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Montana Made: Native American Beadwork by Sarah

Posted at 8:19 AM, Oct 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-02 10:19:50-04

BILLINGS – Sarah Widener sits at the kitchen table in her Billings home creating the items her grandma, mother, and cousins taught her over the years.

From beaded earrings to medallions, jingle dresses, and ribbon skirts, Sarah’s creations reflect the beauty of Montana’s Native American tribes.

“Earrings, probably looking at about three hours. With a ribbon skirt, on a small skirt, it probably takes me about six or seven hours to complete.  I’m sewing every single ribbon down so it doesn’t come off. Paying attention to detail and making sure my measurements are correct,” Widener said.

Stitch by stitch, she puts passion behind each project, giving customers a value that can’t be found in your typical store.

“The medallion took me about, with my sister included, probably took us over 100 hours to complete. So we put a lot of time into making this stuff and we’d like to get that back in our valuable time,” Widener said.

Although time-consuming, she finds therapy in every piece.

“I’m just really honored when I see young girls or young women wearing my stuff, because that’s something they really enjoy wearing and they love it. They feel beautiful in it. And I’m just really happy that I’m able to contribute to that,” she said.

Click here to visit Sarah’s Facebook page and see some of her work or make an order.

  • Reported by Victoria Hill