge it a bit and adjust the arms. My original pattern was similar to one found in Whispering Wind, craft annual #3 (1990). Contemporary soft sculpture dolls are getting larger (18-22 inches) and I'm trying to move in that direction.

The hide is a nice deer hide split, probably in the 2-4 oz. range (although a darker shade than I ordinarily use). It was cut and sewn with Nymo thread using a glover's needle, then stuffed with polyfill. The seams are showing but will be covered by clothes...its just too difficult to turn the hide inside out. He stands about 11" tall (the size of a Barbie or old GI Joe) and has small half feet; hopefully this new feature will improve the way the moccasins fit onto the legs. Positioning the arms at his side appears more natural but it will reduce the visual effect of the shirt fringe. This is one of the very few times I have added beaded eyes & mouth, ordinarily they are "no face" dolls which allows the owner to imagine their features. Without hair, clothes or jewelry he looks a bit odd!

Next are the clothes: his shirt will be made from a buttery soft golden colored hide and I've decided to make black leggings for a dramatic contrast. I'll bead strips for his leggings; found black interfacing at Hobby Lobby so I can make very straight thin strips using lazy/lane stitch and then attach them to the hide. Decided on standard central Plains style fringed hide leggings rather than Southern Plain flap or Northern Plains cloth and will use 13/0 beads (in orange, yellow, green & white) and brass spots. The shirt will also have strips on the chest and arms (Northern Plains style) and fringe, as well as horse hair, on the sleeves.

Dolls

am anxiously waiting for a new OU Press book on contemporary plains doll sculpture; have it pre-ordered and hope to receive in January but in the meantime I've started a new doll.

Have increased the dimensions just a little (new sculptural dolls seem to be 18-25") but mine are still around 12"...not sure yet of his clothing but shirt will be made of golden deer hide and leggings may be black. I generally make only 1 doll per year so I'm out of practice and my fingers ache already! Plan to send this one to a friend in England; his grandfather had been a missionary to a Canadian First Nations community and Justin's dad was born in Canada. Justin is an amazing musician so I want to thank him for years of entertainment!

Upcoming presentation

I've been asked to give a presentation to the Kankakee Valley Historical Society on Tues Nov 8th; since Nov is Native American month I've chose to talk about bead work...will present on pre-European beads, discuss how contact has changed the art form, look at modern expressions and show regional differences. I have a few things for "show & tell" but will try to make a few others; will also set out some beads and encourage everyone to touch & feel (to me bead work is a tactile environment). May hit some thrift stores in search of wooden salad bowls as they make nice displays when filled with pretty beads!I may also try to make a few things, but its been so long I may have forgotten how, plus my supply cabinet is blocked by too much junk...still I think I'll try to start a small rosette tonight. Not sure what else I need until I get into that cabinet