Pouches for Many Purposes

Over the years I have made quite a few styles of bags and pouches from simple card pouches to large felt appliqué double-fringed 12- x 6-inch “medicine woman bags.” Smaller rectangular and tapered pouches are standard items. Most of my pouches have fringes and straps or ties for carrying them. Recently I have done several large, fringed, felt-lined buckskin drawstring bags and pouches for a special order. Most of the larger pieces that I make are custom design work. Depending on the complexity of the design and the materials used, most large custom pieces begin at about $50, plus shipping.

Like all of the art in my collections, these pieces are inspired by the majesty of nature and the inherent beauty of planet Earth. I use both traditional and contemporary materials in my designs, but each piece is completely handcrafted. Each item is unique, with its own power and subtle energy.

Eagle Star Shaman’s Pouch

Altair, the Eagle Star, shines in the warm night sky, the brightest star of the constellation Aquila. This ancient pattern of stars has long been associated with the Great Eagle, the celestial messenger.

This beautiful brown-earth pouch is 6.5 x 4.5 inches with a 5-inch folded top. It is hand-sewn from strong, yet soft double-thickness washable felt and edged with gold and sky-blue seed beads. The pouch is further ornamented with a 7.5-inch yarn fringe, enhanced with copper and wood beads. The overall length of the piece is about 14 inches. The braided yarn carrying ties are about 37 inches long and can be worn tied as a belt if you want to carry items and have your hands free.

The hand-appliquéd, layered star design in tan, blue, and gold is double-edged in large gold and smaller blue seed beads. At the center of the star is a large, beautifully detailed Peruvian ceramic eagle bead. The star shines down on freshly plowed earth awaiting the new growing season.

The constellation Aquila comes to us from ancient Greece. It is named for the great Eagle of Zeus, but the origin may be even older, dating back to Babylon and beyond. Aquila flies along the path of Milky Way, just a few degrees north of the Celestial Equator. To many indigenous people, Eagle is a messenger of the Creator and the star ancestors. Eagle is a powerful guide for anyone who wants to see the big picture, who seeks knowledge from the ancient past as well as the future. Eagle is the star messenger; listen for his voice on the wind.

Price: $29.95 + $6.50 shipping*

White Elk Shaman’s Pouch

White Elk stands on the high mountain ridge illuminated by the brilliance of the golden sun. He has climbed along the steep trails through the green forest shadows to reach the high ground and warm sunlight.

This beautiful forest-green pouch is 7 x 4.5 inches with a 5-inch folded top. It is hand-sewn from strong, yet soft double-thickness washable felt and edged with golden-tan yarn. The pouch is further ornamented with a 9-inch braided-yarn fringe enhanced with copper, synthetic bone, and meadow-green acrylic beads, evoking the shady mountain forests illuminated by golden sunlight. The overall length of the piece is about 16 inches. The braided-yarn carrying ties are about 54 inches long and can be worn tied as a belt if you want to carry items and have your hands free.

The hand-appliquéd Elk and Sun design blends both solar and earth imagery. In native cultures around the world, white animals are seen as messengers of the Divine. They are guardians of the Earth, symbols of the realm of spirit. Elk is one of the teachers of humankind, renowned for his strength and stamina in rugged terrain. He can outpace Mountain Lion when the need arises and outlast most all adversaries over the long run. If you need strength and stamina to get through difficult circumstances, to keep going when things get tough, then the powerful White Elk just might be the guide you are looking for.

Price: $29.95 + $6.50 shipping*

Singing Wolf Shaman’s Pouch

White Wolf sings to the rising moon. Her song alerts the members of her family to gather for the night hunt. The golden moonlight illuminates the red earth. Wolf is the pathfinder who senses the best trail even in darkness.

This beautiful red-earth pouch is 6.5 x 4.5 inches with a 5-inch folded top. It is hand-sewn from strong, yet soft, double-thickness washable felt and edged with golden yarn. The pouch is further ornamented with a 10-inch braided yarn fringe enhanced with deep-red and sky-blue acrylic beads, evoking earth and sky.

