# blanket out of hides



## sherry in Maine

Hi, I posted this on sewing and quilting. Maybe it should be on crafts. Not sure.

I bought some hides from my trapper neighbor. I am sending them to Moyles soon, for garment finishing. I want a blanket. Anyone ever hand sewn one out of numerous hides? I dont know how to use a sewing machine. I am hoping to find someone who will make one for me out of these hides.

Want it made so the heads and tails are still on the hide after the blanket is sewn together. 

Got any ideas?

It's coyote by the way, and I also have couple of fox hides. 

2nd question. Think I'll just hang the fox hides. What's is a good way to show them off on the wall?

thanks for any ideas,
Sherry


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## fishhead

Most of the time I've seen people just hang the hide by the nose.

I saw a round rug made out of skunk hides once. It looked pretty good.

I think you can hand stitch hides together pretty easily. Just make sure to keep the hair out of the stitches.


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## ||Downhome||

Sherry your question has had me thinking on how to accomplish what you want done,
I'm no seamstress by any means but here is my thought certain thing that pelts would be used for like a mountain man cap easy enough to incorporate the head and tail. 

on a blanket though I can only envision the pelts spaced and sewn onto a backing in a aesthetically pleasing way, this way you would also see the backing.
at first what I envisioned was the pelts sewn together in rows or courses might be a better term, very much like bricks would be laid. the way I have it pictured is three courses the two end courses heads toward each other of facing the center. the center 
course would be two sets of pelt with the head fur still attached, stitched together and
face away from each other towards the ends of the blanket and towards the heads on the end course. with all the head over lapping the next course. but the courses staggered so the opposite facing heads are next to each other. as for the tails i would 
stitch them along the long side or length of blanket and maybe afew here and there like tassels. I would have backing under the pelts and batting (though most likly just a touch) and a nice comfy liner under that.










a good furrier could at least do the bulk of the pelt work for you and you would need a few fill pieces in the center course or you could have some kind of fabric in place. I see it as a lot of work though. depending on size of the pelts you could maybe get by with fewer, what i have drawn up is 10 pelts total with out the center fill. 

you need to also remember fur has a grain to it, so if you do it your self lay you pelts out and study them to see how best to piece them together.

another idea is trim the edge of a quilt with the fur and sew a few pelts alternating the width of the quilt, with the tails left attached and stiched into the space between


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## WstTxLady

Check out this website. They even have a catalog with prices & how many pelts needed to make an item. Its AWESOME!

http://www.usafoxx.com/


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## Sully

Hi, You might check with Moyles when you send your hides in.
I live about a mile down the road from their tannery, and I know they have some real artists there.

Their tanning fees aren't cheap, but your paying for the highest quality.

One thing you will need to keep in mnd is how your furs match. If they match up color and size, you can trim and stitch them into a real piece of art.

Have fun.


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## Troy

Sully , Your not just whistleing Dixie about Moyles being absolute artist with fur. Ryan and those guys do some absolute gorgeous work. They are by far not the cheapest around either. They also send a percentage of thier profit back to trapping assoc. in your state. Ryan is a very big supporter of Trapping and the Fur Industry. I've watched that man spend thousands of dollars at the National Trappers Assoc. auction's and he does so every year. Not to mention all the raffle tickets he buys at conventions as well. I have said it before and will say it again. "I'll Support those that Support us"


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## sherry in Maine

thank you all for your input! I just learned about Moyles, havent had time to read it all. Yes, I'm going to garment tan my hides there. That's the place the trapper recommended.
My computer has been down for couple days, that's why I haven't been back to remark and read what you all have written . . . . Thanks you allhave great input!


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