Creases
Tanning and leather making was a second gift; he knew how to separate flesh from gristle, creating a canvas. A famous designer or two came around, buying exclusively from him but that dried up as true leathers went out of fashion. It didn’t help he was so damn hard to deal with at times.
Over the years, she watched him, learning the tricks of the trade, filling in for him when her work was slow. He would hover behind her as she pulled and scraped and prepared the skin, sometimes correcting, sometimes grunting approval.
For her, taxidermy was easy. A long cut on the inside of the leg. Use the thinnest bladed knife; work it between the skin and the layer of fat that covered the muscle. The skin would deflate, collapsing as she peeled it back. The fingers and the toes were the hardest, smaller cuts, smaller knives. It was patient, taxing work.
In this case, a labor of love.
Over the years, she watched him, learning the tricks of the trade, filling in for him when her work was slow. He would hover behind her as she pulled and scraped and prepared the skin, sometimes correcting, sometimes grunting approval.
For her, taxidermy was easy. A long cut on the inside of the leg. Use the thinnest bladed knife; work it between the skin and the layer of fat that covered the muscle. The skin would deflate, collapsing as she peeled it back. The fingers and the toes were the hardest, smaller cuts, smaller knives. It was patient, taxing work.
In this case, a labor of love.
