It is my hope, Niki, that you will have all the bits and beads you will need so you can begin beading on the weekend. I forgot to mention it in my Lessons 5 and 6, that it would be a good idea to have a mixture of texture. If you have shiny beads, and 1 colour that is a matte finish. If all the beads are shiny people can’t see the subtleties of the design.
I don’t know what your weekly schedule is like, how much time you have to call your own. But I do know my own schedule: I will be carving out some evening time after dinner to get beading on this project.
An amulet bag has been used by our First Nations since before recorded time. It is a small pouch on a leather cord worn around the neck and inside the personal totem or good luck charm was carried.
Making an amulet bag gives you a good opportunity to think about yourself: how you would describe yourself in 30 seconds or less. Sometimes the answers are along the lines of ” I am the supervisor of x number of people” or “I have 6 children.” That tells somebody of what you do but not what you are. Reflect on your likes and dislikes, how you want people to remember you after you leave. Consider what influences you: is it Nature in all its glorious colours that inspires you? Is it the texture of something that draws you to it?
If you were an animal, what animal would you be? If you were a flower, what flower would you be? If you were music, what would you sound like? Asking questions like that helps define who you are. And it helps determine what your personal totem is. I have a sister who is a peacock and a bird of paradise flower. But her totem is a teddy bear. My older sister’s totem is a horse, a thoroughbred. Me? I am a rubber duckie. What is your totem?
You live in a land of such ancient culture and such diversity of landscapes; both physical and cultural. Canada is a young country by any standard and the greater population is gathered in its southern areas. The culture of our First Nations goes back before written history but so far we have learned very little of their past, in all its richness. Instead, we choose to think of 1867, the year of our confederation, when we became known as the nation of Canada, as the ‘beginning’ of time. Personally, I think we do ourselves an injustice not to honour our First Nations.
This amulet bag is made of 11/o Delica cylinder beads. It will use over 2,600 beads in total. Print the pattern and take it with you when you choose your beads. The person in your bead shop should be able to guide you. Do yourself a favour: do not substitute any of your beads with seed beads. Seed beads vary more in their bead size and will give a bumpy texture to the surface of the amulet bag.
We will work this pattern from the bottom upwards. Peyote Stitch, also called the Gourd Stitch, is stitched in the hand in a tubular fashion. Once the main tube is complete we will close the bottom with a few extra rows of beads. We will also be beading the flaps that will close this amulet bag. And, finally, we will bead a thin strap so the peyote stitch amulet bag can be worn.
Copyright © 2008 Helene Turnbull All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyrights hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or information storage and retrieval systems – without written permission of the author.
Filed under: Fashion / Costume
