Show children some patterns used by the Cherokee Indians.
As natives to the states of North and South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Georgia, the Cherokee Indians lived in areas throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains. While Cherokee children of the past had similar interests and responsibilities as modern-day children, their wardrobes drastically differed from the clothing styles today. Cherokee Indians wore light clothing to accommodate their outdoor lifestyles as hunters and gatherers. The men tucked breechcloths into belts to cover both their front and backs. The women wore traditional tear dresses, gathered at the middle by a woven sash. Creating some homemade Cherokee-style clothes will teach children more about the history of Cherokee Indians.
Instructions
1. Cut a piece of the colored fabric into three, 2-foot-long by 3-inch-wide strips. Place the fabric strips in a row and weave them together by alternately overlapping the outside strips over the middle one. Continue weaving down the length of the strips, leaving 5 inches of loose fabric at the end. Use the woven belt to tie around the waist of a boy as support for the breechcloth or as a sash for the tear dress.
2. Cut a 12-inch-wide and 4-foot-long rectangle of muslin cloth to use as a breechcloth for boys. Apply a thin strip of fabric glue around the perimeter of the cloth and fold 1/2 inch over to seal it all the way around. Drape one end of the cloth over the front end of the woven belt, pull the rest through the legs, and drape the other end up and over the back end of the belt.
3. Cut the bottom hem off one of your child's plain-colored T-shirts. Fringe the shirt by making 4-inch cuts, 1/2 inch apart, all the way around the bottom. String beads onto the strips, leaving room at the bottom for tying. Tie the end of each piece of fringe to hold the beads in place. Put the beaded fringe T-shirt on a boy, along with thin leggings, to go with the breechcloth.
4. Embellish a long-sleeved dress with satin ribbons to resemble the tear dresses worn by Cherokee Indian girls. Use fabric glue to attach three strips of ribbon around the middle of the dress skirt. Repeat the three-ribbon pattern around the middle of both sleeves on the dress. If the dress has a collar, glue the ribbon to line it. Tie the woven sash around the waist to complete the look.
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