Northern aplique dress

[Menomineegirl]

Are there any great lakes natives out there who have skill making the aplique patterns?!? I have some questions regarding the correct way to go about making my first traditional dress. My tribes are menominee, potawatomi. If there is someone who can offer advise...please do.

[Czechy]

Do you mean a ribbonwork skirt and blouse?

[LadyTradNE]

Menomini regalia

I've done a Menomini outfit for myself and I'd be glad to help with any questions. I should say I'm in New York so I can't help you first hand, but I can describe what I did. Check out the book Scarlet Ribbons for some neat patterns.

[Menomineegirl]

I am not sure whether what you are thinking about is the same thing I am talking about. What I know about aplique may not be what other peole know about aplique, I'm just a beginner. I do know that aplique uses symmetry and is not exactly the same as ribbon work

[Czechy]

Thats a pretty skirt straightdancerinaz. Is it Prairie Potawatomi?

I am still not sure if you are wanting a beaded cloth outfit or one with ribbonwork. There are some ribbon skirts in the powwows.com Galleries under Crafts/Ribbonwork.

If you are looking for Menominee and Potawatomi floral ribbonwork patterns, the book mentioned in LadyTradNE's post, Scarlet Ribbons, has some templates although you might want to see if your family has their own designs. The book just teaches how to do ribbonwork, not how to construct the skirt or blouse.

[LadyTradNE]

Menomini applique/ribbonwork

applique can be ribbonwork or beadwork, and ribbonwork can mean applique, cut and fold, or just sewing ribbons in patterns. The regalia I use is a Menomini water lily pattern I found in the book Scarlet Ribbons. Like Osage woman's ribbonwork, it usually involves 4 colors minimum: 2 for the background and 2 for the foreground. I only use one color for the background ribbon. In any case the technique is the same: Interface the background ribbon and draw your design on the interfacing on the back. Then lay your foreground ribbons right side up on the background ribbons' right side. Sewing from the back, zigzag stitch the pattern, then on the right side trim away all the extra material. Fray check it by painting on fray check using a childs' paintbrush cut down to 1/8". If you want multiple colors and multiple backgrounds as seems to be the style these days, just repeat, but remember to leave 1/2 inch for seaming the ribbons together when you place the template for the pattern on the interfacing.

For the template I use quilting template plastic so that the pattern is always the same. Tried cardboard and manila from old file folders but hte plastic worked best. Easier to transfer the pattern too as it is transparent so you can just trace it on using a permanent marker.

Hope this helps,

[Menomineegirl]

I am talking about the ribbon work and not the beadwork...i thank you for the suggestions and I will defenitly look for the book that was mentioned