regalia,Native American, dress

[matowakan]

When I craft I also spend a lot of time on native American crafting apart from the usual knitting and sewing etc.Thought you may like to see me in my regalia where everything has been made by myself.

[bryony]

That's incredible!

[Annpan]

Stunning! do you wear it often?

[gigglybug]

OMG that's wonderful!!

Well done!!

[Millymollymandy]

That's amazing - well done!

[Shirley]

Absolutely beautiful - worth the wait for the photo

[oldfella]

That is beautiful well done.

[mrsflibble]

flipping heck that's amazing!!

[matowakan]

Thankyou for all the lovely comments.
Yes i do wear it often as we attend the Native American Pow wow's in this country where there is trad dancing and drumming.
Some of us live in tipis at these weekend events.
I guess you could call it a living history about the Native way of life as opposed to a re-enactment,many of us try to live the path so to speak.
quite often we ill just go away with the tipi to a cmapsite - if they let us take it - it always causes quite a stir and we get asked if people can look inside etc.
Our main tipi is 16 feet in diameter and the poles are 19 ft high.

[MuddyWitch]

Fantastic regalia! I very impressed.

Where do you live? are you in the States?

MW

[snapdragon]

Beautiful, you must have put a lot of work into that

lol excuse the chuckle - but I was just imagining me trying to pack a Tipi the size of yours onto my motorcycle - where I generally stash the tent when going for a weekend's camping

[matowakan]

I chuckled too snapdragon as we both used to ride bikes and trikes.
Biggest thing we ever carried on one trike was a market stall,it got a lot of looks!

[snapdragon]

now that's when you need a sidecar outfit with a hook on trailer

[the.fee.fairy]

Wow!!

How long did it take to make all that? I've got a beading loom, but it takes me stuid amounts of time to do anything with it...I'm really impressed!!

[matowakan]

A long time to bead!!!I have 3 forms of beading on the dress, rosettes which are round, I can make one in an hour and a half. The strips around the dress are called Lazy stitch and done straight onto the hide. In one evening doing a 4 hour hour stretch and I can do either the front or back strip.
There is some loom work,like the belt and other bits .On average i do about 4 inches a night using size 10 seed beads. all in all the whole dress took 4 months. The breastplate is made using firepolish beads and hairpipes. That took one day.
The choker is made from dentallium shells and leather, that took one day.
I have 3 looms ranging from a 12 inch one to one that is 5 feet ,nightmare to try and balance on lap.
We make authentically made Native items from d catchers to warbonnets to ful regalia and everything inbetween so over the years I found that i have got a bit quicker with the beadwork!!
But I do find it relaxing and as the Natives say, only the Great Spirit WakanTanka can make a perfect piece so I always leave the odd mistake in!