Workshop set-up
Since our climate is not the same as in Greenland we don't need anoraks. What we do need is a bikinis!
The morning starts with a 45 minute presentation about seal fur and leather by Els de Meijer.
Els is an artist who lived in Greenland for a while. She knows a lot about the Inuit culture and their sewing techniques and she will tell us all about it.
After the presentation we will start designing and sewing the bikini's with fashion designer Nieuw Jurk and Els. The rest of the afternoon will be filled with sewing, chatting and drinking tea.
Note: The seal fur is a very important means of income for the Inuit. They eat the meat and sell the fur. Because of the European ban on the trade of seal products, they are now stuck with warehouses full of it. As a member of the Bardot Proviant Klub it's legal to eat sealmeat and use fur for our workshops.
Workshop report
The day started with a very nice and informative presentation of Els de Meijer.
Els lived in Greenland for a year and learned everything about the use of sealskins and fur. She witnessed the real traditional way of making the skin, from the skinning of the animal till the final result.
The seal has a very big layer if fat, it's quite an art to cut the skin as close as possible without having lots of blubber to remove afterwards. Once the skin is taken they use a special tool to remove the fat and flesh completely.
Then they leave the skins for drying a short while. After that they have to harness the skin to stretch it.
It's quite a procedure, you can see everything from step by step in the presentation of Els de Meijer, attached to this page shortly.