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Oh wow, I'm not the only beadworker here?!?!

I got into Native American beadwork as a young adult, when I was still active in the Boy Scouts as an adult leader. I got rather obsessed with the stuff, for several years, up to about the time I started college and got heavy into cooking and starting my culinary career.

Here's a walking cane that I started for my g'mother years ago, but I ended up getting out of beadworking before I finished it. The total beaded area would be about 27" long, by the circumference of the cane, which I think is slightly over 3".

Here's a pic:

cane15oh.jpg


And a close-up detail of the beads.

cane31ov.jpg


Those two pics were taken with my 35mm camera, then scanned the prints. I could take a more modern pic with my 5.0 megapixel camera.

This is a Capote I made many years ago, back when I lived in Oklahoma. At the time I made it, I had just left my old Boy Scout troop, because I was working two jobs. I had intended to get back in at some time, just didn't know when. I made the Capote mainly to wear when we go camping in the winter. Not that I live up here in MI, I actually wear this Capote pretty much all winter long, because it's so warm!
CroppedSnowMDing.jpg
 
i'll give you 6 beaver pelts, 2 red fox, and 4 pounds of shot for that capote allen!!!
it would have been more, but i'll have to fix the hole in the pocket...:)
(lost your keys in the snow again?)


man, that is a sweet mountain coat. it looks really warm. what type of enclosures? antler tips for the buttons would be neat.
 
Allen, very nice work!!! You should try to finish the walking stick sometime!! I did similar with pool cues for many friends, wish I had the photos still. Most of the photos of my beadwork I had were lost when we moved 11 years ago. I loved doing the beadwork but being just one person and so many orders, I got burned-out working 18-20 hour days over a 15 year period. I do need to get back into the right frame of mind to make some things for my grandchildren and hopefully they will want to learn when they get a bit older. I would love that as it is part of their heritage.
 
Thumper, do you crochet with yarn or do you also crochet with thread? I do both but prefer to crochet with very fine thread. Guess I got that from my grandmother, she made some very gorgeous doilies.
 
I love to paint things on baby cloths and used to do t-shirts and sweat shirts as well..One of my favorite things to do is work re-finishing furniture..About ten years ago, DH was grumping that we needed new bedroom furniture, so figuring if I totaled what we had it wouldn't matter, I hauled it al into the garage..I stripped off the varnis, bleached it, then re-stained it and instead of putting on varnis, I left it as it was, now all I do is rub it with lemon oil once a week..It's so soft looking..We love it..didn't need to get anything new. I also love working with live flowers or making silk arrangements..I'm not so great putting them together, but I try hard and I do have a pretty good eye for color matching and go togethers..NOw tho, most of my time is spent watching and loveing four little kids who are the center of my world.

kadesma:)
 
buckytom said:
i'll give you 6 beaver pelts, 2 red fox, and 4 pounds of shot for that capote allen!!!
it would have been more, but i'll have to fix the hole in the pocket...:)
(lost your keys in the snow again?)


man, that is a sweet mountain coat. it looks really warm. what type of enclosures? antler tips for the buttons would be neat.

That particular picture, I took shortly after I moved up here, more as a joke for all my friends back down in OK. I posted that one, then I even modified it and by adding text, and a UPC barcode, I actually turned the original image into a fake magazine cover.

The metal detector wasn't even turned on when I had PeppA take the pic (yes, that is my hairy mug). I think the ground was frozen at least 6" deep then, so there was no way short of a backhoe or TNT that I was going to dig.

In that picture, you can't really make it out, but, it does have a hood with two tassles coming out of it. Fringe around the opening. I followed a Nez Perce pattern, one of three that came in a packet on how to make Capotes. I used deer antler buttons for the five buttons on the front (where those red patches are on my stomach), and two antler buttons for the pocket, which you can just barely see, on my left side near my hand. It's a side view at that angle. I trimmed the entire Capote with red felt (that red edging). I cheated a bit, and lined the sleeves and hood with red flannel. I did that, as I figured that's where the most heat would be lost.

