Featured Seminole apron

I was at a church type sale and held this up sort of admiring it and deciding whether to purchase, when a 90 year old woman walking by said, "that's Seminole". Never had a quicker ID. Wound up getting it. I do like the looks of these, so colorful! I can't see doing any real cooking wearing something with this much work in it, but someone before me did. There are a few food spots that didn't totally clean out, but otherwise pretty great shape.

 

It's definitely "Seminole patchwork" referring to the style rather than the ethnicity of the maker. It was popular a few decades ago, and lots of people who weren't Native made Seminole-style pieces. The translation of the name in this case is: goshawful pile of work.

 

Thank you Evelyb. That's what initially caught my eye. The amount of work that went into it. "Seminole patchwork". Thanks.

 

Nice - when I was a teen in '70s Florida, before gambling became their big business, there were still a few Seminoles at roadside chickees selling these, along with jackets, etc., and lots of other stuff, like baskets and the little palmetto fiber dolls in patchwork clothes (have sold quite a few dolls over the years, the early ones can bring really good prices), and the ladies would be sitting at their sewing machines making the patchwork. Have little doubt yours is Seminole-made, with some decent age to it.

To make the designs, long narrow strips of are fabric sewn together, then those strips cut into small crosswise pieces, and those pieces rearranged, often diagonally, to form the patterns - they have names, but the only one I can recall from your apron is the bottom blue & yellow strip, pretty sure it's 'lightning'...

~Cheryl

 

Thank you, Cheryl. Nice to hear some history on these and how they were made and sold and that the patterns have names. Bringing this to a quilting friend of mine tomorrow just so she can see it.

Wasn't familiar with palmetto fiber dolls in patchwork clothes so took a quick look on Ebay. I guess the older ones can bring good money.

 

Very nice, Lucille.
Some Seminole patchwork symbolism, there can be slight variations:

https://www.semtribe.com/Culture/SeminoleClothing.aspx


http://laboresenred.com/seminole-patchwork/

 

Nice apron. I sold my last 2 for $30 a piece but they were smaller and didn't have the pockets. Yours is worth at least $50-$60 on a bad day I would think.
These and many other items have been getting sold to tourists for decades. I find Seminole items pretty regularly down here in Broward, Fl. I've done a lot of work out at the Big Cypress Reservation as well. There is a gift shop out there that sells them to this day. They aren't cheap.
A few pieces I've recently sold are shown below. The lady that purchased the palmetto fiber doll wearing all the bright clothing was a Seminole and she said she can usually tell who made a piece just from looking at it. She knew who made the doll she bought.
The other doll is slightly unusual in that you don't see them as often as the others. I've only found 2 of those compared to a few dozen of the cotton clothed ones. The male dolls command the highest prices as they are very htf.

 

Thank you for posting those Diggummup. Beautiful and interesting!

I didn't know too much about this type of thing, but learning. Not impossible I might stumble on a doll at an estate sale, etc. Will keep an eye out!

Thanks!

 

The only dolls I find are those souvenir plastic ones with Made in Taiwan clothes. These are much nicer. The clothing doesn't turn up here, but I'll keep an eye out for the dolls. ...and the clothes. I did find a Seminole pattern apron once, but I think it was just a Seminole pattern and not the real deal.