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Cheyenne style "medicine" bag
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Booshway
Picture of GreyWolf
posted
This is a special piece for a very special young lady who is my best friend's (buckskinner, blacksmith, and knifemaker Jerry Rodri) oldest daughter - I was asked (by her Mom) to make a "medicine" bag for her 20th birthday. The bag is meant for keeping an assortment of very personal keepsakes/heirlooms given to her by family and friends at the same time (called "medicine" in the parlance of the Plains Indians and mountain men) and so I came up with this piece which is based on an original Cheyenne pipe bag, but I decided to add to it some things I've been wanting to do and kind of took it over the top, but it was worth it..





The leather is braintan and the beadwork is 1840-50's style Cheyenne using 8/0 pound beads. Once constructed it was given an aged look The bag proper is about 14" x 7".
I'm often asked how long such a piece takes and normally I don't add up the hours, but on this one I did - total actual construction and aging time (not including breaks ) was 130 hours...but none of that mattered when I got to see the smile on that young lady's face when it was presented to her... (I got a big hug too )

This message has been edited. Last edited by: GreyWolf,


aka Chuck Burrows
 
Posts: 616 | Location: Southern Rockies | Registered: 03 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Greenhorn
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WOW!! Talk about heirlooms.
 
Posts: 37 | Location: Vassalboro, Maine | Registered: 21 November 2012Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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Chuck good job we know she was happy.


The best thing about owning a dog is that someone is happy when you get home.
 
Posts: 959 | Location: Alabama | Registered: 09 December 2008Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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Beautiful piece for a very special young lady I have enjoyed watching grow up.You out did yourself on that one Chuck.... Woodman
 
Posts: 357 | Location: Colorado Territories | Registered: 20 March 2007Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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Absolutely beautiful.
 
Posts: 507 | Registered: 14 August 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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Hiya Grey Wolf,

That is some mighty fine work for shor!

Might I ask what you used for bead thread and did you go through the leather or use the older method of just going half way through. Looks like some may be applique too.

I've done a lot of beadwork over the years, mostly Blackfoot, Tlinget, Haida and Crow styles on moose and caribou braintan.

Regards, xfox


The forest is a wilderness only to those that fear it, silent only to those that hear nothing. The forest is a friend to those that dwell within its' nature and it is filled with the sounds of life to those that listen.
 
Posts: 532 | Location: Bitterroot Valley | Registered: 23 October 2004Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of GreyWolf
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Woodman - yep both of Jerry's girls have grown to be fine young women and sure can make you feel old fast seeing them grownup.

Crossfox - I generally use silk thread for beading due to it's strength. There's no applique stitch on here - it is the Cheyenne method of the lane stitch so it appears flatter than the more humped Sioux style. I also generally go only half way through, but that depends on the thickness of the leather - sometimes it's just a bit too thin - doubt you have that problem though with moose or caribou, but with smaller deer or antelope it can be - also like many original pieces I often stitch together small scraps into larger sections for beading on - having made my own braintan in the past I understand why the scraps were kept! Also when doing either Crow or Metis work I will go all the way through which is quite common amongst them.
When doing applique or Crow stitch I will often use sinew for stringing the beads and thread for the tack stitches - this method is quite common on original pieces.


aka Chuck Burrows
 
Posts: 616 | Location: Southern Rockies | Registered: 03 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
Picture of GreyWolf
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Fist off thank ya'll for such nice comments...after 53 years of beading I reckon I just might have made my "masterpiece" movin me on up from journeyman..

quote:
Originally posted by GreyWolf:
Woodman - yep both of Jerry's girls have grown to be fine young women and it sure can make you feel old fast seeing them grownup (my son is 36 and I have 12 year old granddaughter - dang where did the time go....).

Crossfox - I generally use silk thread for beading due to it's strength. There's no applique stitch on here - it is the Cheyenne method of the lane stitch so it appears flatter than the more humped Sioux style. I also generally go only half way through, but that depends on the thickness of the leather - sometimes it's just a bit too thin - doubt you have that problem though with moose or caribou, but with smaller deer or antelope it can be - also like many original pieces I often stitch together small scraps into larger sections for beading on - having made my own braintan in the past I understand why the scraps were kept! Also when doing either Crow or Metis work I will go all the way through which is quite common amongst them.
When doing applique or Crow stitch I will often use sinew for stringing the beads and thread for the tack stitches - this method is quite common on original pieces.


aka Chuck Burrows
 
Posts: 616 | Location: Southern Rockies | Registered: 03 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Hivernant
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Amazing!!!
Just having a good picture of that work would be a gift!..
Mr Burrows you are there!Congrats!
 
Posts: 122 | Registered: 05 March 2013Reply With QuoteReport This Post
Booshway
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If you'd like a bigger image let me know and I'll make one up and post a link...


aka Chuck Burrows
 
Posts: 616 | Location: Southern Rockies | Registered: 03 April 2005Reply With QuoteReport This Post
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