fully beaded yoke questions

[Suzizila]

Hello everybody & happy new year! I am seriously considering making a buckskin dress with a fully beaded yoke and had some questions. In the past, I have done some asking around about this, but what is everybody's preference when making a fully beaded yoke......beading on canvas & attaching fringe or beading on a hide? When I was at a local powwow last summer, I asked a northern buckskin dancer what she beaded her yoke on & she said canvas. I've been to the K&Q designs site, e-mailed them some questions, and found out they bead on canvas & then attach the beadwork to a hide. When attaching the yoke to a hide, would you use a thin layer of glue to take it down? If you bead on canvas, then do you go with a rectangular shaped yoke, or a yoke shaped as though it were beaded on a hide? Lastly, what's everybody's choice in bead size when beading a yoke? I've worked mainly with 11/0's, but may need to go with 13/0's due to the detail of a certain part of my design.

Thanks for your input. :)

[waleli]

I would say beading the top on canvas will be much easier , then line the back w/some material. Sew your buckskin fringe on last.
There's nothing wrong w/ mixing bead sizes. I would use a size 11/0 for the background tho'.

[buckskinlady]

I agree with that! You may also try using size 9 three-cuts for a background if you want a really shiny contemporary look!

[Czechy]

I would bead my yoke onto hide only if I was making an ultra-traditional dress. Otherwise I agree that canvas/duck cloth would be the best material to use as a foundation. I am about half way done with a yoke myself and am doing it in 12/o beads. I like the look of the smaller beads but its taking forever!

You can make the yoke into whatever shape you want. Just be sure to bind the edges well so the canvas does not fray. I would do this first before starting any beadwork. A general estimate is that it will take you about 300 hours to sew on the 3 kilos of beads needed to make the yoke.

Keep us posted on how it goes!

[WocusWoman]

Hello, just thought I'd bring this old thread back up. It has alot of good information and I want to add my two cents. My top is beaded on layers of fabric; very easy to bead on. However I'm currently beading a top for my daughter, that is on deerskin. Guess what it's easy if you use the smallest leather needle you can find; it goes right through your size 10's and 11's. I'm really happy with the way it looks; it might take awhile to get the whole top beaded, but I'm going to do it a couple rows at a time.

[FancyStar]

SOmeone told me one time that you had to have permission to wear a beaded top. Is that true?

[Suzizila]

Well, this certainly is a surprise. I didn't realize my thread was brought back from the cyber abyss. The dress hasn't been started yet, but definitely is a future project. I've got some other projects to complete first as well as getting in moving mode (packing, putting stuff in storage, getting the house ready to show.....what a head ache!!!!!!) In the mean time, I would be more than glad to have people share their ideas and what has worked for them. Bettles, thanks for reviving my old thread.

I just thought of something else. Has anyone ever used pillow ticking for a project? I thought that it would be good because it's almost like duckcloth & the lines are within the fabric. (Yes, I hate trying to draw even lines. They always end up crooked.) Recently, I found out that it comes in a heavy weight (like duckcloth) and a light weight. What are your thoughts about this short cut?

[WocusWoman]

SOmeone told me one time that you had to have permission to wear a beaded top. Is that true?

Sorry never heard of this; my grandma told me at a young age I was to start dancing traditional right then, I guess it was something about my personality she saw. Anyhow; FancyStar, we are all from various parts of the country, maybe it's different where you live, I would definately verify that with more elders in your area. If you are from North Carolina; I'd imagine you'd use a different type of dress?? I feel it's always best to stay with regalia that best represents you, your family and your tribe. By the way, still working on my daughter's beaded yoke; I'm already on my third row of beading, and my daughter is already complaining that the top is heavy. I just reminded her; she begged to be a traditional dancer, and to deal with it, she'll be gorgeous...

[carla]

Sorry never heard of this; my grandma told me at a young age I was to start dancing traditional right then, I guess it was something about my personality she saw. Anyhow; FancyStar, we are all from various parts of the country, maybe it's different where you live, I would definately verify that with more elders in your area. If you are from North Carolina; I'd imagine you'd use a different type of dress?? I feel it's always best to stay with regalia that best represents you, your family and your tribe. By the way, still working on my daughter's beaded yoke; I'm already on my third row of beading, and my daughter is already complaining that the top is heavy. I just reminded her; she begged to be a traditional dancer, and to deal with it, she'll be gorgeous...

how old is your daughter

[Dakota Wica'hpi Ina]

Are you going 1 piece or 2? I like 2 piece better that way I can change yokes.