Growing your own sprouts

You can easily grow your own sprouts all year long right in your kitchen. They require no soil or even sunlight. There are many methods for doing this, some fancy and expensive, some cheap and easy. I sew simple draw string bags made from hemp or some other open weave fabric, and put my seeds in the bag. I buy organic seeds like clover , alfalfa , radish , buck wheat , red winter wheat , garlic and many other varieties. This will need some trial and error on your part. Some seeds to better growing in specially designed sprouting containers, usually plastic or ceramic/terra cotta. Those tend to require more work and money though. So I try growing various seeds in my hemp bags. After the seeds are placed in the bag, I put the bag into a bowl of fresh water , at least over night. Some seeds with hard shells, like wheat and buck wheat, require longer soaking times.

 After they soak, I hang them up on a string over my kitchen sink and rinse them twice a day and then re hang them. It's very simple. After about 5 days, the seeds start to sprout. You can keep rinsing and letting them grow for a few more days if you like or you can just eat them then. Once you are done growing them though, they need to be refrigerated or they will lose their nutrients quickly. You can put them in a glass jar and leave them on a window sill for a day or so to "green up", which means letting the sprouts gain chlorophyll. But it's not strictly necessary. I also add some organic liquid seaweed fertilizer to the bowl when I soak them initially to enhance their growth and nutrients. It gives them a jump start.

I like to buy my seeds as locally as I can so I use a great company called Sprout House. They have a nice web site :www.sprouthouse.com
I have always been very satisfied by the products and services.

You can also grow the sprouts in a jar from the start, but you need to be sure they are not clumped together, and are spread out a bit on the sides of the jar. You can put some cheese cloth over the lid to give them air. Do not screw down a lid on the jar.

There are many web sites that can help you get started and buy sprouters as well as seeds and guides to tell you which seeds grow better in bags or sprouters and a time table for each.

You will need to clean the bags in between new "crops."
I usually turn the bags inside out and clean out any leftover seeds, then get a pot of water boiling and put my bags in the water for about 10 minutes to disinfect them, you can also put them in a little bleach in a pail of water to clean them They tend to get stained after a while. But you need to wash them well after bleaching them.
When you go to the super market and see beautiful bags of sprouts for sale, understand that they might have Salmonella and they almost always are sprayed with anti-fungal chemicals, which is why they are so large and nice looking. I would rather grow my own and know they are fresh and chemical free.

We eat the spouts in salads and even use them in home made breads. ( I never tell the kids what is in the breads) I add flax seeds in many things we make, or you can buy ground flax meal, which is probably better utilized by the body to lower cholesterol.

I always grow extra sprouts so I can give our flock of chickens a treat in the winter when plants are non existent. They have a feeding frenzy with the sprouts. I just love to watch them run and waddle to the feeders. Our kids delight in feeding them sprouts and breads and especially diced ham or ground beef. ( you can see my posting on "Raising chickens" for more info on this subject. )    Written by Bill Scheps

A GUIDE TO RAISING CHICKENS

View from the side of the new coop

This is intended to be a very basic guide to raising your own small flock of chickens for eggs and meat. I will go into details on subjects like how to build the coop, roosting, types and breeds of chickens , types of commercial food, how to grow some of your own chicken food, how to attract bugs for the flock, dealing with summer and winter and keeping the flock happy, healthy and productive, and just plain enjoying them and having fun. I will also tell you how to kill a chicken for meat in the most humane way possible.

The photo above is of my new coop attached to my back porch. There are several key points to understand about coop designs. I have put an enormous amount of research into this, and there are many good websites just on coop designs. Gauging from the hens reaction to their new coop, they have no idea I am a terrible carpenter. The basic idea is to have air flow so the chickens don't get sick from being damp. Air should be able to come in the bottom nearest the roosting bars and be able to exit on a side farthest from the chickens.

This will keep them warm and dry. Winter or summer. Chickens, no matter the breed, are much more comfortable in the spring and fall. They do better in winter than in summer. With layers of feathers to keep them warm they get very overheated in summer and need a cool shaded place to get out of the sun.





On my new coop , not quite finished yet, I built an overhang to help them stay out of the sun
and to have a snow free place to walk in winter. I still have to do some shoveling to give them enough room to walk around when the snow falls.

I attached the coop to the back porch to make my life easier. I can feed them and give them fresh water without going down the hill where the old coop is in the snow and ice.

