Quilled Knife Sheath by James Blake and Shawn Webster with Knife by Rich Worthington

This is an accurate documentary copy of an 18^th century quilled Lenape neck sheath and knife. The original, from which this work was based, is housed in the National Museum of the American Indian (Washington DC) and is on public display until 2011.

It was collected in the 1760s by W.H. Oldman in New Jersey then later wound up in the George Heye collection. It now resides in the National Museum of the American Indian.

The various techniques of quillwork - including loom quilling and a stunning quill wrapped handle on the knife was completed by collaborative efforts of noted quillworkers, Shawn Webster and James Blake. The accurate reproduction of the knife was made by Rich Worthington.

To faithfully copy the original piece, which contains a rare example of human hair, Mariah Blake (a recognized artist in her own right) donated her hair for the project.

In keeping with using only original materials for the projects, natural dyes - Cochineal, Turmeric and Fustic were used.

The sheath and knife will be on display at Shawn Webster’s table at the 2010 Annual CLA show in Lexington, KY.

bottom two pictures are the original pieces

Photos and copy supplied by James Blake.

Finger Woven and Quilled Pouch by Shawn Webster and James Blake - Made and Donated for the 2010 CLA Live Auction

This magnificent pouch is the collaborative efforts of two of the Longrifle Culture’s talented premier artists, Shawn Webster and James Blake. They have teamed up to produce an outstanding work for the 2010 CLA Fund Raising Auction to be held next month.

Back of the Bag

Based on an original in the collections of the Museum of Civilization (Ottawa, Canada), it is collective work showcasing the two artists’ various talents -- Blake’s finger weaving and Webster’s quill work. Though both are multi-talented artists, this pouch exhibits two of their strongest art forms.

BLAKE’S WEAVING: Woven with a tight two ply yarn (in the white) it was then dyed with a mix of madder root and Bloodroot, collected on James’ family's land in West Virginia. The beads were woven in on a separate linen thread as the weaving progressed, although James suggests there were multiple ways of applying the beads as original ethnographic examples show, such as the Amherst garters in the Chicago Field Museum. The beads are sewn in using the very same wool the piece was woven with. James finished the body and strap for the bag and off to Shawn Webster it went.

WEBSTER’S QUILLING: After receiving the finger woven material from James, Shawn put it all together. He first lined the piece with dyed linen material. The quillwork was copied from the original museum piece on which the contemporary pouch is based. All the quills were dyed using natural dyes then each one was sewn to the leather using 100% linen thread. The panels are both completely edged with quillwork as well. At the bottom are hand rolled tin cones filled with red dyed deer hair and each cone is quill wrapped.

This is a wonderful work of art by two experienced, talented artists and will make a great addition to anyone’s collection. Come to the CLA auction on August 20, 4 pm and put in your bid. For more information, visit: http://www.longrifle.com/.

The CLA Live Auction will be on Friday, August 20th at 4:00 PM.

Copy and photos supplied by David Wright.