I'm sure most of you have seen what i'm asking about. How do you make that fine twisted fringe?

You need a garage, a drummer, a bass, a lead guitar, and a female vocalist who doesn't mind wearing very little....., (Get it? "Twisted Fringe" sounds like a rock band name) OK so if I have to explain my joke I'm not very funny

OK all kidding aside, I'm not 100% sure of what ya mean..., leather or cloth fringe? I've never had mine twist with either type, but maybe there is a special technique eh?

LD

I'll bet Gray Wolf will have some good stuff to add on this, but I'll tell you what I know.

You tend to see this among the southern and central plains tribes from the Comanche up to the Cheyenne and sometime Sioux. The stuff I have seen is very fine and thin. It really hard to explain how they do this without pictures, but its simple to do. They cut the fringe in pairs such that they are still attached at the far end. The end get stuck up through the loop created by the two pieces of fringe. Repeat this and twist the whole thing until the whole thing is twisted up. There will be some stretch. Hopefully Chuck will have a better description than mine.

Sean

some I've seen done was just dampened n twisted tight. After several times it just seems to stay twisted n curly looking. Ya see guys twirling n twisting fringe all the time at events while sitting around chewing the fat n drinking adult beverages. Guess it becomes a habit, to keep it twisted looking after awhile

Sean described one method (and without a sketch I can't do better) but you can also wet and then twist two contiguous fringes together.

Here's some twisted fringe from a pair of Comanche mocs - note they are also knotted on the end

It works best with braintan or German tan......

I have been told that I have spent most of my life on the twisted fringe of society, but have no idea how I got there........

I have long understood that the purpose of fringe was to help rain water drain off the clothes and drip to the ground. Seems tha twisting would hinder this from happening. No purpose in twisting unless just for decorative purposes.

I was told the fringe is to get the water to dry out of the clothes quicker.The water is evaporated out of the fringe quicker,draws more water out of the clothes and to the fringe and the cycle goes on.Makes "science" to me,same theory on rough boards for siding,the "fur" dries quicker cause of it's size and draws more water to it and evaporation takes care of the rest, physics.Dont know,might be like make up,paint a mule any color and it's still pretty.

This might help you get a more visual picture of twisting fringe. It is only one way...and not too bad.
Twisting fringe

The whole idea of fringe being useful as a water dispinsator is good "theory", but that's all it is based on long experience with it.
IMO it is mostly decorative especially when one considers that long fringe is historically a plains and transmontane NDN item and that it was mostly used on dressup/ceremonial clothing. Note that long fringe is/was most popular where there is little rainfll - especially in Comancheria where twisted fringe was popular.
FWIW - my experience with fringe is both in the very wet Pacific Northwest and in the dry Rocky Mtns and their foothills - in the PNW I wore it a short time only and then cut most of it off since it does not dry quickly and just stays a heavy, soggy and unneccesary mass - in fact it absorbs water faster than the main clothing due to it's multiple surfaces.

quote:

The whole idea of fringe being useful as a water dispinsator is good "theory", but that's all it is based on long experience with it.

I must say that is more polite than "old wives tale" the other category it would fall into. it is surprising how few notice that it was mstly used in the dryer climates and not used where there is a lot of rain, it probably just sounded to good,lots of things are like that even when invalid it just sounds like it should work...

Maybe unrelated, but I read an account of backwoods hunters used twisted fringe on their shooting pouches to hold perc caps! I cannot envision exactly how that works...

To make the fringe that I think you are talking about is quite simple;When you cut your fringe,cut it as thin as possible(1/8-3/16" wide),add a little water to get it damp and then twist it till it starts to knot up. Use one of those paper binder clips(the ones that work like a clothes pin) to hold each fringe as you finish it(One clip will hold a lot of fringes) let it set till dry and then Take the clips off.OR ,Twist em up while you set around the fire drinkin shrub and BSing with you buds. End result is the same!

i think the twisting method someone described is the same as whats used when making cordage?

I've been called 'twisted scripture'. Didn't agree with the friend who generated the name, hee, hee! We are still friends.
volatpluvia

This thread inspired me to do some twisted fringe - both on the knife and sheath....