I'm just curious, what color furs seem to sell the best or be the most popular?
What color furs are most popular
- Thread starter alforddm
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What form do you intend to sell them in, and who is your target market?
I found that taxidermists, crafters, and collectors wanted as wide of a variety as possible.
As for specific colors, the blacks and whites sold the least.
Crafters these days rarely want to dye white fur, preferring natural shades.
Chestnuts sold well for use in place of wild rabbit fur for use in costume garb.
Pretty things like opal and lynx were sure to sell.
I found that taxidermists, crafters, and collectors wanted as wide of a variety as possible.
As for specific colors, the blacks and whites sold the least.
Crafters these days rarely want to dye white fur, preferring natural shades.
Chestnuts sold well for use in place of wild rabbit fur for use in costume garb.
Pretty things like opal and lynx were sure to sell.
What about solid colors like blue, chocolate, and lilac?
I will probably use most of my furs for crafts myself at first. Then, I would like to be able to sell some to others for crafts. I don't plan on selling for taxidermy right now. I may eventually but I'm not anywhere near ready to even try. I'm just trying to get a feel for which colors to breed.
I will probably use most of my furs for crafts myself at first. Then, I would like to be able to sell some to others for crafts. I don't plan on selling for taxidermy right now. I may eventually but I'm not anywhere near ready to even try. I'm just trying to get a feel for which colors to breed.
I think, self colors are ideal for garments or bedding, if you could get the shades consistent.. One problem I had was having a lot of different shades one "color." Especially problematic if steel was involved.
I have noticed a general trend towards fur items that are intended to be enjoyed privately in the home instead of worn publicly. Fur pillows and throws are kind of big.
I have noticed a general trend towards fur items that are intended to be enjoyed privately in the home instead of worn publicly. Fur pillows and throws are kind of big.
katievictoria
Active member
Well I'm brand new at all this but from my limited experience so far, I would have to totally agree with Zass. I made a few items for my grandkids for Christmas, and when they opened them up the orders started rolling in! Seems like no one wants anything white. So I have a batch of white pelts I really don't know what to do with ...... maybe I'll make myself a blanket. Everyone likes the more natural colors. I have only 1 chestnut agouti, and everyone is fighting over it! LOL And I had a few steels that everyone likes! I do get a lot of people liking the blacks though, but as Zass said, matching them up is difficult unless they came from the same litter.
I breed once a year for 4-H. So I raise NZ's. But they have turned out some nice furs. 4-Here's want white. They seem to show better. But in between breedings is where I have fun! I have several colored bucks, and a couple of colored does, so this is when I get to mix them all up and see what I can come up with. Lots of fun! You might try some broken colors, but there again, unless they come from the same litter you'll have lots of different pattern so you'll have a hard time matching them up unless one pelt will do the project.
Good luck and keep us posted how things go!
I breed once a year for 4-H. So I raise NZ's. But they have turned out some nice furs. 4-Here's want white. They seem to show better. But in between breedings is where I have fun! I have several colored bucks, and a couple of colored does, so this is when I get to mix them all up and see what I can come up with. Lots of fun! You might try some broken colors, but there again, unless they come from the same litter you'll have lots of different pattern so you'll have a hard time matching them up unless one pelt will do the project.
Good luck and keep us posted how things go!
Zass":2oi5tsmc said:
I don't have steel in my herd anymore so that not a problem atm. I hadn't thought about shade variation though...I should have just didn't. Wouldn't it be just as hard to match up agouti colors or do they just seem to blend better? I do have chinchilla in my herd that that color seems to be popular. Have you had experience with chocolate chin or squirrel hides Zass?
katievictoria":2oi5tsmc said:
I hadn't thought of trying to match up the broken pelts either.
Ya'll are giving me alot to think about. I'm so glad I finally remembered to ask this.
One of the things I really want to try is making fur teddy bears. I've seen those online and just LOVE them. I also want to do blankets for the kids (we have 4). Just the blankets will use up all my furs for a while I'm sure.
alforddm":22ka689n said:
I have considerable experience with designing and making teddy bears, including "fur" bears and I feel I should mention that rabbit fur is not the best for this. The leather is very thin and fragile and considerable strain is put on the bear parts during stuffing. Also, rabbit fur sheds over time... and teddy bears should last longer than one generation.
I have used curly lamb (wonderful!), muskrat and mink. I always cut the pattern double and backed the fur with strong muslin to make it stronger for stuffing. The bears were beautiful and I sold quite a few back in the '90s. I wish now I had taken pictures. My furs came from thrift shop fur coats.
Never skimp on materials when you are making teddy bears. It will come back to haunt you.
Yes agoutis are hard to match up too. Chocolate chin and squirrel pelts are lovely and fairly uncommon. I think they would be very good colors to market to crafters. Variety seems to sell better than consistency on a small scale.
For the most durable skins, raise some bucks up to 16 weeks or over. I've tanned some senior bucks whose pelts could be compared to goat hide.
For the most durable skins, raise some bucks up to 16 weeks or over. I've tanned some senior bucks whose pelts could be compared to goat hide.
