Discover the designs, colors, styles, and techniques of traditional bead embroidery as you work with Ojibwe cultural specialist and Grand Portage Band member Marcie McIntire, sewing and decorating a pair of moccasins. Students will design and make a pair of adult-sized moccasins. Using quality tanned deer hide, Marcie will teach the steps required for assembly and help you design a pattern to finish your pair of moccasins with bead embroidery. Your materials fee includes the fabric, interfacing, beads, needles, and thread. As time allows, additional beadwork projects will be included.

This course offers students the opportunity to work with Marcie McIntire, an Anishinaabe bead worker. Marcie was exposed to beadwork from a young age not only from attending pow wows, but because her mother, Ellen Olson, is a well-established bead worker. Marcie's grandmother was also a bead worker, and Marcie believes that beading was a family tradition at least back to the 1850's. In 1969, an early point in her artistic career, Marcie took a tour of a Red Lake museum. It was only a 15-minute tour, but the beadwork covering the museum walls made a lasting impression on Marcie. In addition, the beadwork and birch bark work at the Grand Portage National Monument served as an inspiration. Youth ages 9+ with some sewing experience can participate with an adult.

Required Tools

• Sharp pair of scissors
• Ruler
• Pencil