Front door showing ramp and bungee cord .

Raspberry bush surrounded by flax and clover pants used for feed supplement

A small portion of the garden where we grow food for us and the chickens.

2 of the 3 kids holding Rhode Island Red cross breeds.

I used a lot of scrap lumber I had around and got some from building sites that would normally need to pay to dispose of the scrap they had. They were glad to let me have what ever was left over. It was less expensive than to have them throw it away. Everyone wins here. Why pay for lumber if you can find a contractor building a structure that has wood  he doesn't need? Being frugal is the name of the game here. As I said, the chickens don't know the difference. I know folks who made coops out of old trailers and one had a small school bus that worked or even an outhouse. As long as it gives them some protection from the elements and from predators and allows them to roost as well as a place to lay eggs, you have it made. 


Sunflower plants can be used to attract bees for pollinating and the seeds are great to eat or use as chicken feed.



I put 2" thick rigid insulation in between the studs on the walls and ceiling and then used more scrap plywood or T-111 to cover the insulation. If exposed, the hens will peck away at it and get sick, so insulation needs to be covered.

I put branches inside as roosting bars. They should be thick enough so when the hen sits on it her feet are covered by her feathers. The roosting bars allow the hens to fulfill their natural desire to be safe , by being as high up and away from predators as possible. Also, obviously heat rises and the higher they roost the warmer they will be. The more chickens you have in the coop, the warmer it will be. 



Inside the new coop you can see the roosting bars, a ceramic heater on the left. The nesting boxes are to the right.

 

      I spaced the branches about a foot apart and a foot above the previous branch for 2 reasons.  1.) They can easily hop from branch to branch until they get as high as they can, within the pecking order. Usually the older birds get the top spots.

Also they don't poop on each other as they would do if I didn't stagger the branches. To give them easy access to the outside, I built a simple ramp under the front door. I have the door attached to a bungee cord with a string going onto the back porch. This allows me to unlatch the door and it swings open all by itself. At night, when they all come back inside to roost , I pull on the string until the door is shut then I latch it. All without leaving the back porch.  The nesting boxes, where they lay the eggs are external and have a lift up lid , again on the porch so it's easy to get to in bad weather.  Hens ( Female chickens) will gladly share nesting boxes. There is no need to build 1 box for each bird. We have about 16 chickens and they all share 2 nesting boxes with no problems. They do like their privacy though and don't like being disturbed while laying an egg.  the winter



  In winter and  summer you need to give them extra food and water and don't forget to bring the eggs in before they freeze in the winter. Fresh , unwashed eggs have a very thin , invisible coating on them that is like Gore Tex. It breathes and does not allow bacteria to enter the shell.When you wash the egg, you wash away this membrane. An unwashed egg will last very well for weeks if not longer, but once you wash it , it needs to be refrigerated and used within a week or two.

Australorps




Phillip and his huge cabbage, most of which was used for chicken feed.

 There are many different breeds of chickens. Each has their own characteristics. So you need to do some research into which type suits your needs and climate. Some breeds do better in colder weather than others, some better in hot weather. Some will produce more eggs , some will give you more meat. Some smaller chickens are called " Bantams" and are mostly for showing at your county fair. Roosters (males) are more colorful to attract predators to themselves rather than to the hens ( female) . A rooster can be very loud and aggressive. If you want to raise chicks , you will either need a rooster or buy day old chicks from a farm and have them shipped overnight via USPS or pick them up locally. You will also need other equipment like a brooder with a heat lamp. This you need to research from a poultry store or  on line . It's too big of a topic to get into in  a blog. Some hens can be a "duel purpose" chicken. It can be good for laying eggs and can be slaughtered for a good amount of meat as well. The Australorps and Rhode Island Reds fall into this category.  The White Leghorn, below are great     for laying eggs but skimpy in the meat department. They do not tolerate cold winters well and the combs ( the red fleshy part on the head) can get frostbite easily. If it does get frostbite, the tip of the comb will fall off and re grow in the spring with apparently little or no pain involved. But you should strive to keep the flock healthy and comfortable in all seasons.  You can apply Vaseline to the comb to help prevent freezing.  The Black Australorps ( two photos above)  are very beautiful but timid. They are a bit larger and meatier than the Leghorns and tolerate the cold better. They average about 5 eggs a week per hen in warmer weather. Their name comes from being a cross of Australian and European breeds. When the sun shines on them their feathers reflect a greenish tint. The leghorns give you white eggs ( about one a day each) and the Australorps give you brown eggs, ( again about one a day, depending on weather ) There is absolutely no difference between white or brown eggs, except for the color. Same taste and nutrition. Some people used to commercial white eggs find the brown eggs more "exotic".