Yes, this thing is WARM! Back in OK, I would only wear it maybe once or twice in the winter, when a storm was coming through. Up here in southern MI, I'll wear it when the temps are around 20 degrees F. On a normal winter, that's usually from about December - March. This winter had been a little odd, and I haven't actually worn it since mid-January.

It's made for a cheap knock-off of a Hudson Bay blanket. It's not really that thick, but even as thin as it is, it's WARM! I had to hand-sew it, as it was too thick to fit through my sewing machine (yes, I can sew both by hand and machine, surprising for a guy, isn't it?).

Shunka said:
Allen, very nice work!!! You should try to finish the walking stick sometime!! I did similar with pool cues for many friends, wish I had the photos still. Most of the photos of my beadwork I had were lost when we moved 11 years ago. I loved doing the beadwork but being just one person and so many orders, I got burned-out working 18-20 hour days over a 15 year period. I do need to get back into the right frame of mind to make some things for my grandchildren and hopefully they will want to learn when they get a bit older. I would love that as it is part of their heritage.

Shunka, please try to get your g'children into this! I whole-heartedly agree, it's a part of their heritage, and they need to know that.

It is time-consuming, I'll admit. I would get into a "zone", and just fly through that Peyote-stitch stuff sometimes. I could probably add about an inch of work on the walking stick in a few hours.

I can also do loomwork, and I've fiddled around a bit with rosettes. I've got two looms, one of which is HUGE. I also have two jig heddles, which help immensely with the speed of loomwork.

I still have all my stufff, but it's all packed away in the garage.
 
AllenMI said:
It's made for a cheap knock-off of a Hudson Bay blanket. It's not really that thick, but even as thin as it is, it's WARM! I had to hand-sew it, as it was too thick to fit through my sewing machine (yes, I can sew both by hand and machine, surprising for a guy, isn't it?).

yup, i saw it was hudson bay style. nice job. i was being too generous with my offer, lol. yours is a three point, so i should have offered 3 beaver pelts, and then we could negotiate the trim work and antler buttons with fox and shot.
i am a big fan of the history of lewis and clark's expedition and their dealings with the nez perce and the mandans. my family has always said that i was born 200 years too late. i have given my son the trail name "twisted hair", after the nez perce chief, because of a cow lick that looks like a hurricane on the back of his head. my trail name is "ten beers", :) , with apologies to the comanche nation.

lol, i do the sewing in my house too. it's not about man's or woman's work; it's just about getting it done (before it's needed. ex-scout also.).
 
AllenMI said:
Oh wow, I'm not the only beadworker here?!?!

I got into Native American beadwork as a young adult, when I was still active in the Boy Scouts as an adult leader. I got rather obsessed with the stuff, for several years, up to about the time I started college and got heavy into cooking and starting my culinary career.

Here's a walking cane that I started for my g'mother years ago, but I ended up getting out of beadworking before I finished it. The total beaded area would be about 27" long, by the circumference of the cane, which I think is slightly over 3".

Here's a pic:

cane15oh.jpg


And a close-up detail of the beads.

cane31ov.jpg


Those two pics were taken with my 35mm camera, then scanned the prints. I could take a more modern pic with my 5.0 megapixel camera.

This is a Capote I made many years ago, back when I lived in Oklahoma. At the time I made it, I had just left my old Boy Scout troop, because I was working two jobs. I had intended to get back in at some time, just didn't know when. I made the Capote mainly to wear when we go camping in the winter. Not that I live up here in MI, I actually wear this Capote pretty much all winter long, because it's so warm!
CroppedSnowMDing.jpg

kewl.... :)
 
:) AllenMI!YOU! Are talented I wouldn't have the patience to try that kind of bead work but it's so beautiful.
And Grumbles the bunny is very cute.i would like to learn how to knit but dont have that kind of patience.
 
Shunka, I have done a few doilies with thread but now I mostly crochet with different yarns. There are getting to be so many of them now that it's a challenge. I have made several afghans and ponchos this winter.I have just finished a log cabin afghan.
 
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