Full mask sporrans revisited...

[Nathan]

IMO there is very little middle ground on full masks, they are either lovely or ghastly- 50% of that is how it is prepared, 50% is the appropriate animal.

ith:

Damn! And I was banking on middle ground with my DIY! ;)

full mask fox.jpg

[artificer]

Damn! And I was banking on middle ground with my DIY! ;)

full mask fox.jpg

Nathan, yours is actually an exemplary model (IMO) of a nicely crafted mask. The head is mounted, but not 'realistically 3-D, complete with tongue', the head itself is also relatively small and well balanced against the overall size of the sporran. LOTS of North American animals simply have too big of heads to make elegantly proportioned masks.

ith:

[OC Richard]

I used to wear one, back in the 1980s



They might well be passé in Scotland but here in the USA they're alive and well (hmmm perhaps a poor choice of words...) and more popular than ever, from what I see at the various Games.

A vendor at the West Virginia Games in Bridgeport... choose yer critter!

[Mudge]

With the encouragement and inspiration of our own Chainsaw, I recently completed my own version of a Full Mask Beaver sporran.
20140523_081348_zps28cf10a2.jpg

[creagdhubh]

First of all, I voted...well, I'm sure you chaps already know how I voted!

It is my belief that full (animal) mask sporrans are a very traditional aspect of Highland Dress that has been around for quite some time. We have all seen the lovely vintage, black and white photos of Highland men (as well as members of The Royal Family), especially during the Victorian and Edwardian eras, wearing such sporrans from a variety of native animal species. Whereas they are definitely not to everyone's liking or sartorial sensibilities, you cannot deny their rather unique, traditional look when worn with traditional Highland Dress. I'm not so sure this type of sporran would look smart with anything but traditional Highland Dress. As many of you are well aware, I'm an avid wearer of full mask sporrans made in the traditional manner by Kate Macpherson of Beauly, Inverness-shire.

Along with being a professional taxidermist, Kate was taught sporran making by her father, who made sporrans for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Kate has also firmly established an ethical statement for all of her sporrans, regardless of the animal species. No animal is killed for the purpose of sporran making. Many have been accidentally killed by nearby motorists in Inverness-shire, or have died a natural death and are found, then brought to her by local farmers. Kate properly cleans the entire animal, places it in the deep freeze to exterminate any bugs and bacteria, and then begins the taxidermy/sporran making process. The sporrans made from protected species come complete with the appropriate licensure issued by the Scottish Government.

Scottish Pine Marten sporran with a brown leather back and v-gussett, (as opposed to the roomier full gussett) which allows the sporran to lay flatter against the kilt apron in the Scottish Regimental tradition (particularly the Argylls with their badger sporrans).


An array of Kate Macpherson sporrans. My favourites are the full mask sporrans made of either badger, pine marten, mink, or otter (European species). I'm still unsure about fox (red or silver), and I don't really care for anything else.




http://www.katemacphersonsporrans.co.uk/

http://www.katemacphersonsporrans.co...lstatement.htm

Cheers,

[rondo]

I voted when this poll first came out, I'm in the minority. As beautiful as fur sporrans are I just can't seem to get behind buying one for myself. I can justify leathers of various types (bovine, shagreen, pig) as byproducts of the food industries world wide, I'm cool with horsehair sporrans as no equine has to die to provide the hair, but for myself, I just can't wear something that was killed simply so I might wear it as an accessory. I have no problem with others wearing their badger, ocelot, lynx, or what ever sporrans. I have 2 sporrans currently, a brown and black flap type day sporran and a blue shagreen sporran for dressier occasions both from Donnie at Wyvern.
Rondo

[BCAC]

I voted when this poll first came out, I'm in the minority. As beautiful as fur sporrans are I just can't seem to get behind buying one for myself. I can justify leathers of various types (bovine, shagreen, pig) as byproducts of the food industries world wide, I'm cool with horsehair sporrans as no equine has to die to provide the hair, but for myself, I just can't wear something that was killed simply so I might wear it as an accessory. I have no problem with others wearing their badger, ocelot, lynx, or what ever sporrans. I have 2 sporrans currently, a brown and black flap type day sporran and a blue shagreen sporran for dressier occasions both from Donnie at Wyvern.
Rondo

My bolding. You can have a full mask sporran where the 'beast' is obtained ethically and not "killed simply so that I might wear it as an accessory". The ethical statement from my full mask sporran maker (Kate MacPherson) is: "All the skins used for making my sporrans are ethically sourced, and are either left over from the game and farming industries, road kill, or have died a natural death or are reused materials from old stoles and bags." and is published on her website, here: http://www.katemacphersonsporrans.co...lstatement.htm. So no beastie was killed to make my full mask sporran.

[rondo]

My bolding. You can have a full mask sporran where the 'beast' is obtained ethically and not "killed simply so that I might wear it as an accessory". The ethical statement from my full mask sporran maker (Kate MacPherson) is: "All the skins used for making my sporrans are ethically sourced, and are either left over from the game and farming industries, road kill, or have died a natural death or are reused materials from old stoles and bags." and is published on her website, here: http://www.katemacphersonsporrans.co...lstatement.htm. So no beastie was killed to make my full mask sporran.

Which I certainly understand, and is why I am not telling anyone who likes these sporrans not to wear them. They simply are not for me, in the circles I travel.

[BCAC]

Which I certainly understand, and is why I am not telling anyone who likes these sporrans not to wear them. They simply are not for me, in the circles I travel.

Rondo, if you had stated originally that you dress to please others rather than to please yourself, I would not have taken the trouble to post all that ethicall stuff. I thought that I was helping someone that liked full mask sporrans but didn't like the idea of the animal being killed especially to make a sporran. "They simply are not for me in the circles that I travel" is completely different from "I just can't wear something that was killed simply so I might wear it as an accessory".

[Nathan]

In terms of a non-fur dress sporran, I might suggest patent leather or silk.