Joliet business creates replica of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ famous woolly mittens

By now, many people have seen the meme of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders that’s made its way around social media.

And if you’d like to get a replica of those famous woolly mittens Sanders wore during the inauguration, you can get them locally if you order them by Friday.

Chad and Jess Schumacher, owners of Allegory Handcrafted Goods in Joliet, are offering replicas of those mittens for $34 a pair as a limited edition. The mittens are made from 100% recycled materials and Allegory plans to donate one-third of the of mitten profits to DonorsChoose, a nonprofit that helps fund teachers’ classroom projects.

The Schumachers decided to help DonorsChoose because Jen Ellis, the creator of those famous mittens, is a second grade teacher in Vermont, Chad said.

“When the meme started circulating, it was just really hilarious,” Chad said. “We had this year where it seemed everything was about politics and not agreeing on much about anything. Then all just came together to giggle about some mittens. It was a really powerful moment.”

Chad decided he wanted a pair for his Halloween costume. But Jen Ellis had just announced she wasn’t taking any more orders, he said.

So within two days, Chad had a sketch, a plan, a budget and a page on the crowdfunding site Indiegogo. The goal was $30,000. As of Wednesday, Chad had $30,998 and 569 backers.

Now to replicate those mittens.

That wouldn’t be easy, The original pair was made from four different reclaimed sweaters. The Schumachers contacted a company in New York that creates custom woven blankets. And they hired some hand-knitters to create the original knitting patterns.

The mittens will be lined with fleece and stitched on a sewing machine, Chad said. Jess is giving Chad complete credit for the idea.

“A lot of times, Chad is the idea man in our partnership,” Jen said. “He’s always coming to me with funny, hair-brained, goofy ideas. Sometimes I say, ‘That sounds like fun. Just not right now.’”

In this case, Jess agreed with Chad that making the Bernie Mittens would be a wonderful idea.

“We just had so much fun laughing at all those fun memes and we were looking for something to do to together to kick off our year in a fun way,” Jess said. So it was a fun project to start out work for 2021.”

Unlike other businesses over the past year, Allegory Handcrafted Goods had a good year, Jess said. Allegory’s core products fall into the “luxury office” category. Jen’s theory is that people who were still working but not traveling had some extra income to treat themselves.

That and people shopped more online in 2020, too, she added.

“Our website sales actually increased quite a bit in 2020 compared to the previous year, just organically. We didn’t do anything extra,” Jess said.

A 2016 Herald-News story said the Schumachers typically work in wood and leather, crafting and selling writing tools from reclaimed and historical materials. The Schumachers were featured on the INSP television show “Handcrafted America” in 2016.

A news release provided examples of the way the Schumachers work with materials that have stories. For instance Allegory’s messenger bags are lined with fabric handwoven in Ecuador using Incan traditions.

But just because the Schumachers are making their version of Bernie Mittens as a limited edition doesn’t mean people can’t ever buy them.

Vermont Teddy Bear has partnered with Ellis to produce Vermont Swittens, according to the company’s website. Vermont Teddy Bear said on the site it will donate a portion of the proceeds to Make a Wish Vermont.

But before they retire their Bernie Mittens project, the Schumachers, parents of third-grader Liam and preschooler Griffin, plans to keep one pair.

“Our 9-year-old wants a pair,” Jess said.

For more information and to order, visit indiegogo.com/projects/bernie-mittens-warm-your-hands-your-heart#/.

For more information on Allegory Handcrafted Goods, visit allegorygoods.com.