Good morning! My name is LaRayne.
I am so pleased to share that we have recently added a part time seamstress to our staff at St. Joseph’s Indian School!
Bonnie began mending and creating with her talent in October.
We have many outfits that aren’t complete—they might be missing a cape, drops, shawl, or a matching skirt and leggings.
Bonnie puts her talented, magic hands to work and creates full outfits and pieces that make the regalia highly sought after for our powwow dancers! She has been beautifying our outfits for both the boys and the girls.
One of the outfits Bonnie blessed with her talents was a jingle dress that was donated by one of our students, LaShawn, and her grandma. This type of dress includes ornamentation with multiple rows of metal cones that create a jingling sound as the dancer moves.
LaShawn’s grandma made the dress for her when she was a young dancer. Having outgrown it, LaShawn wanted to donate it to our regalia collection so that another energetic girl could continue making music with the dress.
The dress was missing matching leggings, so Bonnie showed LaShawn the steps in making a set to match. LaShawn was amazed at the work that went into a pair of leggings!
Now that the outfit is complete, a young St. Joseph’s Indian School student will be able to dance as her ancestors have done for years.
We look forward to seeing Bonnie’s amazing work showcased at our 40th Annual Powwow on September 17, 2016.
We hope you can join us this year! Visit www.stjo.org/powwow for more information.
LaRayne
Can or could you use any fabric? I have yards of corduroy, muslin and cotton prints that have been in my sewing room for years.
Stephanie- Thank you so very much for your offer! I will check with our Native American Studies Department and get back to you.
Good afternoon Stephanie! I’ve just heard back from our Native American Studies teacher. She thanks you tremendously for your offer, but those fabrics are not what is traditionally utilized to create regalia.
Thank you! Blessings to you!