White leghorn in old coop next to hanging waterer and feeder.





True love

Hanging waterers and feeders.....  First off to prevent a lot of waste, it is better to hang an inexpensive feeder, which you can get at  most farm or feed stores for about 10 to 15 dollars. Hang it about the level of the chickens backs so they don't poop into it or spill it. This is more important for waterers. Chickens , like humans, need lots of water so they can regulate their body temperatures, but they don't always remember to go back to the waterer, so if they run around all day outside the coop, you should have more than one  even if it's just a bowl. I have a few kinds of electric waterers for the winter. One holds about 2 gallons and hangs from a hook in the coop. An extension cord connects to the base keeping the water just above freezing.    The other is a bowl and the cord is protected with a coil of wire, like a long spring so the hens don't peck at it and either get electrocuted or start a fire. No matter which kind you use, you need to be very careful about the a/c cords. The chickens might peck at them or try to perch on them,either one can lead to a fire or dead chickens. The same thing applies to heaters. I have a ceramic flat panel heater in the coop and I try to keep the cord out of the way of the chickens. Having the coop attached to the porch , I don't have the problem of long extension cords to bring power to the coop, like the way I did with the old coop, which was 50 feet down hill from our house.   I use both all winter long . The  bowl is easier to fill and will work well unless you put it inside the coop on top of the bedding. There , the hens will scratch the bedding and get it into the water in about 3 minutes. So I use the hanging waterer inside the coop and the electric bowl outside. The chickens are attracted to the color red, which is why the bottoms of the feeders and waterers are red.  FEED ... Many people think that chickens are vegetarians, but nothing could be farther from the truth. I dice up some leftover ham or beef ( poultry seems to cannibalistic  to feed them)

The kids near the old coop.

They devour any meat (protein) they can get. Like worms from the compost pile or other bugs and insects from the area. I also give them whole corn (cracked can scratch their throats) as well as black oil sunflower seeds, which they love. You should  also add oyster shell  pieces to help give them the calcium they need to make the egg shells strong enough not to crack easily. I just mix the oyster shell crumbles in the food  and have never had a problem.  we also grow our  own sprouts   I grow them in open weave hemp or flax draw string pouches. I soak and rinse them 2 times a day and after 4-5 days the seeds start to grow. I use alfalfa, flax, buckwheat, clover and many other varieties of seeds. I make sure I grow enough so I can give the chickens some to help them get the nutrients they need during the winter.

