Sami Style Sewing Kit

As I was surfing the net the other day I came upon some photos of Sami style sewing kits that had been posted on Bushcraft USA. They were made from hollowed out sections of antler or bone and contained needles and thread. To make a short story shorter, I liked them and decided to make one for myself.

Sami refers to the indigenous people inhabiting the Arctic area of Sápmi, which today encompasses parts of far northern Sweden, Norway, Finland, the Kola Peninsula of Russia, and the border area between south and middle Sweden and Norway. They are often refered to as Laplanders, but most Sami find this term perjorative.

To begin, I found a white tail antler shed in the shop and culled my pieces from it with a hacksaw. I then proceeded to hollow out the interior of the antler with a variety of drill bits and then finished the pieces with some sandpaper. I found it best to use a random orbital sander to get the smoothest and roundest edges possible.

The only piece of antler big enough to use had a tine protruding from it, and I realized it would make the perfect place to use as a needle push. How fortuitous! So I removed the tine with the hacksaw, to later be used as a toggle for a bag, and made a small indentation to hold the needle centered. It works perfectly, plus the contour of the antler makes for a solid grip and even has a small place for your thumb. The whole kit is just the right size to hold the needle and handle simultaneously.

The lanyard is made from artifical sinew that has been twisted together twice to made a very stout cordage. The kit itself contains two sharp needles and about five feet of easily splitable artifical sinew.