intro and a question

[TRose]

Hello,
My name is Trisha Rose. Im Cherokee (through my father) and I grew up in Indiana mostly. I started going to pow wows when I was 17 out on the east coast (umass, dartmouth) but have never danced. I only wanted to fancy dance but I have mild arthritis so that was a big no-go. :D And I thought if I couldnt do that I wouldnt do anything (yeah, childish, I know). But Ive grown up a bit and thought I could be perfectly happy dancing Southern Cloth and it would be a lot easier on my joints.

Im working on a dance shawl. But I cant get Chainette, would it be totally inappropriate to use a heavy cotton yarn for the fringe? The stuff I have is about the same weight and diameter as the Chainette Ive seen on shawls.

And the shawl is made out of wool, its quite heavy already, would it be okay to cut down on the weight by only slipping one 28 inch strand through each hole, or should it still be two?

Thank you for any help,

Trisha Rose

[Riverwoman]

Though not a cloth dancer myself, have you tried ribbon fringe for the shawl? I mean something like 1/4 or 1/8 satin ribbon... that may be a bit expensive, you can go with something else other then that... :) Good luck with the regalia:D

[NDNQt]

Trisha, I don't know how good a shape yard would hold. I have used ribbon and shawl fringe. You can buy the fringe from any trader that sells supplies usually. Or can you order it from Crazy Crow, Gentle Wind, etc. Some peole use that flat fringe and that looks really good. Hope this helps some.

[NDNKIDZ]

You can also buy fringe on a spool, personally I would only use fringe, for cloth, but that is just my opinion. The way it moves makes the difference in a shawl.:)

[TRose]

I do have 1/8 satin but its 1.50 a meter and I cant afford enough. Im actually living in Belgium at the moment, working on this for when I finally get back home. And they are *not* into making things by hand here. Fabric shops charge outrageous prices for everything. One yard of cotton print fabric that you can get at Jo Ann's back home for 3-7 dollars is anywhere from 12 - 17 dollars.

The cotton yarn is wound really tight, it might keep its shape so long as I took care of it. If I can figure out how, I'll post a pic. I cut some of it and put it on another piece of material, and it swung pretty well actually.

[catsmeow]

I would not advise using the yarn, because no matter how tight is is woven it will eventually unravel. Even chainette will, if caught. Crazy crow and other places ship, so why not try having the fringe shipped to you. Or if you do decide to use ribbon, have someone buy a lot at walmart or hobby lobby and ship it to you. Chainette is the traditional one to use for a shawl though. Two pieces of fringe, unless its flat fringe is the proper amount.
Good Luck, Cats

[BeadedPony]

Yarn vs. Chainette Fringe

I'd advise against using the yard and also against using ribbon for the shawl. I think you'd be much happier with the outcome if you ordered some fringe from places like Crazy Crow and have it sent to you. Using ribbons on shawls for fringe is more of a Northern style and in my opinion doesn't go with Souther cloth. Good luck with your project.

[TRose]

Thank you for the help everyone. My dad found the chainette and is going to send it to me :)

Trisha Rose

[Okwataga]

trose take it from someone with a bad knee it is not all that easy on your joints. but a lot better than fancy!!!

good luck on your shawl, we'd love to see it when you get it done

and what are you doing in Belgium?

[TRose]

I fell in love with a flemmish boy; ;)

We're going to be engaged this summer :)

[Okwataga]

Congratulations!!!

[oOoSouthernStyozoOo]

Yup....i use ribbon for my fringe. It is alot lighter. And the chainette fringe sometimes tends to get caught then it ripps and stretches. So i myself prefer ribbon

[TRose]

Thank you!

Thank you Anitsi :)