Inside the old coop

 The humans in our family also need the same nutrients , and growing your own is always better than buying sprouts at the supermarket. Fresh sprouts have many times the nutrients of the mature plant. Commercially grown sprouts  always have anti-fungal chemicals sprayed on them, which is why they grow so large and nice looking. But we don't want to eat chemicals and would rather grow our own food. It also teaches the kids where their food comes from and lets them participate in the process.  RAISING CHICKENS FOR MEAT....  We bought about a dozen "broilers" last summer to be raised for meat only. They were all very young males ( cockerels)  and are bred to grow very fast and gain a lot of weight in a short amount of time.  2 months is all they should live for. I know this might be a sore subject for many of you, but most of us eat chicken on a regular basis and it is best to give them a healthy and happy life at your home rather than buy them at Shoprite    Commercial chicken processing plants are very cruel and unsanitary. The chickens  are hung from their feet on hooks and beheaded by either machine or by hand. They suffer quite a lot before they die and they get to watch the chicken in front of them get killed , which adds to the suffering. Raising them in your back yard is much more humane. They live a happy and healthy life. They get to fulfill their instincts for roosting and taking dust baths in the dirt ( to rid themselves of parasites)  They get to scratch the dirt for worms and seeds as well. In a commercial processing plant, even a "cage free" or "organic" plant , they are severely limited in the space they have. Also they have little or no  access  to sunshine or grass. In most cases they don't have the room to even learn how to walk or roost. They are put in plastic "battery cages" and all feeding and watering as well as egg collection is automated. They have no life or happiness at all.  So letting them live in your yard is both a kindness for them as well as for you. They will eat most of the insects in the yard. Just don't let them roam the garden at will or they will devour every plant they see.  To help supplement their feed, I hang a low wattage drop light in the coop, being careful not to get it too close to the bedding as to prevent a fire. Insects will be attracted to the light,  and the chickens will have a feeding frenzy on the insects.  After it's dark, the chickens cannot see so they will not move until it's light out. Some folks turn on a light at about 4 am or so to encourage more egg production. The hens need about 15 hours of light shining in their eyes to produce the most eggs that they can lay. I don't do this much though. I like to let their natural cycles kick in and have them take a rest and use the nutrients in the food to help them survive the winter.  Every year they also "molt". They shed feathers like a snake sheds it's skin. The feathers will re-grow, but it takes a lot of energy to do this. Egg production will fall off as they use their nutrients and energy to make more feathers rather than to lay eggs. They need to do this to survive the winter, so let them. I keep the lights off after dark and give them black oil sunflower seed as well as whole corn and even cooked meat or oatmeal in the winter. Cracked corn can scratch their throats, whole corn has a lot of carbohydrates and will help keep them stay warm without injuring them.  KILLING CHICKENS FOR MEAT. To humanely kill a chicken I use a metal "Kill cone". It is basically a funnel that I nailed to a tree. I have the kids tossing small pieces of bread to the other chickens so no one needs to watch while I do this. I gently hold the chicken then put her head first into the cone and let her relax for a couple of minutes, until her head sticks out from the bottom of the cone. Then I quickly take a small paring knife and cut her jugular vein in the neck . The chicken will bleed out in a couple of minutes. Quick and almost painless. I have read articles on how  some people kill chickens and it can be violent and messy, like chopping off the head with a hatchet.  They will run around squirting blood and scaring the chickens and kids. But you can research ways to do this if you want. The Navajo Indians have a saying , "if you have live stock, you are rich". Sounds about right to me. You can e-mail me with any questions at wscheps@hvc.rr.com

BEESWAX CANDLE MAKING

One of our craft projects is making real beeswax tapers, hand dipped. They are very practical and simple to make. I will not only explain what supplies you need and how to dip them but the benefits of beeswax over paraffin based candles.

Lets start at the beginning. Beeswax. I usually buy real beeswax from a candle making supplier, or you can find a local bee keeper or even buy it on E-Bay or Amazon. I use unfiltered beeswax. It's a little more primitive and the candles come out with interesting characteristics. No two are the same. If you plan to burn any candles in your home, you first need to get a sturdy candle holder and put it in a safe place with something under the candle holder to catch melted wax. Also be sure no papers are anywhere nearby. We had an old cat who walked on the table where the candle was burning. He walked OVER the lit candle if it was short enough and almost set himself on fire repeatedly. Also children can be a factor in safety. I have a son who LOVES fire. I taught him how to start a fire with just a flint and steel and some tinder . I always worry about him burning the house down.

Supplies. You will need to get 2 equal size metal cans or buckets. You can use large / tall olive oil cans. The taller the better. You can also find good containers at a kitchen supply company or simply by going to yard sales. You will also need a thick metal pail to melt the wax in on the stove top. The olive oil tin can be used but generally they are very thin and not very sturdy. Keep in mind that the bigger/wider the pail, the more wax you will need to melt to get the melted wax high enough to make 7" to 8" tall candles. So keep it narrow but tall. Where the olive oil tins come in handy is holding cool water . I'll explain shortly.

Now for the hard part. Wicks. This is basically trial and error and experimentation. The thicker the wick the hotter and brighter the candle will burn, but it won't last as long. So you need to find a compromise. There are many types of wicks too. Some are pure cotton, some have a metal wire in them to keep them standing up straight. Many different thicknesses add to the confusion. Your best bet is to talk to the candle making supplier to start and specify you are using real beeswax, as some wicks are better suited to beeswax than paraffin. I usually get several thicknesses of wicks to experiment with. It's a never ending experiment. Very thin wicks don't burn brightly and sometimes the melted wax at the top extinguishes the flame. I go with a thicker wick normally. Beeswax candles usually burn much longer than commercial paraffin based candles and beeswax is not only a renewable material but it burns cleaner than paraffin.

