Doll Hair & Santa Beards
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
Missoula artist and fiber specialist Kris Crawford’s company, Fireside Basics Doll Hair Company, processes and sells felt, yarn and doll hair made of wool and mohair. For Kris Crawford, the Christmas rush begins in August.
Fireside Basics provides the bristly beards and soft flowing hairs for Santas’ and other doll-like characters around the country. Thousands of Santa-makers in the United States, Canada and abroad depend on Crawford to supply them with fiber for their Santa beards and clothes.
“I process about 1,500 pounds of hair a year that’s nearly a ton,” Crawford said. Fireside Basics is the only company in the world that offers many different types of hair and works with many different breeds of sheep and goats.
Recently, the Missoula, Montana native branched out into polymer clay sculpting of Santas and other related characters, dressing them in homespun garments made from natural fibers and surrounding them with handcrafted trinkets such as sleds or rocking horses that are hand built in the basement workshop. (more…)
