Medicine Rattles

Leather Rattle

7" wooden dowel 1/2" diameter
3/4" X 7" piece thin suede
razor blade or pen knife
18" long with 1/8" wide leather thong strips
11 bollo tips
Elmer's glue
hacksaw

Lay out the piece of suede on a flat surface. One half inch from the top and 7/32" from the sides, cut four slits with the razor blade, 3/16" wide. One half inch below these slits, cut three more 3/16" slits between the spaces of the four above them. Also fringe the bottom of the suede cloth, cutting away 1/4" from either side and in between the fringes to make four 1/8" strips.

Cover the dowel with glue, carefully rolling the cut sheath onto dowel. There should be an excess of 1 1/2" at the top, and the bottom of the dowel should be flush with where the fringe begins. The suede will overlap itself about 1/8" of length of dowel.

Cut the leather thong into 2" lengths, and tie a knot at one end of each knot. Thread the thongs so knots are positioned on the inside of the suede. The knots should be big enough not to slip through the slits.

Glue the vertical seam along top of leather. When glue on the overlap is dry, apply 1/4" of glue along top of suede and pinch the sides together so they make a cap that closes the top.

Cut off ends of the bollo tips with a hacksaw. Then thread the bollo tips onto the fringes at the bottom. Knot to secure in place. You can crimp the bollos to help secure them in place. Repeat with the thongs at the top.


Matchbox Rattle

Materials needed:
Match box
dried seeds, beans, or rice
glue
tempera or acrylic paints

Fill the matchbox with some dried seeds, beans or rice. Then glue the edges of the drawer so it adheres to the cover of the matchbox. This prevents the seeds from spilling when the box is rattled. Once the glue has dried, paint the box as desired with 2-3 coats.