There’s nothing better (to me) than working with new products and materials. It is such a cool breeze on my days in the studio. Since I moved to Germany the new supplies have just been abounding. It is incredible to see where your life goes when you meet new people and travel to new places. As I reported (last post) one of my new favorite accessories are my Swarovski crystal buttons. I had a great time visiting their museum and had to bring something home to share. I was pretty pumped that they made buttons. This green cashmere and fur scarf featured above has crystal buttons. (They are not shown.)
And now for my next new feature, fur. I’m not afraid to admit it; I like fur. It’s soft, and super warm. The fur that I use is upcycled vintage fur. It’s not much of a status symbol, but it’s pretty luxurious nonetheless. Currently, I have been fashioning scarves from a 1930’s mink. The things this coat must have seen, the places it is sure to have been, are what make it appealing to me. When this coat was purchased, it was a whole different world. And since it was too old to be a coat anymore; I reinvented it as a scarf. Cut up into manageable pieces and accented with gorgeous buttons, the legacy can live on. The tag said the coat was from Flemington Furs in N.J. Flemington Furs is still around. They are celebrating their 90th Anniversary, and they are still at the same location. Impressive.
My other fur resource is my neighbor. As I stated previously, he is a hunter. He gave me some fur to work with. It is fur from a German animal called a Bisam. It is in the mink family. The fur is really soft. If you are interested in learning about my neighbor, and his hunting practices, you can read this older post. In this scarf, I paired Ludwig’s fur with some cream fleece, gilded lotus print, and beautiful, handmade wooden buttons from ARemarkYouMade.
I am really excited about these new combinations. If you are too, there are more photos for viewing, and they are available for sale in my Etsy Shop.
