Sewn Items/clothing

[Blackbear]

some ribbonwork I did for the hubby's new suit

[tprindle00]

Very pretty! I love the colors.
Tara

[nyeh neh noos]

Bear....you are SOOO talented....WOW...that looks awesome!!!

Tgal

[Blackbear]

man I hope i did this right.. here is the suit that ribbonwork was put on...hopefully

[Blackbear]

ok I sewed together the strips, heat and bonded the strips for the design, drew and cut out the design and ironed them to the other strips last night. This morning I did the stitching and putting them on the shirts.. but here are some sweatshirts I did for my little girl. They were just too plain so had to decorate them. The designs are adapted from Potawatami ribbonwork I got out of Scartlet Ribbons (book). I hope no potawatami's get ticked off about it LOL.

[Blackbear]

ok here's a shawl I did for someone recently. She wanted some nice bright colors and for the shawl to be exciting. The bottom color of the strip is actually a deep purple and not a navy blue like the pic makes it look.

[tprindle00]

beautius as usual blackbear! :)

do you have trouble with your sewing machine needle gumming up after using the heat and bond when doing the zig zag around the edges? man that drove me nuts when i appliqued my guys aprons... i hear there's a heat and bond light thats supposed to be better? I havent attempted cloth aplique since those aprons... my sewing machine was REAL mad at me! :eek:

i've been sewing up a storm this past week, getting ready for halloween, going to a costume party for the first time in decades... my sister convinced me to go as a harem girl, like she's doing, only she rented her costume 55 dollars for 3 days?!?, and I'm broke (like usual)... $25 of stuff, materials and geegaws bought at Sal's Boutique, Walmart, and my discount fabric store made enough for a harem outfit for me and a sultan outfit for my guy ... If my mom takes pictures of us, i'll be sure to post after halloween, if you guys want a laugh!

Tara

[Blackbear]

That's what I use is the light. I was using wonder under but I keep getting old stuff that the glue separates from the backing so I switched to heat and bond light. It;s not as strong as the pellon wonder under, but it works better than good enough. The other heat and bond heavy I was always told is too thick and hard to sew through so I've never tried it.

I definitely want to see the harem outfit!!! Here's a pic of my guys and daughter... I made Tay's outfit, but not the other two.

[tprindle00]

Tay's carebear outfit is really cute! It will probably be the second or third week of november before i have a pic of the harem/sultun get-up's ... taking pics the old fashioned way.

Here's a thumbnail of the 'machine gumming' aprons I did a couple years ago for Brad, he designed it, i sewed it.

http://home.cshore.com/waaban/images/aprons.jpg

Tara

[Blackbear]

Wow!! I really like that! Is he a northern traditional dancer? He's got a nice eye for design too!

[Blackbear]

ok here's the other shawl I did for the same person....the pics can't do it justice though, it's sheened material and batiqued butterflies and organdy ribbon... but man did it come out pretty!!!

[tprindle00]

Wow!! I really like that! Is he a northern traditional dancer? He's got a nice eye for design too!

Yes, he's been a Traditional dancer for about 15 years, before that he danced Fancy for about ten years... Blackbear, meet my guy
http://home.cshore.com/waaban/images/brad02.jpg

[tprindle00]

... batiqued butterflies ...

What a cool idea!

Tara

[Blackbear]

my my he looks good!! LOL!!!
I would love to have the space and supplies to dye and design my own fabrics and also to make lampwork beads (imagine what us natives could do if we could make our own crow beads and such!!).

Well I posted t his at powwows, but here is the latest shawl I did for a raffle this weekend.

[bearcat]

Wow!!! Really nice stuff y'all. :D

And hey there Bear - i loved the Halloween outfit pic.

And Tara, looking forward to seeing y'alls Halloween pics, sultan and harem girl ... ;)

I have not sewn anything with a machine in very many years. Just leather stuff, sewn by hand.

I keep seeing this awsome sewing machine [factory-overstock sale, or somesuch] for a few hundred dollars. Keep thinking I might wanna get it, but then again - i would not have the time for it then, anyways ... sale happens about twice a year ...

What kinda sewing machines do y'all you to create your such beauitiful stuff?

[Blackbear]

I've got a Huqvarna Lily 555. It was a PFD special for 500.00 less than sticker price and the hubby got it for me as a suprise!

[tprindle00]

I got a reconditioned Nelco 'Sierra Fashion', (your basic zig-zag machine) as a christmas present from my mom about ten years ago. My sewing skills are pretty basic, so it works great for me. The only thing that doesnt work on it is the bobbin winder, so I have to get out my old hand drill to wind the bobbins :hah hah

Tara

[Blackbear]

OH MAN..I can only imagine what that has to be like..winding bobbins with a hand drill LOL!! You know I have never heard of a nelco... do they make them anymore?

