Piecing things together

Just got home from the dog park where I sweet-talked my way out of a hefty fine for Charlie running around leash-free. Am feeling pretty proud of myself as I sit down and piece together my next lap quilt. I'm thinking back to a year ago, when I made my first fur quilt to use the scraps left over from the first muffs that I made.
I sold it completely by accident to a customer who was shopping at the antique market where I often purchase materials; I had stopped by to show off the quilt to the market owners so they could see what I was doing with the coats I was buying. One of the vendors said her friend was in the shop and would be interested in the quilt for her wheelchair-bound son, and sure enough the friend was. She handed over the cash and that was my first sale.
Part of what sealed the deal for this particular customer was my suggestion that in addition to it being exactly the right size, and the natural warmth being ideal for legs with poor circulation (a common problem with people on wheels), the quilt would offer tactile stimulation. I had used a variety of furs with different piles, and left some original pockets, loops and buttons. For most people that would be a novelty and not much more, but for this customer it was important because of the type of disability from which her son suffers. The term she used was "low functioning"; he is in his chair almost all the time, and has very little ability to move and to communicate. She thought he would enjoy the feeling under his hands, and that it might be comforting when he's feeling restless.
I hope he derives some pleasure from the quilt, and I'm proud that my first sale was to someone who didn't just want it, but needed it.
The quilt I'm working on now will be a dark brown with patches of blonde - my second "Chocolate and Cream" quilt. I sold the first one to a friend last year and have been waiting for the right materials to come along so I could make another. This one should be done in time for my first Christmas show, a small open house at an artist's home in Westdale, near McMaster University.
So, off the computer and over to the workspace, also known as the floor. It's just easier for me to put everything together. Someday maybe I'll have a big space with a huge table...but for now, in my tiny apartment, the floor will do just fine.

Happy crafting, everyone!

Custom Order – Muskrat Love

One of my co-workers at Hamilton Food Share (www.hamiltonfoodshare.org) found a coat that belonged to her grandmother; a gorgeous chocolate brown muskrat coat that no one in her family was ever going to wear. I brought a sample muff to the office to give her an idea of what I could do with the coat if she was interested in keepsakes for herself and her daughters, and she requested four muffs. I was delighted with the opportunity to create four different designs for the same customer, because a big part of what excites me about handcrafting is that every piece is by its very nature different from the last – I couldn’t replicate one of my pieces if I tried. There will always be a unique pattern to the fur or leather, darker or lighter thread and different lines of stitching, leather seams facing out or facing in, not the mention the basics of size, shape and function.

As much as I want my bags and accessories to be beautiful, I want them to be practical. The Victorians had the right idea – if you want your hands to be warm, keep them together. And when you need a hand free, the muff hangs from a wrist strap so you don’t have to worry about putting it down or tucking it under your arm.
The rumour about Canadian winters is true – it gets damn cold here. I carry a muff when I walk my dog Charlie; I just grab a few baggies and loop the leash around my wrist. When he’s running around the park with his buddies and I’m just standing there with the humans, I guarantee my hands are warmer than anyone else’s!

Next on the list is a little grey rabbit muff for a two-year-old who has one of those classic long red wool coats with the black buttons. When I’m working a craft show or market, the most frequent comment I hear is “Oh, I had one of those when I was a little girl!”

I know, it takes a certain kind of woman with a bit of panache to carry a fur muff. And occasionally you hear the indignant “Is that real fur? That’s disgusting!” I have no problem with educating the public about the merits of recycling fur, and I’ve never had anyone continue to protest after I tell them it’s salvaged. It’s a great way to make use of resources that would otherwise go to waste, and fur is a natural product that will in time disintegrate and not take up space in a landfill (unlike faux fur).

My co-worker is very happy with the four muffs, of course I gave her a discount for having provided the materials, and I have some lovely fur left over that will become quilt squares and another muff.