Paraffin is a petro-chemical and gives off fumes similar to diesel exhaust. Beeswax burns cleaner and gives off no toxic fumes and has the benefit of actually cleaning the air through the use of negitive ions, which attract pollutants. They also leave the room smelling of honey and lend a beautiful atmosphere to any meal or occation.

To start dipping I always put down tin foil over the stove and the floor right by the stove. I am very good at making a big mess and my wife is very good at reminding me of it. The wax should be cut into small pieces and put into the metal pail. Turn on the stove top and keep it on a low setting. Any wax will catch fire if it gets too hot, so use a lot of caution and never walk away from the stove when the flame is lit. You will need some heavy duty oven mitts or gloves to handle the hot pail . I get the wax melting slowly while I fill the olive oil tin with cold water and put it on the tin foil on the counter top , close to the wax.

I get my wicks ready. I normally make 1 pair at a time. Using one long wick, I dip both ends at once, giving me 2 candles at once. First I attach a metal washer to the end of each side of the wick. This will give it enough weight to sink to the bottom of the wax container. Just put the end of the wick through the hole in the washer and tie a simple knot. You will need to gauge how long to make the wicks. Use as little as you can get away with to be frugal. Any wick length between the 2 candles needs to be kept to a minimum so you don't waste wick material. When you are done you can either cut the 2 candles apart or just hang them up , like I do in the above photo.

O.K. , the wax has melted and you have the 2 washers tied to the ends of your wick. The cold water is ready and the tin foil is down to make a fire resistant surface. You also have your gloves or mitts close at hand, but not close to the fire. You are all set. Start by holding the wick in the center being sure the ends are as even as you can make them. Put 2 fingers under the center of the wick while you hold it. This will seperate the 2 candles and keep them from sticking together.

Dip them slowly into the wax. Let the washers hit the bottom then slowly pull them out and dip them in the cold water to harden that layer. Repeat this about 4-5 times then it should be heavy enough to cut the washers off. As soon as you cut them off you should scrape out the wax before it hardens fully to make the next set of candles easier. Getting hardened wax out of the washer openings is difficult. After that you can continue to dip then cool the candles until you reach the thickness you want. I generally make them about 3/4" wide at the base. This should allow them to fit most candle holders. You can always trim the base to make it fit and melt the base to make it stick into the holder more securley. After the candle is the right size, hand it up to dry, or if it's cooled down enough, lie it down on foil or waxed paper. Hanging is better as it has nothing to deform the shape or has anything to stick to.

Tempreture of the wax. As a rule of thumb, the hotter the wax, the more times you will need to dip it to get your desired thickness. Each layer will be thinner because the wax is thinner. I usually go for a slightly cooler wax. This is safer and lets me dip the candles fewer times. When you make candles, it's more econamical to make as many as you can at once. You have to heat the wax, which can take an hour or more, depending on how much wax you need to melt. Then you need to constantly add more wax, in small pieces ( which melts faster, using less fuel) so have wax in small pieces ready. Be very careful not to drop the pieces in as the spashing wax is a fire hazzard and a burn hazzard. When my kids help, which they love to do, I am always right there to supervise.

Options. There are various types of beeswax you can buy. Different scents and colors. It depends on the plant or flower the bees collected the pollen from and thereby made the wax from to seal the comb with. The comb wax is used by the bees to seal in indevidual chamber of the honey comb, where the bee larve are housed until mature. When they are ready you can harvest the "cap wax" that forms the seal and use it for candles. You can also buy scented oils to add to the wax. But I found that since I need to always add more wax, I either need to stick to one scent or use none at all. If you mix the oil scents it will smell kind of funky. If you are planning to sell the candles you need to strive for consistency. Also some people are allergic to the scents or just don't like them, so I don't use them in my candles.

Anoter option is to pour the wax into a mold. I have tried many types of molds, and I find the ones made of silicone are the easiest to work with. They are easy to use and easy to clean as well. Molds made from aluminum or steel need a wax release spray or you will never get the candle out. They usually have a small wick hole in the bottom if metal. Either way you will need special wicks. They come in bags and have a round metal base into which the wick is pre-inserted by the manufacturer. Most of them have a thin wire in the wick to help it stand up straight.

