Wabanaki beadwork



BASIC MATERIALS FOR AN ABENAKI PEAKED CAP/HOOD by Rhonda Besaw Some items available at beading stores, Joann Fabrics or can be ordered from , or 100% wool medium weight 1 ? yards (your hood measures 18 X 17 inches and you will cut out 2) 1 ? yards should be plenty.100% silk ribbon measuring 15mm or 5/8 inch wide. 3 ? yards should do the whole hood. Cotton fabric to line your hood ? yard (this protects your beadwork stitches and keeps your head cool)Pins Glass seed beads….as small as you feel comfortable using. Beading mat ……you can buy antistatic beading mats-they look and feel somewhat like a heavy piece of velvet. They are inexpensive and well worth it to keep your beads under control! You can also use a piece of suede (at least six by six inches), a waffle weave dish cloth or a towel. Beading Needles 2 inch, size number 10 (John James is a good name brand). Usually come in packages of 25 needles Beading Thread Nymo brand beading thread size “D” Beeswax or thread conditioner to coat your thread withScissors small to medium sizeYou may draw your beading design on the wool with a chalk pencil (for dark colored wool) or a water erasable fabric marking pen (for light colored wool) or you can draw your design on paper, cut it out and glue it to the wool and bead over the paper pattern. I also use SARAL transfer paper and a stylus to transfer designs onto the wool.Glue Aileen’s Tacky Glue (used to glue your paper template (design) to the fabric) and/or water erasable fabric marking pen (felt tip, size ultra-fine or fine, or chalk pencils to draw your design on the fabric. All available at sewing stores/Joann Fabrics, Wal-Mart.Glass Seed Beads size TEN is a good size for beginners. The larger the size number, the smaller the bead. For example, a size 15 bead is much smaller than a size 10 bead. Don’t buy your beads at Wal-Mart or such stores, as the quality can be questionable. Buy beads manufactured in Czechoslovakia or Japan. They are available at Wandering Bull or Fire Mountain Gems or a good bead store. Usually sold by the hank or in small tubes Do not use “Delica” beads for this project (they are cylinder shaped and do not work as well for applique. They are good for brick stitch and loom beadwork). Fray Check and Spray StarchBASIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR AN ABENAKI STYLE PEAKED CAP/HOOD By Rhonda BesawPin your paper pattern to wool and cut out 2. By doubling your wool, it allows the peak to stand up nicely.Take both pieces of wool and either baste them together, or lightly glue them together. Once you get beading, you will bead through both pieces so this will eventually hold both pieces together nicely. By using 2 pieces of wool in this manner, it will support your beadwork so you will not need any other backing. It will also allow the peak to stand up nicely.Lay out your design on the hood. When you have placed or drawn your design on the hood, bring the two sides together to check to see if your design will be lining up the way you want it when viewed from the front. Bead your design. Be careful not to bead where the ribbon will be placed nor the seam which will be at the top (refer to pattern).Once your beadwork on the main portion of the hood is done, it is time to apply ribbon and line the hood with cotton fabric. If you follow these steps, you will have little of your stitching showing on the inside of the hood. Note all this sewing is by hand! (See #1 on pattern) Cut 30 inches of ribbon. Apply spray starch to the ribbon and iron it flat. To stop the cut edge from fraying, you can either treat it with FrayCheck or trim and fold it under about one eighth of an inch. Pin your ribbon, starting in the middle bottom and continue pinning until you reach the peak of the hood. Be gentle and use small, sharp pins as silk ribbon has a tendency to pull. Make sure your hands are free of any roughness, hangnails, jagged fingernails or you may put a run in the silk. Stop when you get to the peak. You should have about 15 or so inches left hanging. Roll it up carefully and put a small plastic baggie over it to protect it for what comes next. In small, neat and evenly spaced stitches, whip stitch both edges of the ribbon to the wool, stopping about one inch before the peak.IMPORTANT: IF YOU WANT TO DO BEADWORK ALONG OR ON THIS RIBBON,DO IT NOW BEFORE THE LINING IS SEWN IN.After finishing this stage of beadwork, now you will line the hood with cotton fabric. Iron the cotton fabric and lay the hood on it. Using the hood as your template, cut out the cotton. You could use the paper pattern, but sometimes the act of doing beadwork and ribbonwork will slightly change the finished shape of the hood. Whip stitch the cotton to the hood, stitching around all the edges. This will make for a neat finish when you fold the ribbon over the raw edges later on. You will now be sewing ribbon all along the sides and bottom. (See “ #2 Ribbon” on pattern) Cut one piece of ribbon about 48 inches in length. Spray starch on the ribbon, fold it in half and iron. Starting at the top corner of the hood, fold the raw edge of the ribbon under about 1/8 of an inch and pin in place. Center the ribbon over the raw edge, pin and sew, all along the sides, bottom and up the other side. When you reach the end, trim and fold ribbon under to stop the raw edge of the ribbon from fraying.IMPORTANT: IF YOU WANT TO DO BEADWORK ALONG THIS RIBBON, DO IT NOW.Pull the top two halves together, lining them up edge to edge. Pin and sew the two edges together. Take the hanging piece of ribbon out of it’s protective baggie. Bring it down over the seam, pinning as you go. Take your ribbon around the outside where the top and two sides have come together and go inside the hood (where the ribbon won’t show, once you are done). Trim, and fold the raw ribbon edge under about one half inch, and pin. Pin and sew both edges of the ribbon. You recall that you didn’t sew the back ribbon right to the very peak? You now can do so, tucking and placing the ribbon carefully to go up and around the peak. After this ribbon is sewn, you can go back and do beadwork along the ribbon by either just catching your beadwork stitches in the layers of wool, or going right up and down through all of the layers. You can then also do three bead edging along the bottom and sides.Note these instructions are a work in progress and subject to change.March 2014Rhonda BesawRLBesaw@See me on Facebook “Wabanaki Beadwork” or ................
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