[Ojidanowe]

Jolie and Tara,
You two do amazing work, you should be very proud. My mom sewed fantastic also, but alas, I am all thumbs. I just do leatherwork. Thanks for posting the beautiful pictures!

[tprindle00]

OH MAN..I can only imagine what that has to be like..winding bobbins with a hand drill LOL!! You know I have never heard of a nelco... do they make them anymore?

LOL I'd never heard of a Nelco either! I'm not even sure how old it is, my mom got it used/reconditioned ... i'd estimate it was made in the 80's, all dials for stitch, length, zig-zag options, no buttons to push like the new ones. The new machines look so complicated with their computerized control panels.

Tara

:whisper (do not attempt to wind a bobbin on a *dremel high speed drill, the results are not pretty)

[rjricelny]

There is a high frequency of symmetry in most of the different work that has been shown, and sometime the mirror image about a centerline is complementary in color. Why... is the work reflective of nature in symmetry? But that doesn't explain the use of complementary colors?

[Blackbear]

Not exactly sure what you are asking there..rj.. but it's called ribbonwork, this particular way of cutting ribbon to mirror image in complimentary colors is something that the indigenous people came up with themselves, in other words, not inspired by europeans. Most of it does pictate florals and the rest geometric (geometric is more typically found in the southern plains tribes like osagebut not solely). I'm not sure if it represents nature in symmetry... maybe for some nations it does I just don't know.

[tprindle00]

Not to detract from symmetry and color... but...

...
I definitely want to see the harem outfit!!!

Well, it took a while to get a picture. I brought my camera and my aunt took several, guess what, no film in the camera!! LOL My mom took several with her camera but the battery died and she messed up taking out the film... my bro-in-law saved the day with his digital camera, and my sister just sent me this photo.

Brad's the 'Sultan' with fake beard and 'stache, I'm the pink Harem girl, my older sister Jenn is the Harem girl in white. I made both brad's and my outfits for under $30, shoes included! My sister rented hers! LOL

Tara

http://home.cshore.com/waaban/images/harem.jpg

[bearcat]

Hey there Tara - y'all look great!!! :thumb:

It looks like y'all had a fun Halloween! :)

[Blackbear]

Kick Ass!!!!!!

[rjricelny]

Wow! You know, with pictures like that you can detract from symmetry and color anytime! Howl! Ayeeee, ayeeee, ayeeee!!!!

Anyway, yeah I guess, what I am asking is - Is the work , final piece more dependant on the tools used or the idea before hand. Nature is filled with symmetry, and in its composition brings the the idea for the final piece. Does your work reflect "old ways" in idea and look or is it more "contemporay" ? It's very lovely, thats for sure.

In school I studied the possiblity of Native American influences in Frank Lloyd Wright's work. He had many influences but the least talked about were Native American- but NA culture is most prevelant in the "prairie" style- however abstracted.

So - I look at the work here and I try to imagine the influences.

[rjricelny]

It just occurred to me that Blackbear has done a lot of work. And it appears Tprindle too. Now the harem thing we have to look at as a wild card :) But everything else, when we look at it we see very vibrant colors, symmetry, and it is all very formal looking. Hmmm....

Now, the style, it doesn't seem western, it seems eastern - yes? Alot of butterflies .... hmmmm... it would be nice to hear a perspective from the makers of these things. You know, like why the patterns, colors, objects... abstractions.... influences... yeah.. stuff like that. And how much did european textiles, fabrics influence Native art and clothing? One thing that has always been a question to me is the designs of the shirts...floral (Tuscarora). Pre-european influences or post?

I know that the availibility of new fabrics were incorported and used in the clothing- but not very well...

[rjricelny]

Well, I mean -"not very well" is my understanding to the "whys" things are used in the Indian art of beadwork. That last post ended confusingly.

"flights of fancy" - butterflies "are free to soar - like the imaginations of Native American artists.... hmmm... I like it...

btw this post makes a "hat trick" - hello? hello??? is this thing on? is there anybody in there, just smile if you can hear me, is there anyone at home...

[Blackbear]

Well folks... here is a pillow. Now why did I do a pillow you ask? Well it started out a shawl strip. It's brown, white , yellow and pink and was goign on a salmonpink shawl... but it was crooked. I was tired and not paying attentiion (sigh) so I took it off the shawl, and tried to turn it into a bag. Cool huh? Well I messed that up pretty good... so I just turned it into a pillow. Anyhow, enjoy.. all satin.

[Blackbear]

Here's what the shawl ended up looking like when I re did it

[Blackbear]

WEll.. it's not entirely done but I got enough of Tay's fancy shawl outfit done to show it off or for her to dance in.. just gonna add on a few more things when i get the time. For now it is complete and ready to be "embellished" LOL!

