Sylvia Begaye
Sylvia C. Begaye
DA1. Classic Navajo Grandmother
TRIBAL AFFILIATION:
Navajo Nation
CLASSIFICATION:
Diverse Arts, Textile
BOOTH NUMBER:
CP 04
MATERIAL/TECHNIQUE:
My name is Sylvia C. Begaye and I am a Dine seamstress and weaver. My artwork of Dine dolls depicts the daily joys of the Dine people of past and present. I utilize fabrics prized by the Dine, including velvet, cotton blends, and Pendleton. The dolls’ hair is represented by Navajo Churro Sheep wool. The dolls’ emotions are hand-painted with fabric paint on fabric heads. The jewelry is hand-painted. The dolls are filled with polyester filler. These dolls are either free-standing, placed on a display base, or even small enough to be an ornament. All items are hand-stitched. The dolls represent my own patterns that I have crafted over the past 40 years of presenting at art shows. I weave the rugs on the dolls as well. Again, these patterns belong to my family and have been passed down by me, a third-generation weaver. I use only the finest Navajo Churro sheep wool on my rugs.