ESSENTIAL GUIDE Making Seminole Patchwork
“Get creative with strip piecing by exploring the boldly graphic style of Seminole patchwork.”
– Lin Clements
The distinctive geometric forms of Seminole patchwork, developed from strip piecing, is easy to do and great fun
WHAT IS SEMINOLE PATCHWORK?
The Seminole Native American tribe from Florida, USA are known for their patchwork style of piecing in strips to create bold and graphic geometric designs. This type of patchwork is now known as Seminole patchwork. Some of the patterns the Seminole people used had names, being inspired by important legends and stories. Other patterns were named for elements and life forms the tribe would see all around them, such as Fire, Rain, Mountain, Storm, Lightning, Arrow, Birdfor some examples). Many patterns and variations developed over time and had no name. The patterns were usually displayed in long bands with plain spacer strips between them. Segments positioned on an angle were a common feature, usually at 45- and 60-degrees. In this month’s Essential Guide, we explore Seminole designs and instructions are given for creating two different vertical-cut patterns. Strip-pieced units can also be cut at a 45-degree angle, but we will explore this another time.