[PMS Crazy Woman]

WEll.. it's not entirely done but I got enough of Tay's fancy shawl outfit done to show it off or for her to dance in.. just gonna add on a few more things when i get the time. For now it is complete and ready to be "embellished" LOL!

Man girl you're a woman of many talents! :) That's so pretty!

Just curious .. do the frindges ever get tangeled while dancing? If so how on earth do they get them undone?

[nyeh neh noos]

HI Bear!

Well...it seems we both finished the girls outfits around the same time! Tay's is just beautiful! I finished Cheyenne's with LOTS of help. You know my expertise isn't the sewing part. I'll try and post the pics here too!

[nyeh neh noos]

Here is another pic from the Denver March powwow....standing with the boys....OF COURSE!! ahhhh...they just grow up too fast.....LOL

[Blackbear]

DIGGIT!! SPIDERMAN!!! How clever!!!! Chy looks absolutely adorable!!!!!

I've never had a problem with the fringe tangling..it's polyester ribbon not chainette on her shawl.. so maybe that's why

[PMS Crazy Woman]

Ooh WOW!! You 2 are really talented! : ) That's something I'm "REALLY" not good at .. is sewing.. LOL!! I'm serious.. I REALLY suck at it.. and just about flunked it in middle school. LOL!! Actually.. too.. I hate it.. LOL!

Thanks bear.. I was curious.. because I have a few things around here that have frindges and they get pretty tangled up.. LOL! Was wondering how the fancy shawl dancers handled that. :)

[Blackbear]

You know I've only been sewing for 5 years. It might look good on the outside but I'm far from being seamstress good like my ma. I cannot get that professional edge and my skills with scissors would shock and horrify you LOL! I'm just happy no one will be able to see where I sewed the ruffle of her skirt to the skirt... that microdot stuff is a bitch to sew and I tried to use the serger the first time.... and well ... i ended up sewing the edges together close to where the serger stitches were and then cut the serged stuff off

[nyeh neh noos]

Well...to be honest, I don't use a machine. When I need to use a sewing machine, I have someone else do it!!! I have a girlfriend who is a seamstress and she usually will do Cheyenne's dress. I also have a friend in the Indian community who does shawls, so he helped me with the cape, leggings and shawl. I did the beadwork for the outfit. Bear, you should have seen me trying to cut out the patterns! oh man...they were rough!!! I'll have to find some new patterns if Cheyenne still wants to fancy shawl in the future!!! LOL

tgal

[Blackbear]

you know what I did? I bought the simplest vest pattern .. actually here is what I bought and it's not like a craft secret..someone else told me what they did and I just kinda modified what I wanted to do from what they did.. anyhow I got the patterns from Joannes last week when they were five for five bucks ... watch for those sales ladies or get on their mailing list.. it makes a huge difference on your pocket book...

Simplicity 8550 I used the skirt pattern from this and then measured where the ruffle would go, cut that section off (no , not off the pattern itself.. I trace patterns and the do my modifying and cutting) and used that section only about 2 feet longer for the ruffle. It's a simple skirt pattern, could'nt get any easier but adding a ruffle is the trick.. just gather it up and then make it fit the bottom of that skirt and sew it on.

Simplicity 7357 I used the vest pattern A .. that's it

LOL. but when I made the yoke I attached it to the shoulders of the vest cause that's what they do for a lot of little kids, but next time I'm going to either attach it like lapels to the vest or as separet piece that just goes over her head like Chys'. the yoke itself was easy.. pick a shape, cut it out, applique or bead it, back it and then used a bias tape around the edges. I've been making shawls for 4 years now so they are no biggie. roughest part of them is all that darn tying. And I'll tell anyone right now.. ribbon is NOT cheaper than shawl fringe, even if you buy the 3 or 4 spools for a dollar when you find it on sale.

[bearcat]

These are lousy pics, but - anyhow -

I made these a few years ago, all hand-sewn, from elk hide. My ma says I should get a sewing machine that sews leather if'n I do it again ... y'know, she has o good point. :)

[Blackbear]

handsewn leather seems to last longer though..at least in my opinion it does..

[Blackbear]

ok here's the shawl for Sunday's raffle. More a peach color than the pink you see in the pic..but very delicate looking. And a pillow I made from some pre printed panels at walmart... Tay just wanted her pic taken

[Blackbear]

Made a southern style ribbon shirt for my cousin Grant...
front and back views

[PMS Crazy Woman]

Made a southern style ribbon shirt for my cousin Grant...
front and back views

Dang girl... you kick butt w/ needle and thread! :)

[NYwhiteguy]

Beautiful Work Bear.

Nice shade of purple.

in the Shawl Photo

is that a Southern Design?

or would You see Northern Dancers use that sort as well?

[Blackbear]

Thanks Ny... no, it's not exactly a southern design, it's my own design I created, but is loosely based on a southern design. I'd sell a shawl with that design to northern or southern.