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Member since 3/2/06
Posts: 1163
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Posted on: 2/8/10 12:24 PM ET
Let me preface this by saying that I'm not a fur person. I wouldn't buy a fur, and normally I wouldn't wear one.

But I'm in the midst of cleaning out my elderly aunt's house and came across my great-aunt's 1940s mink coat in the closet. (I think it still has Joan Crawford's shoulders in it - I tried it on and I look like a fur cube). All in all it's in not-bad condition for its age, though there are some splits, naturally. I don't know if I want to try to repair to wear, or take it apart and do something else with it.

Though it was free, the budget is not going to run to having someone else work on it, and the condition is such that it probably wouldn't be worth it anyway. So I'm looking for a good reference - book or online or blog - that will give me a few helpful hints on how not to make a huge furry mess out of this coat.

Thanks in advance!
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Karen

There's always room for one more cat, one more book or one more yard of fabric.

http://sewingbytheseatofmypants.blogspot.com/
  
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Member since 7/1/08
Posts: 5331
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Posted on: 2/8/10 7:51 PM ET
I had the same experience about 15 years ago. The coat was beautiful looking, but very dried. I checked with furriers and the price they gave for restoring it gave me shock. It requires equipment most of us have no access to.
Check out: http://www.dianefurs.com/remodel.php
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Sewing: A creative mess is better than tidy idleness. ~Author Unknown
  
Member since 2/9/04
Posts: 18027
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Posted on: 2/9/10 8:02 AM ET
In reply to Karen6790
Donna Salyers used to sell faux fur and coat kits years ago, and she had instructions for how to sew with the faux fur.
My guess is the technique would be the same- sharp needle, poly thread, etc.

I want to think she wrote an article for THREADS maybe 15 years ago, on sewing with faux fur. If you have access to the new DVD that Taunton is selling, that claims to have every article every written in THREADS (in reality, a few are missing), you might be able to find the article. Or the local library might have all the old issues. HTH

Have you Googled 'sewing with fur' ?
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iPad's auto-correct is my enema.
  
Member since 9/12/05
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Posted on: 2/9/10 10:11 AM ET
In reply to Doris W. in TN
I don't know of an online reference, but I have found this book to be helpful, and it includes a pretty informative section on re-fashioning vintage fur. It was published in 1974, so the illustrations are a bit dated, and it is less PC than something that might be written today.

A few years ago I made this jacket which has a fur collar and I really love it. It involved some tough hand stitching, but it has held its shape incredibly well.
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http://beccabeckstuff.blogspot.com/

Damn the muslin, full speed ahead!
  
Member since 8/18/06
Posts: 168
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Posted on: 2/9/10 1:29 PM ET
There's a Kenneth King class coming up that might help as well.
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My blog: raggiegirls.com
  
Member since 12/15/02
Posts: 8690
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Posted on: 2/9/10 2:07 PM ET
I would sell it and donate the proceeds. Fur isn't really in style anymore and if you make it into something to wear. I assure you will get a lot of dirty looks. The faux furs look so real these days most go with those. The reason I say donate if you saw how they got that fur off the mink you'd understand.
  
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