When we lived in Alaska, we didn't have a lot of spare change, although mom and dad worked hard to make sure that Tootie and I weren't aware we were poor. One winter, we hunted snowshoe rabbits. We tanned the skins and made mittens; we ate the meat. I thought it was a neat adventure in living off the land. Mom and dad probably thought it was a chore but one way to get by. Mom was handy with a sewing machine, and she made clothing for us, including winter clothing. I got a warm coat and mom made a fur-lined hood for me. She also made a parka for herself, the one in the picture. I think the body of the coat was an old fox fur, and she added the hood and the trim. She insisted that the proper pronunciation was "parky," though I never did hear anyone else call it that. Mom had a good sense of style and liked to look nice. She could look better on a shoestring than most people could with a handfull of cash.
2 comments:
What a great set of words. It's always nice to hear more about your adventurous family. I love it.
Actually, mother bought this parka. It was made of hair seal and was fitted rather than boxy as traditional parks are. She bought it used from someone who was moving Outside She did make me a parka, though, out of a fur coat.
Another thing mother made was kid gloves. She began that project when we lived in Shoshone, Wyoming. At that time, ladies wore gloves when they went to town, so they were a necessary part of a woman's wardrobe. She made some out of green kid leather, some red, and some black. Somewhere in family stuff, I still have one of the gloves that she made.
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