Seminole Patchwork Essays - Textile Arts, Sewing, Visual Arts

Seminole Patchwork ?Cross? or ?sacred fire?, ?arrow?, ?zigzag?, ?bird?, ?wave?, ?mountains? and ?diamondback rattlesnake? all have something in common. What do all of these names have in common? They are all names of Seminole patchwork designs. What exactly is patchworking? It can be defined as the process of sewing pieces of solid colored cloth together to make long rows of designs, which are then joined horizontally to other bands of cloth to form a garment (Downs, 1995, 88). This Native American artwork is closely associated with the Florida Seminoles. The history of this tribe and how they came to make patchwork garments is rather interesting. In making patchwork garments, things to be considered include how it is done (process), what elements of design are used, whom the garment is to be made for and who actually makes it. Presently, there are less artists in this craft and the future of patchwork may be at risk. Seminole patchwork has been done for over a century, and it's beauty and uniqueness n eeds to be revealed and recognized by Americans. The Seminole Indians were not always located in Florida. In the early 19th Century the Seminoles lived in the cool areas of Georgia. They wore animals hides and furs to keep warm. This all changed in 1830, when President Andrew Jackson passed the Indian Removal Policy of 1830, which forced the Seminoles to flee to Florida. In fleeing to Florida they left behind their homes, some relatives who refused to leave and their cool climate. In Florida, there was no longer a need for the warm furs and hides and they turned to the use of cloth. In 1840, they disappeared into the Everglades and lived there in peace, with no influences from other tribes. The Everglades were rich with exotic items that were worth a lot in trade markets. Once a year, the Seminoles would take a voyage on the Miami River to Miami. In Miami they could trade items such as alligator hides and egret plumes for rolls of cotton cloth. The Seminoles would use the cotton to make various pieces of clothing. One year, a voyag e could not be made to Miami to attain more cloth and the Seminoles were forced to use scraps of cloth, sewing them together to make a large piece of cloth or garment. These scrapped together garments were then called ?Taweekaache?, better known as patchwork. (Westermark ?Many Bad Horses) These patchwork garments brought tourists to the lush, tropical setting of the Everglade area. Tourists flocked to see the Seminole Indians and to buy their patchwork pieces. The process of making these garments was rather slow and somewhat complicated (Blackard and West, Downs, 1995, 85). A Seminole patchwork requires the maker to take/cut many pieces of clothe and then sew them together. The process of sewing, cutting, sewing and so on results in the making of complex geometric designs. There is a six-step process that illustrates how patchwork is done. This process is that of Nea Dodson, a modern day patchwork artist. The pattern is very simple, but is one that is good to get your feet wet in patchmaking. This process is the same used by the original Seminoles. 1.) Cut scraps into equal sized squares, making sure to be accurate. 2.) Next, cut a neutral fabric into long strips, which are as wide as the scrap squares. 3.) Sew the scrap squares between two strips of neutral fabric, like this. 4.) Cut strips apart so you now have a rectangle made of three squares: a square of neutral, a scrap square and another square of neutral. It is important that the edges are straight and the two neutral sides are even. 5.) Shift one rectangle down so that the top edge of the uppermost neutral square on the right is even with the top edge of the scrap square on the left. Sew the rectangles together. Keep adding rectangles in this manner. You will get a strip that looks like this. 6.) Keep adding rectangles until you have a strip as long as you want. Turn the strip so that the scrap squares are all on point (standing on one corner). Trim the upper and lower corners off the neutral squares (see

Red Dragon essays

Red Dragon essays I chose the book Red Dragon because I really enjoy all the movies that have been made about Hannibal Lecter, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and not to mention Red Dragon. This 351 pages long book was written by the author Thomas Harris in 1981 but he was also the author of another of my favorites Silence of the Lambs. There have been made motion pictures after both those books. Thomas, a native of Mississippi, began his writing career covering crime in the United States and Mexico, and was a reporter and editor for the Associated Press in New York City. His first novel, Black Sunday, was published in 1975, followed by Red Dragon in 1981, The Silence of the Lambs in 1988 and Hannibal in 1999. The story is about a former detective, Will Graham. Graham is a dark haired, skinny man. All the sun in Florida has made him really tan He is enjoying a peaceful retirement with his wife and kid down in Florida when out of nowhere comes an old but unwanted friend, Jack Crawford. Jack was working with Graham on the Hannibal case when Graham caught him but got stabbed in return. Graham knows that usually when Jack comes, he is asking Will for help. And since Graham has heard of this new serial killer called the toothfary,, he knows pretty much what it is all about. And as Graham suspected Jack is not in for a social call. He is indeed asking Graham to come with him to Atlanta to take a look of the crime scene. Graham isnt too eager about going away from his family and loved ones but does it anyway. At the Atlanta Police Department he is filled in on the latest intel. The killer is a tall male, dark haired and has some sort of a fetish for biting his victims. The victims have been until this moment two families, a wife, husband and two children in Atlanta and the same but only one child in Birmingham. He kills at night at a full moon, meaning they have about 24 days until his next strike. Thats about ...

Washington monument ( Washington DC ) Research Paper

Washington monument ( Washington DC ) - Research Paper Example The analysis of the monument’s terms of constructions reveals that the developers of this project had many challenges to face: still, within low-cost material and equipment they’ve managed to create a monument which is still unique worldwide. The use of monuments for highlighting the importance of an event or for showing respect and honor to an individual is a common phenomenon in societies worldwide. In this paper a monument which is closely related to the history of US is presented: the Washington Monument, in the capital of US. It was 1848 that the construction works for the development of this monument started; however, the monument was completed quite later, in 1884 (Craven, par.1). The monument reflects the commitment and the loyalty to the country, principles that have been highly promoted by George Washington, the ‘first President of US’ (Nobleman, 5). In fact, the Washington Monument has been constructed as ‘an honor to G. Washington’ (Nobleman, 5). For this reason, Washington has been chosen as the most appropriate place for this monument: for the capital of US the surname of G. Washington has been used. In this city also, a monument should be constructed in his memory (Nobleman, 5); no other area would be appropriate for such monument. In terms of the monument’s materials, emphasis has been given on ‘marble, granite and sandstone’ (Washington DC, par.1). This choice has been rather based on these materials’ ability to keep their consistence even under extremely adverse climate conditions. Having such quality, these materials would be appropriate to highlight Washington’s ‘strength as a leader’ (Nelson, 11). Also, such materials could secure the resistance of the monument in time. Materials which are critical in modern construction projects, such as metals and aluminum, were still produced at quite low volume in US (Cody 7) and their cost was quite high, a fact that has discouraged