The word moccasin just happened because one Native American tribe of North America, the Algonquins, told the white settlers there their own name for their footware.
It was picked up and used to mean all Native footwear and the name stuck.
Most moccasins were made of leather, some had hard soles while others had softer ones, dependent upon the area in which the tribes live and what it took to make their footwear serviceable to them.
The plains Indians required longer moccasins to provide for the brush that they had to run through, as did the Apache, to prevent injury from cacti and other thorny trees.
Each tribe has its own style and design, and each has as well its own culture and method of crafting.
There are literally hundreds of differing designs among the many tribes and bands of Native Americans.
These offered here are Iroquois design, and are comfortable as a slipper or an outdoor shoe.
There were five tribes in the original Iroquois Confederacy: the Mohawk, Seneca, Oneida, Onondaga, and Cayuga tribes. Later a sixth nation, the Tuscarora tribe, joined the confederation.
They can be, if you choose, made with some of the large sheets of felt and used as a teaching craft for children as well as made of the leather sheeting ( available online or in hobby stores such as Hobby Lobby), or your own tanned skins for use both inside and outside. The instructions given here are general in nature and the size and amount of the moccasin leather necesssary will depend on the size of the outline tracing of your foot.
Pattern is as seen below.
- Trace the outline of your foot
- Measure a-b
- Measure L-M allowing 3/4 inche at the heel and about 1 1/2 inches at the big toe area or simply allow enough material to cover the heel and completely overlap the big toe. Add these measurements to the foot tracing
- C-X measurements are found by adding 3/4 inches at the heel and one half inch at the toe.
- Point A is going to be one half the distance of CX
- Line AB is the circumference of the foot
- A B plus tongue insert is equal to AB
- Fold the paper on line LM and cut the pattern so both sides will be the same.
- Do not cut out the tongue pattern
- make two tractings of the pattern on leather an cut
- sew by folding the leather inside out, bring h and h together
- using one eighth whip stitch on all seams excepth where gathering will be needed
- Sew hh to kk turn moccasin right sidde out, and bring the dcenter of the toe flap to point kk
close the toe with a gethered stitch - sew the heel next turn moccasin inside out and bring xx together and sew down to heel dut using a whip stitich, turn moccasin back to right side out
- cut tongue out next using a pattern such as is showin in figure six
- sew tongue to moccasin at point a where it begins to taper using a gathering stitch
- the foot opening shoud be one half the lenght of the whole moccasin, turn heel tab up and catchit with a few stitches..
There is no left or right foot to this design
top extensions are added for your convenience.
Kendra
October 17, 2008
Enter Your CommentI was looking for a pattern for hightop moccasins with fringes and beads can anyone help me? You can email me at randyemond@yahoo.com
October 17, 2008
can anyone tell me please ‘ . . how to draw out the pattern for the chiricahua apache toe guard moccasins , they have the upturned guard at the top of the toes. or maybe someone can give me some help on making them . . . as they are a ‘ one piece upper ‘ boot style moccasin.
PLEASE REPLY ‘ ‘ ‘ THANKYOU ‘
November 12, 2008
this is for Chiricahua apache
try nativetech.org for pattern
November 22, 2008
Hello Kandi . i had a look on the Native Tech Website but couldnt find any pattern for the apache turned up toe moccasins. but thank you very much for contacting me and for trying to help. i was also trying to find an email address on that website where i could get in touch with them to see if they would know where i could get a pattern , or where i might find someone to give me directions on making them. thanks a million again Kandi ‘ and have a great day and a lovely weekend.
December 11, 2008
what did they use for needles?
December 30, 2008
hello John . . . how are you ? . . . i wouldnt really know what they used for needles . . i presume you mean in the old days . it must have been tricky ‘
as they used thick rawhide for the soles of their moccasins . today they probly use the glovers needles . Im not an expert John , I cant find anyone who is willing to show me how to make them. the apaches seem to be keeping it a closely guarded secret . i contacted one of the apache cultural centers . . he said he was very sorry ‘ but couldnt teach NON TRIBAL ‘ as it might end up on a website . . or someone might make a pattern from it. I was going to go to the moccasin classes . . . so no luck there then . Do you know how to draw out the pattern on the hide . the tricky part is across the arch of the foot ‘ to go around and meet at the back of the heel . I was thinking maybe like wings ‘ ‘ ‘ in a t cut ‘ ‘ across the middle top of the foot in front of the arch where your leg meet the top of the foot . . and then having the extended wings left and right from there . . measured to meet at the back of the heel . . .
January 5, 2009
porcupine quills were used by the ancestors for sewing; awls made of flint were used for making the holes. I can personally attest to how LONG this process would take; it takes a long time even now with conventional steel awls and glover’s needles!
January 9, 2009
In the southwest, it was common to use agave thorns with the plant fiber still attached as a nature made needle, and thread. Also, when soaked soft, raw hide is much easier to sew. For a good pattern for apache moccasins, I recomend checking out the “Craft Manual of North American Indian Footwear”. It has some very good patterns.
February 24, 2009
I believe origonally bones were used for needles.
March 25, 2009
very good pattern and very nice-looking mocs if done right !
I made them once ( quite a while ago now ) from the booklet by George M. White “Craft Manual of North-American Footwear”, great book by the way !
Anyway thanks for reminding me how nice it is to make your own moccasins, i’m gonna get started again
So long, man
Tarik, from Eindhoven, Holland
March 25, 2009
Very good pattern and when done right very nice-looking mocs.
I made these moccasins myself a while ago from the very known booklet by George M. White “Craft Manual of North-American Footwear” which is a beautiful guide “how to..” make all types of mocccasins.
Anyway thanks for reminding me how nice it is to make ur own pair of mocs.
I’m gonna get started as soon as possible.
Bye!
Tarik,
from Eindhoven, Holland
June 29, 2009
My Auntie made mine, you can see them on my myspace under TOZA my native name.
August 28, 2009
seems a little complicated
August 28, 2009
good pattern