Native
Dancing
Arena

Native/Historic Style Arabian Costumes

Tree 2 Style Historical Sans Rear Panel

Another Tree 2 style this one without the rear panel. The breastcollar is a prototype for the Dancing Arabian style. My research indicates that this is the style that was the precursor to the original Dancing Arabian style saddle. The gold studs are all hand made as are the native style stirrups. I know that this model doesn't do well in the show ring. Although he has some cartoonish features, he's certainly not without charm.

Native Tree 1 with Two Turkish Tapestries

Just because I don't want the book to be about my tapestries (that wouldn't be fair), I will discuss the use of notions and Turkish tapestries. This one has a padded seat. The seat decorations, headstall and bridle are made from the normally discarded edging from the tapestries. The silver metal studs are found items (iron on studs for fabric).

Native Tree 2 with Two Turkish Tapestries

Here's a Turkish Tapestry Tree 2 style project that turned out much nicer than I had anticipated. The costume has a bridle/halter combination which is quite common. The breastcollar and headstall were made of the otherwise discarded tapestry edging.

Historical Type Tree 2 in Red Satin

This is a Tree Style 2 saddle, a tree type that is more historical than contemporary though it is still used for some styles of Dancing Arabian saddles. This is a warrior type saddle and so the bridle should have a curb bit instead of a snaffle. But it is a prototype.

Red/Yellow Native 3 Tier Tassel Tree 1

Well, this is one of the costumes I've made while taking pictures for the book. It turned out quite nice. Lots of detail. The color pallet looks more Mexican than Arabian. But right now, this is my favorite costume. I may have to put one of my others up for sale as I really don't need all of these costumes and would prefer to see someone take them to a show. I certainly don't get the chance right now to show like I want. but I still have years ahead of me. Enjoy. I certainly did.

Turkish Tapestry Inspiration Piece Tree 1

I had purchased a bunch of practice tapestries quite a while ago, just so I could figure out how to make these costumes. I always loved this particular tapestry more than all of the others and wanted to make this costume. My fist attemtp was laughable and I ended up tearing the thing apart. Then I purchased the embroidery machine and made my own version of the tapestry and costumes (Two other versions, see below). After completing those, I decided to give this tapestry set one last try and it came out quite nice. The panels are still a bit large for the model. But the concept is proven. I like this one.

Blue/Brown Single Tier Tassel Tree 1

I'd call this a prototype since I made it to practice all the techniques I plan to use in the upcoming pattern book. But it turned out so nice, I just have to call it Live Show Quality. It too over 30 hours just to make and hand tie the 200 or so tassels. The girth is elastic with a doll Velcro closure. It has a girth cover so that the white elastic doesn't stand out. The stirrups and bit are cast Rio Rondo. All of the braiding was done by hand. The stirrups are adjustable. The head stall, made for the Stone Arabian, is not adjustable, but should fit any Arabian model with a similar size head. The stirrups are hung on matching blue ribbon and have a buckle for adjustability. The decorative bead clusters on the breast collar and bridle are all handmade (that was fun and time consuming) with the help of 300x magnifying glasses. The bead clusters have a sealer coating to help keep all the little dots of clay in place. I'm not planning on making very many (and I don't take custom orders) as these costumes take oodles of time to complete.

Black/Red Single Tier Tassel Tree 1

My first using my machine made tapestries. I was using the Turkish tapestries but really did not like the dimensions - way too large for my taste. Finally finished with all the tassels added and pulled. I sold this one since I have made several others since this original prototype that I like even more. Well, that is the way it goes. I fall in love and then out of love with my work as I progress.

Blue/Beige Single Tier Tassel Tree 1

My second using my machine made tapestries. I love the detail in this pattern which is based on a Turkish tapestry I imported and always wanted to use. Making the tapestry give me the advantage of making the panels smaller and still keep in all of the details. This set has a bridle with halter variation. I did finally make the Turkish tapestry version (see above).