Ćurčija craft represents a set of knowledge and skills in the preprocessing and fine processing of fur and leather and the creating of fur and leather items (the most common material is lamb and sheepskin, while skins and fur of wild animals may also be used). The craftsman is named a ćurčija. The products of Ćurčijski zanat are heavy and light fur vests (with fur on the inside), fur hats, as well as modern clothing items such as fur coats, leather vests, or gloves. The processing takes place in several stages. The first stage is tanning, while in the next stage, fur is stretched on wooden supports with the help of wooden wedges so it can be clipped and cleaned of remaining impurities. Then the fur is once again washed in water with the addition of a special softener, after which it is dyed (in the past, natural dyes were used, but today mainly industrial ones), and then dried, finely clipped, stretched by a machine, and softened. After that, it is ready for cutting and sewing.
The production of leather items begins with stretching the leather and attaching it to boards with steel nails. Cutting is performed using tools such as a furrier's knife and scissors, according to preset patterns. After the parts are cut, they are arranged and sewn on special machines for sewing fur and leather. Fur coats and fur hats are sewn according to the same principle, except that the fur hats are shaped on special moulds where sizes may be adjusted.
