Craft

The work between hide and hat.

The photographs are from SD Fur Company. The notes describe what is in the frame, and the craft in general. A full account of the shop, and where it is, is not published yet.

04 — The craft

From hide to finished piece.

The photographs are from SD Fur Company. The notes describe what is in the frame, and the craft in general. A full account of the shop, and where it is, is not published yet.

Coyote pelts laid out in rows

01

The pelts

Coyote pelts, laid out. Density, guard hair, and color are visible before anything is cut. Thin spots become cold spots.

A coyote fur piece with yellow lining beside a fur sewing machine

02

At the machine

A fur piece with a yellow lining, beside a fur sewing machine. Seams have to hold when the piece is cold, and the hair should not be caught in the stitches.

A row of coyote fur hats on a wood bench, one opened to a yellow lining

03

Hats on the bench

Finished coyote fur hats, one opened to a yellow lining and one to a black leather crown. This is the piece after the pattern, not a diagram of the cut.

Coyote fur mittens with leather palms hanging on a fence

04

Mittens, hung up

Coyote fur mittens on a fence. The leather palm is the part that takes the wear. The fur is the part that faces the weather.

Coyote fur mittens hanging on a fence, one opened to a dark lining

05

A last look

A row of mittens in the sun. This is the check you can do with your eyes: even fur, a straight hang, nothing obviously unfinished.

Read the craft notes

Care is part of the craft after a piece leaves the bench. Read the fur care notes and see the pieces.