Business
Fur fashion
Published
8 years agoon
Posted By
Outlaw PartnersBozeman company makes bison wearable
By Sarah Gianelli EBS Contributor
Still sinewy with flesh and matted with dirt and dung, 27 bison pelts are stretched taut on large custom frames in Jennifer Olsson’s Bozeman backyard.
Once the hides are thoroughly dried by the sun, Olsson begins the long process of transforming the thick, downy bison fibers into wearable garments that rival the softness and warmth of fine wool. She sells her creations – hats, sweaters, mittens, scarves and boot warmers – under the no-frills label Montana Sweater Co.
Before Olsson removes the fur from the hide with industrial power shears, she combs it out, the first in an arduous, multi-step process of cleaning and preparing the raw fibers to be spun into yarn that can be knitted into garments.
“I call it the bison beauty parlor,” Olsson said, burying her hands in the surprisingly thick, cushiony fur. “They’ve never looked as good as they do when I’m done with them.”
Olsson collects her hides from several Montana bison ranchers. If she didn’t utilize the hides – which weigh close to 175 pounds when fresh – they would end up in the dump. Bison can’t be sheared while alive because they don’t like to be touched. Doing so raises their stress hormones, ruining their meat for consumption.
“It allows me to get close to an animal I can’t pet while alive,” said Olsson, who began researching the viability of knitting with bison fibers after spending a day in Yellowstone National Park with her late Swedish mother-in-law. Olsson learned the basics of the craft from Eva Olsson in 2005.
“I know it sounds weird, but I started to feel an affection toward the hides and sort of started talking to them,” Olsson said. “For me, it’s like they’re not dead; they’re living on again in the way I use the fiber and the fur.”
Once the fur is removed from the skin – which she sells to a local tanner who processes it into leather – she cleans it in a washing machine reserved solely for the bison fur, soaking and rinsing it repeatedly until the water runs clear. After it air dries, the fibers return for a second time to a custom built tumbler that removes any remaining grit and dust.
Olsson sends the clean fur to a Michigan mill – one of the only out-of-state companies she works with – that separates the coarse from the fine fibers. The finest, which come from the underfur is similar to cashmere, and will be used for her highest, most delicate “lace grade” scarves or shawls. The coarsest fibers will be worked into felted wool, with many grades in between.
Once separated, Olsson’s fibers return to the Gallatin Valley, specifically to Thirteen Mile Lamb and Wool Company, an organic sheep farm and mill in Belgrade that spins Olsson’s bison fibers into yarn.
Bison fibers, because they are so short – about 1.5 inches at the longest – have to be blended with other natural fibers before Olsson can knit with them.
“You’d be like a shedding cat if you tried to go with 100 percent bison,” Olsson said. She blends her bison fiber with varying amounts of Montana alpaca, llama and sheep fibers to create her line of yarn Montana Bison Wool.
“I’m very proud that almost all of what I do is done in Montana, and all of it in the USA,” Olsson said. “Literally from the ground up, from the ranch to the mills, processed and then knit here by me. That to me is a huge selling point.”
Most Montana Sweater Co. garments and accessories come in slight variations of natural bison brown. The thought of dying the fibers is nothing short of absurd to Olsson. The natural color also appeals to the men who comprise her most loyal clientele: fishermen in Alaska, Chicago construction workers, steel mill workers in Indiana, and recently a group of research scientists in Antarctica.
One of the designs she is most proud of is her “multi-mitt,” a versatile finger-free mitten whose popular design grew out of her desire as a world class fly fisher for a glove you never have to take off.
Olsson does create some colorfully whimsical pieces though, such as her felt appliqué “boot blankets” that wrap below the knee and clasp with carved elk bone buttons. Attempting to use as much of the animal hide as possible, Olsson is also working on a new design of elegant fur neck collars made from velvet, bone and the tail of the bison.
Olsson’s Montana Bison Wool yarns and extensive line of bison fiber clothing and accessories can be found at montanasweaterco.com.
The Outlaw Partners is a creative marketing, media and events company based in Big Sky, Montana.
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We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a
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We all are familiar with using a limited palette, but do you use one? Do you know how to use a limited palette to create different color combinations? Are you tired of carrying around 15-20 different tubes when you paint plein air? Have you ever wanted to create a certain “mood” in a painting but failed? Do you create a lot of mud? Do you struggle to achieve color harmony? All these problems are addressed in John’s workbook in clear and concise language!
Based on the bestselling “Limited Palatte, Unlimited Color” workbook written by John Pototschnik, the workshop is run by Maggie Shane and Annie McCoy, accomplished landscape (acrylic) and plein air (oil) artists,exhibitors at the Big Sky Artists’ Studio & Gallery and members of the Big Sky Artists Collective.
Each student will receive a copy of “Limited Palette, Unlimited Color” to keep and take home to continue your limited palette journey. We will show you how to use the color wheel and mix your own clean mixtures to successfully create a mood for your paintings.
Each day, we will create a different limited palette color chart and paint a version of a simple landscape using John’s directives. You will then be able to go home and paint more schemes using the book for guidance.
Workshop is open to painters (oil or acrylic) of any level although students must have some basic knowledge of the medium he or she uses. Students will be provided the book ($92 value), color wheel, value scale and canvas papers to complete the daily exercises.
Sundays, April 14, 21 and 28, 2024
Noon until 6PM.
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14 (Sunday) 12:00 pm - 28 (Sunday) 6:00 pm
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Please join the Arts Council of Big Sky for free music from Jacob Rountree at the Wilson Hotel Lobby Bar from 5-7 p.m.
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Please join the Arts Council of Big Sky for free music from Jacob Rountree at the Wilson Hotel Lobby Bar from 5-7 p.m. on April 24.
Jacob Rountree is an alternative/indie songwriter living in the stunning alpine of Montana. Contemplative yet playful, his lyric forward style is reflective of his love for philosophy, poetry and quantum physics.
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(Wednesday) 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm
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The Wilson Hotel
145 Town Center Ave
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Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
Event Details
Trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. at The Waypoint in Town Center. Participation is free, food and beverages available.
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(Wednesday) 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location
The Waypoint
50 Ousel Falls Rd