End of year projects

one of the joys of academia is having long breaks between semesters! I get 3 weeks off and soon I'll be anxious for a bead project. I have several unfinished things to do: make a small hide bag & attach a rosette for a student; finish the baby moccasins; restring a coyote claw necklace for a doll and make his little moccasins; repair a peyote stitch beaded pen that broke apart; and probably several other odds/ends! I also need to start some new projects too: something (maybe a purse or coin bag) for a friend who recently retired; a beaded checkbook cover for myself; and...I don't really know. Hmm.

Usually I make several Xmas gifts including small ornaments, but this year I didn't...it was a difficult fall and I was in a fog. My craft supplies were almost inaccessible and disorganized, so I cleaned my home office a bit and put things away. Having a cleaner space has cheered me up and allowed me to see possibilities. Maybe after the holidays I'll treat myself to new beads; a friend traveled out west this summer and bought some in South Dakota (pretty red, white & blue translucents but not sure of the size, maybe 13/0). Its always nice to get a box of supplies from Wandering Bull, Noc Bay, or Crazy Crow!

baby moccasins

my friend Debbie will have a baby soon, started a pair of eastern woodlands style moccasins...different from southern plains with their folded down cuff and floral beadwork on velveteen but they look cute. Need to finish up the other shoe soon, think the baby is due soon but the shoes are too big for awhile!

Next?

Finished my blanket strip in good time, need to get ready for the Fall semester (see my academic blog for those details) but I have a few more craft projects that need my attention including finishing a small hide bag promised to a student last spring and a umbilical cord amulet for another student who had a baby this summer.

The Natl Park Service invited me to participate in their Heritage Days event held at an old trade post & farm located near a trail used by Pottawatomie people during the early 1800s. I am to demonstrate bead work, but more likely will just set up tables with porky quills, beads etc and answer questions. Since most of my own work is plains style (and usually given away) I don't have many finished objects to display...but I promised to make baby moccasins for a friend so I will make them in Great Lakes style (center seam with wide beaded velvet cuffs) and perhaps a small hide bag with floral applique design. This weekend event occurs in mid-September so there's not much time, especially since the Fall Semester begins next week...but I think I could get a few small objects together! The NPS kindly paid me an honorarium for the last event (a weekend workshop for area school teachers who wanted to add to their Native American curriculum materials) and then mistakenly sent me a 2nd check! So I'll use this extra money to buy materials; the kids who stop by my table can select a glass crow bead and deer hide lace as a small souvenir of their visit to the park. I don't have the sense that people will stay for a long demonstration of beading techniques or to actually work on their own project but I may set out some embroidery hoops and beads if folks want to try their hand at floral applique...a few stitches may give them a little understanding. I've never done this type of demonstration before and am wondering how Fred Harvey employees felt...but its good incentive to work on baby moccs!

Blanket strip done!

I finished out my blanket strip by sewing on a white deer hide back; finally I attached blue & pink satin ribbons as well as tassels made with white horsehair, silver cones, and blue mini glass grow beads. The pink ribbon may be a bit too soft but the recipient said he liked the pink bead detail. If I had the chance to redo this project I would have selected red beads & ribbon instead of pink, but its all done now!

I also added 2 hide tabs so that it can be easily and safely hung on a wall (or they can be tucked out of sight if it will be displayed on a chair back). Its unlikely that it will be attached to a blanket but that would be nice too.

It was a big project taking nearly 2 months to complete. I learned important things along the way and am generally happy with the results. I wanted to make one for some time and as a first effort I think it turned out ok. I may attempt another one someday but other projects are waiting so off to something else...

Blanket strip 4

beading is all done on my strip; I trimmed away the excess canvas and am almost ready to attach a hide back. I don't have a single piece of hide that is long enough (64") so will have to sew 2 sections together and hope the seam isn't too noticeable (it will be on the back so won't be seen very often). I'm disappointed that some of the white canvas is showing around the medallions so I decided to back the strip with a white split I purchased from Wandering Bull, a supplier back east. It wasn't the color I had intended and I hesitate to use up my wonderful white hide (its hard to get at a good price) but it will look nice and help hide the problem. I also purchased pink and blue ribbons and will make white horsehair tassels to hang from the medallions.
This was my 1st effort and I've learned some valuable lessons but don't know if I'll be making another one any time soon!

summer beading

am still working on my blanket strip project this summer; was making good progress but then I got a bit burned out...need to make 1 more medallion, attach and then finish beading around it. Am a little more than 1/2 done, its about 40" in length so far. Its getting a bit heavy on one side which makes it a little difficult to hold in my lap, even when its all rolled up.