If using the silicone molds, you simply put the wick with the base in the bottom. Try to center it as best you can. Slowly pour the melted wax into the mold being very careful not to splash any on yourself. If you pour it too fast it will be hard to keep the wick centered. The lenghth of the wick should be taller than the mold so you can stabilize it. I put the still hot candle in the mold in the freezer for a little while so it cools faster. When it's cool you can flex the mold to release the candle.

Molds can be found in all kinds of shapes and sizes and textures. We use one that has a pebbely texture to it and looks like it's made of stone. The trick to getting a good looking candle is to pour the wax to the top of the mold and when it settles as it cools you might need to top it off. Also let it cool long enough to harden a bit before you try to remove it from the mold. If you plan on making a number of candles at once, you may want to buy several molds to keep the process moving along.

HAND LACED COWHIDE SHOULDER BAG WITH 19TH CENTURY HOMESPUN HEMP STRAP

One of the things I like to do is make the things I need by hand. I would rather make my own winter hat or shoulder bag, than go out and by one. It's fun, and educational. I sell some of the products, barter with them or just give as gifts.

If you would like to try it, you will need some simple tools to start with. First of all you need to have an idea of what you would like to make. A fur hat or deerskin bag or something less primitive. Use your imagination or think of something you need.

DEERSKIN SHOULDER BAG

Next you will need a couple of sizes of Glover's sewing needles. These have a chisel type point so they puncture leather. If you plan on working with thick leather , I would get a few of each size as they might break at some point. Next you'll need strong thread. The two I use are artificial sinew, which comes in rolls of varying lengths and thickness and is very strong or waxed linen (cotton) thread which is not as strong as the sinew but comes in white and off white . You can even find it in different colors if you look around. Some people prefer using all natural thread.

DEERSKIN POUCH WITH BLUE JAY FEATHER

NORTHERN BLACK RACCOON HAT WITH BRIM AND BLUE JAY FEATHER

It would depend on what you are sewing and how it's to be used and obviously your preference. Either thread will be strong and durable. Sometimes I use the waxed cotton if the color looks good against the color of the leather.

You will also want a sharp awl to make holes in thicker leathers. I use a very thin awl so I keep the holes to a very small size. You can get a very utilitarian awl or a more rustic one with an antler handle. Size matters in this more than handle type.

I know a few people who have a nifty device for spacing needle holes. A small wheel attached to a handle. The wheel has little knobs on it . When you roll this across the leather it leaves little indentations evenly spaced and that tells you exactly where your stitches go. Your sewing will be straighter using it. I don't know the name of the tool but I have seen it for sale in leather working catalogs.

Of course you will need a nice piece of leather or fur pelts. I sometimes buy leather on E-Bay but it's hard to tell the thickness or other characteristics from a photo, and I have been disappointed with the piece more than a few times. So I sent away to a leather company ( Weaver Leather) and they opened an account for me for free and sent me a thick catalog of leather working tools and many samples of leather, with a description of each as well as item numbers next to each piece. I can pull out the swatch and feel it for texture and thickness and see the true color before I buy it. The customer service people are very friendly and helpful too. I hit them with multiple questions before I buy anything.

After I figure out what I'm going to make, then I can concentrate on what to make it out of. If you are making a piece of clothing the leather or fur will need to be thinner and softer than if you are planning to make a hand or shoulder bag. This needs careful consideration, at least for me so I don't end up buying a piece of leather I have no use for. There is a rule in carpentry that goes " measure twice, cut once" . The same should apply here. Think about what you need and research types of leathers. Always ask questions. Consider the size and shape and I always try to allow for a change of plan by getting a piece that is larger than what I need. I might want to make 2 of whatever it is. It's more economical to buy a larger piece for multiple projects than to by smaller ones for individual products. If you buy leather from a catalog or online you also need to look into shipping costs.

NORTHERN BLACK RACCOON SHOULDER BAG WITH 19TH CENTURY HOME SPUN HEMP STRAP

Buying fur pelts is next. Make sure you get professionally tanned pelts. I buy mine on line from a great place in Montana called Glacier Wear. They have top quality pelts in varying grades and sizes and a nice selection of ready made products such as hats and mittens. They will gladly assist you with any questions. Here it is hard to gauge exactly what you are looking at. So I always talk to someone in customer service before I buy anything. You can also find a local taxidermist who might have tanned pelts for sale that you can look at first. Be sure not only to look at the thickness and color of the fur but check for bald spots or holes carefully. When fur is tanned, they stretch it a bit. You should do the same at home. Start by soaking the pelt in water for an hour or so or simply use a sponge to wet it well. Staple the pelt to a piece of plywood or something similar, starting on one side. Then carefully stretch it being sure not to let it tear.

