New Sheepskin Collars
In late august I was able to journey on a road trip with my mother, who taught me the traditional Norwegian craft and techniques of working with hides, to the west coast of Norway to visit farmers and Norways oldest tannery. we found so many beautiful hides to work with and this is the first batch of shoulderpieces carefully crafted and handstitched to come from our wonderful trip.
A VITAL PART OF NORWAY
Wonderful mixes of shades and colors - whites, creams, browns , grey and blacks. My favorite parts are always too look closely at the hides finding all the unique and wonderful parts of each one and doing my best to honor the special aspects of each animal.
In Norway sheep is and has been such a vital part of our culture. Tending to the mountain terrain we cannot reach, living freely in the wild during long summer days and coming back home to the farm during the cold harsh winters to the farmers to protect and aid them.
Special breeds kept from the iron age in Scandinavia and some unique to Norway like spælsau (short tail landrace) that I absolutely cannot get enough of. The long gorgeous fleece with its wild mixes of straight and the most incredible curls are simply too must for me to resist.
These sheep are kept for sheering since the long fleece is perfect for strong yarn, in wonderful natural shades perfect for plantdying and weaving beautiful bands. They are used for many wonderful traditional dishes that are perfect for colder fall days, sustaining Norwegian families through winter. the hides are tanned and used to keep us warm through long cold winters letting nothing go to waste.
Traditionally the hides would be sewn together to cover the bed, used to make vests and jackets as well as warming hats and incredible mittens - perfect for never freezing when shoveling snow for hours in the Norway
These shoulder pieces are perfect for warming up the top of your back and your neck and it truly is incredible how big of a difference they make in keeping you at just the right temperature. I never seize to be amazed at how they don’t overheat but regulate beautifully just as the would for the sheep living through the warm summers and the cold winters just as happily.
Hit the link below to see all shoulder pieces available !
And feel free to message me if you’re looking for something specific.
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