REDVERS -Marge Garnier and her husband Harvey have farmed all their lives and reside 15 kilometres southeast of Redvers.
They have three children, Todd, Lisa, and Melanie, along with 13 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. They have been married for 58 years and until recently owned a herd of Blonde d’Aquitaine cattle.
In February 1993, a bull calf was born. It was a cold winter and it was determined that its ears were frozen. Marge decided to help the poor fellow out and did so by sewing him a pair of earmuffs. Twenty-nine years later, she is still making them.
Her basement should be called Sewing Central. She owns three sewing machines, which include an old reliable Singer, a newly purchased Pfaff, and an industrial machine used to sew heavy leather. Garnier also operates a serger, commonly referred to as an overlock machine.
Sergers sew, finish, and trim away seams and raw edges in one easy step for professional looking results.
Garnier has several cutting tables and yards and yards of sewing material. Polar fleece is used for the earmuffs and is purchased in 50-yard rolls from a wholesaler in Edmonton.
Since her first pair of earmuffs, Garnier has perfected her technique. Together with the polar fleece that is patterned cut for the ears, a halter is formed that goes under the chin of the calf and is held in place by Velcro. This enables the calf to regularly nurse and their moms don’t seem to mind.
Right after the first set of muffs were made, a number of local farmers expressed interest and immediately the word spread like wildfire. The invention quickly became a full-time business. Garnier has had a contract with Federated Co-operatives Ltd. for over two decades along with an online vendor, RK Animal Supplies out of Moorefield, Ont. She has attended many trade shows over the years including Agribition and estimates she has hand made over 50,000 pairs of earmuffs. Her business card reads “Frozen Ears … No Problem, Use Marge’s Muffs”.
Garnier is an excellent seamstress and over the years has diversified. She has made weigh slings for newborn calves, and even earmuffs and nursery bras for goats. Very few people know that a goat’s ears can point either up or down, or that young female goat mothers may want to draw a drink from their own bodies.
Now 77 years old, Garnier is in relatively good health and presently has no plans to retire. Her husband Harvey has been her loyal assistant from day one. She is also a very active quilter.
Added Garnier, “I have thoroughly enjoyed my years sewing these earmuffs and halters. I have met a lot of fine people and made a lot of great lifelong friends. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
