Above: Jean Brune (left), Deidre Kettunen, and Andy Brostrom modeling some of the hats Brune has created. Bob the dog is wearing a Harley-Davidson/fur skullcap Jean made out of a road-killed squirrel. Above Right: Jean Brune wearing a fox hat and Bob wearing his Harley-Davidson/fur skullcap. Brune creates fur hats and earmuffs (and doggy skullcaps) for her business, Northwoods Fur. Right: Andy Kettunen wearing a badger hat made by Brune.
If you see someone walking around town wearing a really neat fur hat, it might have been made by Jean Brune, and if so, you may be able to get one like it.
It all started when Jean Brune had USA Foxx and Furs in Duluth make her a hat. She wasn’t satisfied with the way the hat turned out, however, so she talked to the owner. She said if he would show her how to make the hats and give her a job, she herself would redo the hat she wasn’t satisfied with. It was a deal.
Brune learned on one of USA Foxx’s three specialized sewing machines, each over 80 years old. She ended up moving back to Grand Marais, working for USA Foxx for awhile and then starting up her own business, Northwoods Fur, two years ago.
USA Foxx sold Brune one of their machines. The Minnesota Trade and Tech Project, a North Shore nonprofit that promotes trade and technical education and business, helped her buy the sewing machine by providing half of its $500 cost.
Brune gets her pelts from her boyfriend, Grant Smith, who has been a trapper his whole life, she said. Sometimes she goes trapping with him, and they send the furs off to a tanner. She uses a wide variety of fur to make her hats, including fisher, martin (which she calls “North American sable”), fox, beaver, badger, and skunk. She even made her dog Bob a Harley-Davidson fur scullcap out of a road-killed squirrel. She tries not to waste any fur and makes earmuffs and key chains out of scraps.
Brune does not have a lifelong history of creating artwork, but she is an experienced seamstress. “I started sewing when I was probably about 10,” she said.
In Brune’s opinion, bobcat and fisher make the nicest hats. Only one bobcat was caught in Cook County last year, she said, adding that badger hats are really nice also.
Brune starts with about five basic designs and then improvises. She makes facehugging hats with big earflaps, daring hats with heads, tails, feet, and claws, and sophisticated hats that could fashionably be worn to an evening at the opera. Theyare comfy and warm on the inside, lined with polar fleece. She has now started making baby hats – what a keepsake baby gift that would be.
Brune’s cheaper adult hats cost about $100. If people provide their own fur, she charges $50 – $75, although she thinks she might get a better price for tanning than most people could find. She sells her earmuffs for $25.
Brune’s hats can be purchased at Trail Center, Superior Design Jewelry, and Devil Track General Store.
“People who buy them are walking advertisements,” Brune said. She had been making a hat for Grant Smith, but when Les Hansen saw it, he offered her a good price, so she sold it to him. His is a fisher hat with a tail, legs, and a face. Hansen is planning to wear it to an upcoming fishing derby, and Brune thinks it will attract a lot of attention.
Lots of other locals have Brune’s hats, too. Andy Brostrom has one made of raccoon. John Curtis has one made of cross fox. Carl Foster has one made of skunk.
Some of the people wearing them around town this December haven’t been wearing coats because they are warm enough with only the hats on. Brostrom said he needs his only on the coldest of days. Thehats could be a lifesaver for people who just can’t seem to stay warm, inside or out, throughout the winter. “Winters are hell here,” said Brune.
The type of hat Brune often wears around town adds instant elegance and could easily be an indoor fashion accessory.
What is Brune’s favorite type of hat? “Bobcat,” she said. “It’s just so pretty with those black spots on white fur.” Is it hard for her to part with her creations? “You’ve got to get over it,” she answered. “You can’t just hoard them.”
Brune’s hats might be just the thing for people still looking for a nice Christmas gift for someone special. One satisfied customer said Brune had her hat finished just a couple of days after she ordered it. “The hats will last a lifetime,” Brune said.
Brune’s hats are featured in the December issue of Duluth-Superior Magazine.
On the cover is a photo of Lily Pederson wearing one of her hats.
Brune can be reached at (218)387-9253.
Loading Comments