A Traditional Apache Dress Making class will be held on Feb. 4 to 6, at the San Carlos Apache Culture Center Museum in Peridot. Matilda Case Bowman, a member of the Deschiin clan, will be the instructor for the class. Mrs. Bowman says when she was young she use to sit outside on a canvas with her grandmother, Grace Mahsill Case. She continued and said, my grandmother had an old, foot pedal style sewing machine and she would tear the material/fabric to make the Apache dresses.
The instructor recommends to bring at least seven yards of cotton or calico fabric since this cloth is the easiest to work with. She also said to bring threads that matches the fabric. If you have a sewing machine, you can bring it, otherwise there will be two sewing machines to work from.
The classes will begin at 5 p.m. each day and should last for three hours. The class size is up to 10 people and there is a $10 fee. Please call the Culture Center Museum at 928-475-2894 for information on the class, there is a short form to fill out to get in the class.
