#singing bird

Kirsten Larson - Semi-Complete Costume Collection

Kirsten's outfits were interesting– her Work Dress in her collection is green like the one in the books, but has different sleeves and lacks her red stripes. I also included her original On the Trail outfit from when it was in AG Magazine.

To nobody's surprise, Singing Bird's clothes in her illustrations are not accurate to her culture's dress for the period. I spent a few weeks searching for examples of 1850s Dakota clothing, looking at museum sites, labeled/dated photos, and artwork from the time period and location. I found a few written sources to work with as well and drafted patterns based on that research. I decided to make everything in faux suede because that is what I had on hand. The sewing took about three working days.

I wanted to also stay true to the character she's intended to be, which led to having to take a few creative licenses with the decoration on her clothes. I used the illustrations as a starting point for the beadwork. Her shoes are a more accurate moccasin shape with the long tongue and the laces, but I copied the beadwork design from the illustrations and also used that on her belt.

It was hard to tell from her illustrations if the black and red beads are necklaces or beadwork, but there is only one necklace shown in the shadow on the one picture so I decided to use them as sewn beadwork. Rather than a fully beaded yoke, I kept it simple, just the two rows at the neckline. I gave her two rows of beaded tassels on the front and back of the skirt.

The beading took another six working days. I used 1575 #11 seed beads, 104 #8 seed beads, 22 carnelian beads, and 22 bone beads. 1822 beads total on the dress and shoes. Plus another 14 dyed quartz beads and 67 dyed howlite beads for her necklace. If I had make a fully accurate outfit, it would have been so many more than that. I might make her another fully beaded outfit with deerskin at some point, but that's a long-range project. I'm still pricing materials and tools for that, but also making tiny moccasins in faux suede with sewing thread about did my fingers in; deerskin and sinew may be beyond my skill level.

Eventually I will make her doll and her pouch and its contents too. For today, she and Kirsten played together for a few minutes before we had to come inside so nobody melted (August afternoons in Florida are brutal!)