Turn your leatherwork over so that what has been the top piece becomes the bottom.  Now run your needle through the edge of the leather, from the top side down, and up through the first 2 beads.

Pick up three beads and pass your needle through the front side only, from the top down, about one bead-width away from the edge.

Thread your needle with about 2 yards of thread and tie a knot on the end.  Pass your needle and thread through the edge of the bottom piece of leather from between the two pieces to conceal the knot.

Last month we drove into Maryland, quite a long way from home.  Our first stop was at the Youghiogheny Overlook, where we found these beautiful Black-Eyed Susans, the state flower of Maryland.  We couldn’t resist taking quite a few pictures of them.  The scientific name for them is Rudbeckia hirta.  Aren’t they beautiful?

Using the paper pattern, I cut out these two pieces of leather with sharp fabric scissors.

My next step will be to glue the wrong sides together by putting a thin line of fabric cement on the shorter piece about 1/4 inch away from the edge, but not the horizontal edge.  This will serve to hold the pieces in place temporarily while I sew beads onto the edge.  I may decide to experiment with a simple glue stick, to see if it will work; if so, that will be less messy than a cement.  In the next entry, I will report whether the glue stick will work properly.  Normally, I would use a good fabric cement, however.

The color of the seed beads I am going to be using for the edging are black, white, red, and yellow, sacred colors representing the four directions and the four human races.

Today I made the pattern that I will use as a template when cutting the leather for each side of the medicine bag.

I am planning on the finished bag being about 5 inches high by 3 inches wide, not including the strap that I want to add.  So far I am still going over strap ideas with nothing definite yet.

If you are not able to find a 12 x 12 square of leather, a chamois used for drying vehicles works well and can usually be found in auto parts stores or the auto department of discount stores.  Chamois is a very fine leather, oil-tanned to make it so soft and absorbent.  It is easier to work than heavier leathers, and costs about four to five dollars per square foot.

For those of you who don’t want to use real leather, Ultrasuede or any similar fabric that does not fray would work well .

This next section of my blog will deal with making a leather medicine bag or pouch.  My husband’s cousin is currently undergoing another round of chemotherapy and this medicine bag will be for her.  She is fighting valiantly, but the rigors of battling cancer can dampen the spirits of even the most upbeat and optimistic person.

Ordinarily, a medicine bag is made by the individual wearer or it is given as a gift to someone special.  I am using the word medicine widely and loosely to cover anything that can improve the physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual health of the wearer or maker, for that is the traditional American Indian usage.

A great deal of thought, planning, and prayers should go into any bag you make.  A medicine bag should be a very personal thing, taking into consideration the meaning and symbolism of the colors, designs, fetishes, and eventually its contents.  In this case, my husband will complete the project by adding appropriate contents to the pouch, according to his ancestors’ ancient traditions and rituals.

Medicine bags are frequently worn around the neck and inside a person’s clothing, or tucked inside a waistband, but a fancy one can be worn in public or during ceremonies.  Modern uses include holding such contents as healing herbs, pharmaceuticals, gemstones, fetishes, prayer beads, or any article of special significance.

This bag will be made of brown leather because yellows and browns are earth tones and our cousin is a very sturdy, down-to-earth person.  Also, earth tones symbolize health on physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual levels.  A person’s health is the hub or core around which everything else revolves.

To get started, you may purchase 1 square foot (12 x 12 inches) of soft, thin leather to use in assembling your bag.  I  have some brown leather on hand already that I will be using.

Fox has finished his meal.  At least we know he hasn’t gone hungry.

We would leave some food for them every night.

This is one of a pair of foxes that came to our yard every day when we lived in the North GA Mountains.  They liked to play around the woodpiles and look for lizards.  This was taken from inside our house.