Quilled Knife Sheath by James Blake and Shawn Webster with Knife by Rich Worthington

This is an accurate documentary copy of an 18^th century quilled Lenape neck sheath and knife. The original, from which this work was based, is housed in the National Museum of the American Indian (Washington DC) and is on public display until 2011.

It was collected in the 1760s by W.H. Oldman in New Jersey then later wound up in the George Heye collection. It now resides in the National Museum of the American Indian.

The various techniques of quillwork - including loom quilling and a stunning quill wrapped handle on the knife was completed by collaborative efforts of noted quillworkers, Shawn Webster and James Blake. The accurate reproduction of the knife was made by Rich Worthington.

To faithfully copy the original piece, which contains a rare example of human hair, Mariah Blake (a recognized artist in her own right) donated her hair for the project.

In keeping with using only original materials for the projects, natural dyes - Cochineal, Turmeric and Fustic were used.

The sheath and knife will be on display at Shawn Webster’s table at the 2010 Annual CLA show in Lexington, KY.

bottom two pictures are the original pieces

Photos and copy supplied by James Blake.