Ethical Fur?

As a Canadian living in a climate that can at times be severely harsh, and with an large Aboriginal community around me, it is not often that I am confronted with the question, "Is fur ethical?" I understand that a lot of people are opposed to the idea of using fur and other animal products in craft and for fashion, especially all the Non-Canadians following my blog. So I thought I would explain to you a few of the reasons why I believe that fur is ethical.

First and foremost I believe that hunting is the most natural way to gain food and clothing, we are allowing nature to provide for us with out mass producing synthetic materials or pumping our bodies full of all the by-products and preservatives that are found in commercial products. The factories that produce our clothing and the material that it is made of, often pump large amounts of pollution into our world and underpay and take advantage of the workers.

Secondly I believe that the use of furs and hide in craft and for clothing supports a traditional way of life for many people, Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal alike. Although I am not an Aboriginal person I highly respect their culture and believe their traditional way of is one of the most sustainable and eco-friendly ways of living.

Third, in a cold climate, fur is often the most effective way of keeping warm. My moose and fox mukluks have never let me down in the winter, and when they become worn I can repair them myself instead of going out and buying a new pair shoes.

I have many more reasons that I could give you to explain my reasons why I do believe that fur is an ethical, green and sustainable material but if you are interested in reading further please go to the following link:

Fur is Green

Mukluks & Etc.. Works in Progress

Since I have been primarily working on my sewing projects over the past few days I thought I would share a little bit of what I have been doing. Here are some pictures of the works in progress as well as the materials I have been using!

Here is my cat, Louis asleep on the furs while I work! Such a sweet little man!

 In the works, little mukluks for Sophie using chocolate cow hide, sheepskin lining and grey rabbit fur. 

 

The beginning of a large project for a lovely girl, Andrea Bjorklund. She has ordered mukluks, moccasins and mitts! All in black suede leather, coyote fur and sheepskin lining as show in the picture to the left.

A sample of the furs and leathers that I have. From left coyote, silver fox, sheepskin, muskrat, rabbit, black and chocolate leather and a raccoon tail at the bottom!

I Heart Mukluks!

Several years ago, while attending Argyle Alternative I met a wonderful woman, Gloria. At the time she was working as a daycare provider in the school, looking after my daughter Ashley while I finished high school. Argyle has a strong focus on Aboriginal culture, however I found Gloria to be the most influencing. Besides her work at the daycare (which she as since left) she also is highly involved in rejuvenating the true essence of Aboriginal culture amongst the youth in our city. She teaches various classes, including how to make mukluks, I was fortunate enough to get private instruction, and made a beautiful pair of moose hide, fox fur and sheep skin mukluks!

This picture isn't the greatest at showcasing how beautiful the boots actually were but it's the only one I really have (plus I look kinda good here). The hide I bought from the Winnipeg Trading Post in the North End, and the fox fur was recycled from a coat I found at Value Village. For those of you who don't know Value Village is a large chain of thrift stores in Canada. Unfortunately last year my giant dog, Oslo the Great Pyrenees, ripped the fur to shreds. Definitely unable to buy new fox fur. I opted to cut up the rest of the coat, which was muskrat fur and recover the boots with that. They are not at all as beautiful as they once were, but they look alright and I am kind of impressed with my resourcefulness on this project. I will be making more as soon as I have the money to buy hide, and I will be keeping a look out for cheap second hand fur coats!