April 2008: I made this Sacajawea costume for my daughter Bess's seventh-grade social studies project. She gave me about two days' notice, so I kept it simple. It's just a no-sew fleece poncho with ribbon-and-bead trim. She and a partner were assigned to "interview" each other as Sacajawea, so the costume needed to be easily removed and had to fit two different girls.
I cut a square with a diagonal dimension about equal to the measurement from one wrist to the other while my daughter stood with her arms stretched out to the side. She was 61 inches tall, and the poncho was about 52 inches by 52 inches. I measured the circumference of her head and cut a circle in the center just big enough for her to fit her head through. I made two-inch-deep cuts about a half-inch apart along the outside edge of the square for fringe. Finally, I made five half-inch pairs of cuts in a V-shape below the neckline and doubled lengths of tan grosgrain ribbon through the cuts. I threaded several beads through each ribbon and tied a knot to hold them on. We chose natural wood and blue beads because we had read that Sacajawea wore blue beads.
I'm not sure whether Sacajawea ever wore a poncho, but the overall effect is similar to many kinds of Native American garments, and the project was quick and easy.