HEMP POUCH



RED FOX FUR HAT



When it is stretched a bit, staple the other side, keeping it taught. Let it stay that way until dry. Usually over night. Stretching the pelts will give you an extra 15 to 20% more surface area. Just use care when doing this that you don't rip the leather and you can get the staples out easily without damaging the pelt.

Keep in mind that if you plan to eventually sell any fur products, many people find them offensive and cruel. Most pelts come from the wild and are either shot or trapped, so there is a cruel aspect to it depending maybe on the hunter or trapper. I have listed many things for sale on E-bay and a handmade only website called Artfire.com. I have received several comments about dealing in dead animals and being a nasty person in general. Keep in mind that most people either eat meat or have leather shoes or belts. It's mostly the same. A fur pelt is a piece of leather with the fur still on.

DEERSKIN POUCH

Fur pelts , if sewn well will be very sturdy and stand up to rain and snow without worries. Just go over your sewing carefully and make sure it's strong. The sewing and the type of thread you use is the weak link. Everything I make is fully functional, not a decoration. It would be very difficult to explain how to actually sew in a blog, so you'll need to do some research and practice. Talk to people who know about sewing. Just keep it neat and keep the distance between the holes to about 1/4" or so. I usually start with the piece inside out, and sew the seams up from the inside. A piece of leather is easier than fur. The fur does not let you see where you are sewing much and it's very easy to go astray or stick yourself. I use a small piece of heavy leather to help push the needle through or a needle nose pliers to help pull the needle through after the leather is penetrated.



WOVEN HEMP POUCH WITH HEMP DRAWSTRING



BOBCAT ARCERY QUIVER

WOVEN FLAX POUCH

I make a variety of products for sale. Many types of draw string pouches, leather or fur shoulder bags, several fur hats made from beaver, raccoon, red fox and arctic fox pelts. I usually have matching shoulder bags and I use real 19th century homespun hemp, originally grain sacks woven by farmers wives in Canada to get the produce and grains to market, for straps. I cut the sacks into 2 1/2 " strips and then sew the edges up with waxed cotton thread, which blends in nicely with the color of the hemp. When hardware is called for, like buckles or "D" rings, I use hand forged iron. It adds a nice rustic touch. When our family goes on a hike my kids always find good looking feathers that I can use as a decoration on a hat or bag. To secure a flap on a bag I employ real deer or elk antler button or tines, which is the tip of an antler. I drill two small hols near the center and sew it in the body of the bag. Then make a small slit for a button hole. Keep in mind you can always make it larger later. Obviously leather stretches with use and over time. So make the hole a little on the small side. It can always be cut larger if it's too small or you can put a couple of stitches on the ends of the slit to make it smaller. Most things can be fixed or re sized after the fact.

The products I make are for sale . E mail me at wscheps@hvc.rr.com and I can send you photos and prices. If you want something custom I will need a 50% deposit so I can purchase the right leather or pelts. On average it takes 2-3 weeks to get the finished product. I also make and sell hand dipped beeswax candles. Look for instructions on how to make them in a later post along with many other topics. Be well and keep smiling.

handmade primitve accessoeries you can make

Welcome to my blog on how to make your own handmade primitive accessories, the way you like. My family and I are avid outdoors people and we also love to make our own accessories like hats, bags and other things like hand dipped beeswax candles for those cold nights when the power goes out or just to add atmosphere to your meal together. The things I make are all hand sewn. If I used a sewing machine I would probably sew my fingers together and wreck the sewing machine, which would make my wife mad at me ( again) . So I try to do things in the old traditional ways of a fur trapper that sews his own bags and hats sitting out under the stars next to his small campfire. I do not profess to be an expert at sewing, but the things I make are all durable and serviceable though not necessarily period correct for the fur trade era. I use more modern thread such as artificial sinew , waxed cotton thread and Glover's needles with a triangular point to pierce leather and fur. I have no experience with fur sewing machines and unless you are skilled in the use of them I don't recommend the using them for now. I buy my pelts online from a wholesaler in Montana who's link I will give you later on and the thread and needles I buy either on Amazon or E Bay.