Native American Triad Dress

by Miriam
(California)

Hello Everybody,

This is a close-up of the yoke, sleeve and hem decoration of a sundress I have designed called The Native American Triad Dress. The Native American Triad is the term applied to the three sacred crops of corn, beans, and squash which have been the basis of many North, Central, and South American Indian diets for thousands and thousands of years. Like my ancestors did, I grow these crops on my small farm, and I wanted to celebrate their importance to me.

The embroidery is worked in basic crewel stitches - stem stitch and satin stitch. My inspiration for the corn motif on the sleeves came from ancient Southwestern rock art. The squash blossoms are based upon Navajo silver work. The dress itself is made of just 3 rectangles, and you can sew it in one evening and then have fun embroidering it! The dress is made of two different colors of a lightweight organic canvas (feels like dressweight linen).

I run a small business called www.themexicandress.com which has been featured in Craft Magazine. I sell digital download instruction booklets, and the unique thing about my dresses is that they don't involve cutting out pattern pieces. Rather, you take your own measurements and follow the directions, so the dresses fit whomever makes them!

You can see the whole Native American Triad Dress at my website.

Thank you so much for looking at my embroidery and reading my story!