One of my oldest passions is sewing as I’ve been doing it since I was a little girl coming as I do from a long line of seamstresses and quilters on both sides of the family. I’m also a bit obsessed with charm making and the two combine well for me resulting in a new batch of triangle protection talismans, nine crossroads keys, and animal foot amulets.
GHOST PROTECTION TALISMAN
Red protects from the dead. The talisman above is used to protect from unwanted invisible guests in your home or who are attached to you. It’s made from red cashmere wool embroidered in silk and wool with a protection symbol and stuffed with wild harvested Rowan berries and St. John’s Wort. The tassels are handmade by me as well from a red silk/wool blend from a local silk weaving studio and strung with Rowan berries. Such a talisman is meant to be hung over your front door to keep out ghosts or over your bed if they tend to only bother you at night when you’re trying to sleep.
EVIL EYE TALISMAN
Blue is another ancient colour of protection – especially sacred indigo – which was used to dye the fine silk the tassels are made from and embroidered the eye with. This talisman is crafted with blue felt and vintage sari silk dyed with an eye ikat pattern (on the reverse side of the talisman). The tassels are strung with antique African trade beads (once worn for protection), and the talisman itself is stuffed with evil eye repelling herbs and dried eyes. This is my favourite charm of the ones I made as it looks like something you’d find hanging from a gypsy wagon.
CROSSROAD & CROW TALISMANS
These triangle skeleton key talismans are an idea I’ve been toying with for a while and I’m rather pleased with how they turned out. The triangles are raw black silk embroidered free hand on one side with owl and goat skulls and a triple crossroad key sigil on the other. Inside is the dirt collected from nine different crossroads in the forest (on my mountain) which I blessed and wrapped in red silk and then sewed up inside the black silk. The keys are antique and the talismans are strung on hand braided black cotton cords.
The taxidermied crow foot has been wrapped in a custom-fit piece of raw black silk embroidered with a crow in red and strung on a black braided cotton cord. I consider braiding the cords for my talismans as part of the magic – weaving magic into them as I go. I like how wicked and dark these black and red talismans look and I could easily do a whole series of them.
WATERS OF THE MOON HARE FOOT
A wild Arctic hare foot tightly wrapped with custom-fit white cotton velvet I embroidered with spirals in indigo-dyed silk and wool thread. The cord is hand braided white mercerised cotton. Hare’s feet are an ancient charm worn for luck, protection, and fertility.
BRIAR RABBIT HARE FOOT
This foot is also wrapped with white velvet – this time appliquéd and embroidered with a blackberry vine complete with thorns. I know what you’re thinking: “where did these pretty, feminine, white magic rabbit feet come from? She usually makes dark things…” Well, I am a girl and sometimes pretty things just happen when I craft.
I hope you like my new offerings and maybe I’ve inspired you to craft your own beautiful charms for your magical needs – whether they be protection, prosperity, or for your witchcraft and spirit work.