I think I'm finally ready to get back to the work; final medallion should only take a day or two to complete. There's no hurry of course and time spent on this project means I'm not getting some other things done so I need better balance...I enjoy beading in the morning out on the back deck while it is still cool and my big Siamese cat loves to be out there, especially with me for company. Plus its easier to work outside with good light.

Blanket strip pt 2

Each project has its own quirks and complications, particularly on the first try...I've had to make some adjustments to my project but its finally moving along. Initially I stretched the canvas in my large quilting frame as I did with Jameson's cradleboard cover, but this project is only using 3" of fabric and the house is busier in the summer; the frame is too large for this project and simply in the way of people and pets. So I cut the fabric down and placed in my smaller lap (11 x 17) frame, rolling up the excess fabric. This allows me to carry it outside to the deck (which is covered by a canvas gazebo and has lights, sound system, carpet and plants for a nice outdoor room) and also work on it from the couch.

I tacked down the rosettes and beaded around them with the larger, less precise dark blue beads that I've had sitting around for some time. I like the old time clunky feel of them, a good contrast to the other beads. I also used the dark blue to outline the strip and create a border (not seen in the old strips but it worked to help keep me from wandering too far out of alignment). Still have no ideas for any designs but am thinking and decided to use the light pink I got at Hobby Lobby for some contrast.

Strip is 64" in length with the rosettes covering 14", leaving 50" to bead...in two days I've covered 5" for a total of 10%....looks like this project will be slow going but I guess there is no real hurry.

Blanket strip pt 1

I started my first blanket strip; have made 2 of the 4 medallions so far. They are 3" in diameter which is a bit small but they will become a little larger with a dark blue border. The hourglass design is common on the plains but the blue & white is found most often in Cheyenne and Lakota Sioux bead work; these colors were the first to be brought to the plains as seen in early Bodmer paintings of Mandan folks made in the 1830s.

I also purchased canvas and will stretch it in my large Q-Snap quilting frame, lightly sketch out strip dimensions (approximately 64" in length and 2.5" wide) as well as the location of any designs (still thinking about that), and then attach the medallions so I can bead around them.

The bead size 10/0 doesn't seem large enough to me, but the more traditional pony beads are more expensive. I wish I had ordered more colors too; so I picked up some 10/0 in dark blue and a very pretty pink at Hobby Lobby but not sure if I will use them except for the dark blue border. As this is a man's gift the pink doesn't seem quite right...have given some thought to ordering more beads, but 2 colors can be enough I guess and I'm too impatient to await their delivery. Perhaps the next one will be more colorful.


For more info on robes and their decorations see:

http://www.womenofthefurtrade.com/wst_page19.html

Blanket planning...

decided to start my new project; ordered pearl white and translucent light blue beads in size 10/0 (a bit smaller than size 8 pony beads) for a fairly traditional blanket strip and will make it 60 inches in length (although a smaller size with a University of Oklahoma medallion seems like a nice gift idea!). I will use a canvas backing (not sure I have enough on hand so may need to poke around a fabric store soon), stretching the material on my large Q-Snap quilt frame just as I did for cradle covers....this technique really keeps the fabric taut and bead lines straight. I can move it around and will probably work on it outside under the new canvas gazebo set up on my back deck. Can make the 5 inch rosettes first and then try to improve my lazy lane stitch (another option which I actually prefer is to use a single needle running stitch). Finally, I will attach a hide backing (may be a good excuse to use up the cow hide split that I bought for moccasins but have decided not to use for that project). Likely it will just be hung up on a wall but I think it will be an attractive element in my friend's home.

But while I wait for the beads to arrive (probably a week or so) I should work on some other projects that are partially done and also need to make a retirement gift to take to a party in a few weeks. That should keep me occupied!

New Project: Blanket strip

Hooray!! after much thought about where to go next, I have finally decided to tackle a blanket strip...will make it on canvas and then back with hide. Need to decide on colors and order enough beads but its something I've wanted to do for some time and the decision was worked out by hours of staring at a framed print in my bedroom. I cant copy the image, but here's the link:

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Sacred-Ground-Posters_i377291_.htm

Here is a nice strip but I'm not sure if I should use a traditional style or something modern (maybe making OU medallions?). Need to decide on length as well: short for a starter project or full length as I don't know when I would ever do another?? Hmm, decisions and more decisions....