The overall length of the piece is about 16.5 inches. The braided yarn carrying ties are about 60 inches long and can be worn as a belt if you want to carry items and have your hands free.

The hand-appliquéd Wolf and Moon design shows the golden moon edged in blue seed beads indicating both a blue moon and blue sky. In native cultures around the world, white animals are seen as messengers of the Divine. They are guardians of the Earth, symbols of the realm of spirit. Wolf is one of the teachers of humankind, renowned as a pathfinder and hunter. Like wolf, we are all hunting something: knowledge, abundance, employment, peace, a meaningful life. If you are seeking the right path and hunting for a new direction, then the White Wolf is a powerful guide.

Price: $29.95 + $6.50 shipping*

Bear Moon Shaman’s Pouch

The White Bear moves through the long red rays of the returning sun while the blue-shadowed moon seems to float in the background. Light returns to the far north, bringing a new cycle of the seasons to the bear’s rapidly changing ice world.

This beautiful sun-red pouch is 6.5 x 4.5 inches with a 5-inch folded top. It is hand-sewn from strong, yet soft, double-thickness washable felt and edged with dark-blue yarn. The pouch is further ornamented with a 7.5-inch braided yarn fringe enhanced with white, blue, and synthetic-bone beads.

The overall length of the piece is about 14 inches. The braided yarn carrying ties are about 53 inches long and can be worn as a belt if you want to carry items and have your hands free.

The hand-appliquéd moon and bear design has the blue moon edged with dark-blue seed beads. The colors represent the sun’s red rays and the blue sky, the sea, and the ice that is often blue-shaded. Although the Polar Bear is naturally white, in this design he also represents the sacred white animals of the spirit realm. It is no secret that the high Arctic is changing rapidly. Bear must adapt to new circumstances or he will not survive. The moon is a symbol of change, and like the bear we must all face and deal with changes in our lives and circumstances. Facing great changes takes courage and there is no one stronger than the bear when it comes to facing difficulties. If you are dealing with changes in your life and looking for a powerful guide, then Bear’s courage, intuition, and dreaming ability may be just what you are looking for.

Price: $29.95 + $6.50 shipping*

Mountain Sheep and Midnight Stars Shaman’s Pouch

The mountain sheep climbs with superb confidence and skill at great heights. He lives at altitudes that are close to the stars. He hears their voices, knows their stories and remembers their histories. If there is a pathway to the stars, mountain sheep will know where to find it.

This beautiful deep-purple pouch is 5.0 x 3.5 inches with a 2.5-inch folded top held in place by a star-shaped glass button/bead. It is hand-sewn from strong, yet soft double-thickness washable felt and edged with slivery-starlight-shaded seed beads. The pouch is finished with a short glass beaded fringe in snowy mountain colors of white and lavender.

The hand-appliquéd lavender and purple mountain design features two beautifully crafted and painted Peruvian ceramic mountain sheep. Each little sheep is about 1 x 1 inch and is incredibly lifelike. Above the mountains on the upper fold of the pouch are four beautiful star beads, one of which acts as a button. The deep-purple colors and bright stars evoke the solitary beauty of a high-country night.

The mountain sheep is able to thrive at elevations that prove daunting to most creatures. He moves with grace and power under the starry sky. If you seek to climb up that long, difficult trail that leads to the ancient star knowledge, then Mountain Sheep may be a fine guardian and strong companion.

Price: $29.95 + $6.50 shipping*

Blue Corn Seed Pouch/Shaman’s Pouch

Blue corn is illuminated by the rays of the red sunrise. A new day has dawned and Corn Mother has awakened. The rains have come at the right time, and it is a time of abundance and plenty.

This beautiful desert tan pouch is 6.5 x 4.5 inches with a 5-inch folded top. It is hand-sewn from strong, yet soft double-thickness washable felt and edged with sunrise red yarn. The pouch is further ornamented with a 10-inch yarn fringe enhanced with tan, red, and turquoise glass and acrylic beads evoking sun, rain, seeds, and tall fields.

The overall length of the piece is about 16.5 inches. The long braided yarn carrying ties are about 60 inches long and can be tied as a belt if you use the pouch to carry seed packets and need hands free for planting.

