Thursday, October 9, 2008

Iron Horn - Monumental - Lazy Stich

Just as I was getting ready to do this days entry, I saw that this is my 105th entry since I started in March 2008 doing this.
Lazy Stich is the style of beading. It used to be called the lazy squaw stitch. Although "squaw" is a Algonkian word (not an English word) for woman, and is a perfectly good word, it's now considered by many to be a derogatory word. So I don't use it.
You can read more about this word here http://www.nativeweb.org/pages/legal/squaw.html
So today I started the bead work on the right legging of my life size warrior. Lazy stitch is illustrated in a crude drawing I've made below.


To make my wax beads look like rows of lazy stitch, I roll a piece of clay to place down the center of an area of beads to give it a raised base. I do that on both areas that the beads will be placed.





Now I start to form the beads (refer to the last entry for method).



After I've finished arrainging beads, I use a scraper to pick up a group of them, by just putting the edge against the edge of the wax. Then I position it and then place them. Pressing them down on both sides.




After several hours, I have the two rows of beads on the leg.



Tomorrow, and I can't wait, I start putting the fringe on this leg.