Author Topic: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins  (Read 10671 times)

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Offline Peatreg

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Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« on: December 29, 2018, 09:14:02 pm »
Finished these up a few days ago.  Early 1800s northern plains moccasins.  Keyhole designs done with flattened and dyed porcupine quills. Center of keyhole designs is a core of horsehair wrapped with quills. Brain tanned hide with cloth, high uppers and colored with red ochre.

https://i.imgur.com/nQYIiBU.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/cC2Bhg7.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/dWXZaAa.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/qCBQD9q.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/46NoKGF.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3b1Hhar.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/E7wPxF5.jpg

Offline Hawkdancer

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2018, 09:34:43 pm »
Nice work!  Never got very good at quillwork.  Those are shinin' times Mocs!
Hawkdancer
Life is far too serious to be taken that way!
Jerry

Offline chamookman

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2018, 02:25:12 am »
 (A) WOW -  Outstanding, nicely done  )P(  :OK ! Bob
"May the Gods give Us the strength to draw the string to the cheek, the arrow to the barb and loose the flying shaft, so long as life may last." Saxon Pope - 1923.

Offline BrianS

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2018, 05:25:42 am »
Excellent job!

Offline BowEd

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #4 on: December 30, 2018, 06:03:18 am »
Welcome back Peatreg.You've been busy I see.Nice to see some of your work again.Very nice design and overall detailed work on those!!I like all the colors and am partial to that keyhole design too.A real strutting pair of mocs.Is the saw tooth cut material red trade cloth wool?Nice match red ochor color wise for that shirt.Nice touch with the ermine too.Perfect match for something I've seen in the Mystic Warriors of the Plains book I'd say.
« Last Edit: December 31, 2018, 06:20:38 am by BowEd »
BowEd
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Ed

Offline DC

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #5 on: December 30, 2018, 06:56:51 pm »
Very fine work :D. When they wore out did they take the old sole off and sew a new one on or just sew a new one over the old? How long would a sole last approximately?

PS I guess that's kind of a stupid question as it would depend on the weather etc but maybe just a ballpark figure. I have no idea if it would be a month or a year.
« Last Edit: December 30, 2018, 07:06:51 pm by DC »

Offline Peatreg

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #6 on: December 30, 2018, 07:41:15 pm »
These are soft sole side-seam moccasins made from one piece of hide. Holes in the soles would be patched and eventually new ones would have to be made.  The quillwork on these would be removed and used on a new pair.  On an everyday pair of moccasins the soles wear out fairly quickly. These would more than likely be ceremonial so they would last much longer.  I have seen pairs of soft sole moccasins that had a hard rawhide sole added on the bottom of them with the rawhide going a little ways up the side of them. I don’t believe most pairs of soft soles moccasins were done that way. The members of Lewis and Clark expedition would often have multiple pairs made and in fact, during the winter before heading back east they made many, many pairs of moccasins for the trip back.

Offline Peatreg

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #7 on: December 30, 2018, 07:42:52 pm »
Welcome back Peatreg.You've been busy I see.Nice to see some of your work again.Very nice design and overall detailed work on those!!I like all the colors and am partial to that keyhole design too.A real strutting pair of mocs.Is the saw tooth cut material red trade cloth wool?Nice match red ochor color wise for that shirt their on also.Perfect match for something I've seen in the Mystic Warriors of the Plains book I'd say.

Yes, they are red trade wool

Offline bjrogg

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #8 on: December 31, 2018, 05:51:43 am »
Peatreg, those are beautiful. Very nice work. Like Ed said nice to see you back here again.
Bjrogg
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Offline BowEd

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #9 on: December 31, 2018, 06:22:40 am »
Peatreg...Do you think the lace on the rear of mocs are for wiping out their foot prints or just more decoration?
BowEd
You got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Ed

Offline Peatreg

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #10 on: December 31, 2018, 06:58:47 am »
Peatreg...Do you think the lace on the rear of mocs are for wiping out their foot prints or just more decoration?

The theory that they were there to wipe away your own tracks is just not the case and is a common misconception. Lots of fringe was a sign of affluence and they looked good while on horseback but really they did nothing to hide your tracks

Offline BowEd

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #11 on: December 31, 2018, 11:32:23 am »
Yea I thought so too.I think because the mind set for tayloring back then was'nt like modern tayloring nowadays.Any excessive leather was fringed out to hang just the way it was.Gave everything a natural flow look during movement.
« Last Edit: December 31, 2018, 11:39:28 am by BowEd »
BowEd
You got to stand for something or you'll fall for anything.
Ed

Offline Pappy

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #12 on: December 31, 2018, 01:37:29 pm »
Beautiful work, very nice. :)
 Pappy
Clarksville,Tennessee
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Offline Hans H

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #13 on: January 06, 2019, 01:27:51 pm »
indeed, very nice
Hans
Hans,      Bavaria, Germany

Offline SLIMBOB

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Re: Early Northern Plains side-seam moccasins
« Reply #14 on: March 27, 2019, 03:34:47 pm »
Sweet!  Nice work sir.  That type of quill work was a lost art for a long time.  Yours looks spot on perfect.
Liberty, In God We Trust, E Pluribus Unum.  Distinctly American Values.