The hand-appliquéd corn and sun design is edged with gold-colored seed beads reflecting the sun’s morning light.

The three ears of corn connect generations across time, like seeds passed from hand to hand in a long unbroken chain. The first ear is the past connected to the ancestors who planted the corn, the center is the current generation who cares for the corn, and the third ear is the future generations who will be the caretakers of the corn and bring abundance and plenty into the future.

Price: $29.95 + $6.50 shipping*

Golden Dragonfly Shaman’s Pouch

The full moon sets at misty dawn. A golden dragonfly glows in the brightening sky, perfectly balanced between night and day.

This beautiful dawn-gray pouch is 6.5 x 4.75 inches with a 5-inch folded top. It is hand-sewn from strong, yet soft double-thickness washable felt and edged with bright golden-yellow yarn. The pouch is further ornamented with an 8-inch fringe enhanced with copper and lavender beads that evokes a misty, forested lakeshore at dawn. The overall length of the piece is about 14.5 inches. The long braided-yarn carrying ties are 34 inches. The essence of this piece is balance and harmony.

The hand-appliquéd design shows a golden dragonfly rising in the dawn light against the setting full moon in the dark-purple sky. The golden dragonfly is enhanced with a beautiful turquoise nugget; the setting moon is edged with copper-colored seed beads.

Dragonfly is profoundly connected to the watery world of dreams and visions. She can see the deeper layers of reality beyond the illusion of our limited senses. Dragonfly connects us with earth, sky, and water--all illuminated by sun and moon. She is an elegant symbol of change and enlightenment. Dragonfly is a strong guardian for those riding the winds of change, seeking balance and harmony in a turbulent world.

Price: $29.95 + $6.50 shipping*

Ancient Journeys Shaman’s Pouch

This is another of my handcrafted old-style shaman’s leather pouches, ornamented with shell, coral, and turquoise. This piece evokes the Ancient Journeys, the long and difficult migrations of humankind as the Ice Age receded and new pathways and new lands opened to our ancestors.

The pouch itself is elk and is 3.75 x 5 inches, double-stitched with waxed linen. The long, wide, hand-cut and tied fringe on three sides is buckskin. The overall length of the piece is about 14 inches, and it has a 15-inch carrying strap. The front fold of the pouch uses the edges of the hide as part of the design and is set with three large pieces of shell representing the ancient trading trails that ran from the seacoast to the inland mountains and valleys. The pouch is further decorated with four long strands of turquoise, shell, and coral that signify the four directions. The three shell pieces also evoke the Three Bright Stars of the ancestors as guiding stars along the trail.

Human beings have long inhabited my corner of the Southwest, and there are contemporary roads here in New Mexico that still follow the course of what were once ancient trails. Our journey as a species continues into the future, perhaps to worlds beyond our own.

Price: $34.95 + $6.50 shipping*

Blue Moon Butterfly Shaman’s Pouch

The glittering butterfly rises in the evening sky illuminated by the full moon.

This beautiful sky-toned pouch is 6.5 x 4.5 inches with a 5-inch folded top. The appliquéd butterfly design is double-needle beadwork.

The thick, soft felt pouch is edged in moonlight blue and silver seed beads and finished with a tapered 3-inch beaded fringe that brings to mind evening rain or dewdrops.

Overall length of the piece is 9.5 inches. The long braided yarn carrying ties are 25 inches.

The essence of the piece is pale summer moonlight and shimmering beauty.

The changing face of the moon and the emergence of the butterfly have long been symbols of change and transformation. This design brings positive, inspirational change and emergence into the light.

Price: $29.95 + $6.50 shipping*

See something you like? Have an idea for a custom creation? Just drop us a note and we can let you know if it is available or if it can be custom-made for you. Please note that even the items on this page are one of a kind and may have been sold, so it's always best to check before sending payment.

We accept PayPal as well as other forms of payment (sorry, no credit cards except through PayPal and no personal checks). Thanks very much.

*Shipping is by Priority Mail to the U.S. only. Please contact us for rates to other countries. Optional insurance (U.S.) is an additional $1.75.

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