Brrr! Bundling up for the chilly kick-sled ride home involves wrapping up in a scarf, pulling on my trusty sheepskin headband (no wind gets through that leather!) and tucking a long hood on top. Then it’s zip up the hand-me-down goose-down coat from Grandma, pull on my boots and gloves, and head out into the snow.
Up north, dressing cozily is a cross between survival and comfort. And why not feel special while you’re at it! Nothing says cozy quite like handmade sheepskin apparel, made with bark-tanned leather from our sheep.
This week, I’ve been teaching a class on Zoom through Vesterheim Folk Arts School, helping students stitch and embroider sheepskin mittens. Each student chose their size and cuff color, and my sister Kara and I busied cutting out the leather, winding the wool embroidery yarns, and transferring the designs. Each week, the eager students gather online, sharing stories and the small triumphs as they finish the seam on their thumb of the stem stitch on the embroidered design.
“I just LOVE my mittens!” another student attending a virtual Open Studio session shared. She had taken the same class late last fall, hosted by John C Campbell Folk School. “No wind gets through these!”
People also love hearing the stories of the sheep, and how processing our hides into leather saves the skins from being tossed into the gut bucket and thrown away at the butcher’s. These we flesh and salt and dry before taking to a small, woman-owned tannery in south-west Wisconsin. The bark-tanning method they use does not need the harsh chemicals used in commercial alum or chrome tanning and creates supple, lasting sheepskins with the cozy wool still attached.
At the end of each class, I ask students what they would like to see next. Headbands and hats were at the top of the list, and Kara and I have been busy imagining and designing. I love integrating different mediums that I teach with the leatherwork projects, including embroidery, bead embroidery, or loom beading. This turns form and function into fun and unique wearable works of art and creativity.
Most recently, we teamed up to design a comfy bucket-style hat with a bead embroidered accent and plaited band. So cute! But the day we took pictures, it was FREEZING, with a brisk wind! I was glad to be the one wearing the hat, while Kara froze her fingers running the camera. Curious? The class will be running with John C. Campbell Folk School through Lessonface in March. Here is where you can learn more https://www.lessonface.com/berlage
Back on Zoom, a student tries on her wool embroidered sheepskin headband she made in a class that wrapped up yesterday, grinning towards the camera. “Now, when people ask me where I got this, I’ll be able to tell them I made it myself!”
I love sharing this kind of joy with my students, helping them learn the art and craft of transforming basic materials into timeless treasures. The journey is a type of magic that never grows old!
This week, I invite you to find ways to make coziness in your world, chasing away the wintry chill and cloudy days. Stay warm and make some happiness by hand!
