Native American Medicine Wheel Quilt Block or Applique Pattern
By Lu McInturff of NDN Fabrics Co-op

Making a Medicine Wheel is very easy for someone who sews, especially for those who make quilts. Remember, the designs our Grandmother's made were not preprinted, but pieced together. The correct name of this two piece quilt pattern is called, "Drunkard's Path" and can be found for free online by searching for "Drunkards Path Quilt Pattern". Places like "Electric Quilt" have tons of sample quilts where you can see the magic of these quilt blocks and the various designs they create when placed or pieced together. Seeing the completed work, it’s now easy to imagine then how you can make your own fabric that you can then cut your patterns with, much like Seminole Strip Quilting - making fabric that you then turn into clothing or quilting.

You can make the central Medicine Wheel easily enough without using any Native American Theme print fabric. After sewing all four pieces together, then you can use fusible bond on the medicine wheels back side prior to zig-zagging the edges down.  This "drunkards path" is a great pattern to use if you are making a flag too.  If you do not use fusible bond paper ,then you simply sew the wheel itself together, lay it on top of your background fabric and zig-zag the Medicine Wheel Fabric into place, turn your Nylon fabric over and cut away the back-side so that you have a medicine wheel on both sides of your flag, but then, zig zag the back side on all the cut-away area's.

Make a nice Ribbon shirt or lodge dress and put the medicine wheel over the heart.  When you see eagle fabrics, look for that feather that is free from surrounding items, as in the fabric which is currently in our store ( www.NativeAmericanFabrics.com) and see if you can use it with fusible bond paper. In this fabric, there are several free falling feathers that are superb to give that extra umph! to your completed Medicine Wheel. 

When I use the fusible bond, I finish out my piece by changing the length of my zigzag stitch to almost ‘0’ or just before the button stitch, then the width is between 1-2 inches. I use black mostly, and after bonding all my pieces into place onto my finished fabric, I go around all the edges with black or the darkest coordinating thread color to match the fabric you are working with.

The third picture is of a fabric that has free falling feathers. Place on the backside of this feathered material your fusible bonding paper and then iron the Fusible bonding following its manufacturer's directions, and then carefully cut away feathers -- or the eagle from the fabric to place on any of your creative items such as shawls, ribbons shirts, lodge dresses or even to give that denim skirt or jeans a little flare.  Mae would take ribbons and put them on the feather's tip having them fly freely; Patti would embroider or zig-zag red to the tip end of the feather; each person does things different but the point is to be uniquely you.

Lu’s ‘Heritage Sewing’ Column – Lu McInturff of NDC Fabrics Co-op features monthly heritage quilting and sewing patterns. Read her Column and about NDC Fabrics Co-op.