Journal

Beverley's Beautiful Mink Coat Transformed into a Throw & Pillow

Watch the video here: Beverley's Beautiful Mink Transformation

Beverly's Mink was made in the 1990's. It belonged to her mother. I love being able to take a loved one's beloved item and turn it into a family heirloom. The original lining was use, but the monogram was left out. A copper brown silk crepe was used on two of the outside panels on the lining. Final Measurements: Throw: 52 by 54 Pillow: 14 X 14 with pillow and zipper installed.

MJ's Beautiful Mink Coat Transformed into a Throw & Teddy Bear

Watch MJ’s Mink Transformation here: MJ's Video

The customer wanted to make a throw and a teddy bear from her mink coat. The coat had both sheared and unsheared fur. The unsheared fur was used in both the bear and the throw's border. The total measurement for this throw was 43 by 47 and the bear is 12 inches tall. Bear Pattern used: Funky Friends Factory ~ Melody Memory Bear Lots of cute animal patterns there. Go check them out! https://www.funkyfriendsfactory.com

Jana's Lynx coat was too small! Watch how we made this fur bigger!

Watch the video here: Jana's Lynx Coat

What do you do when you want a nice size throw and your coat is too small/short? Coat made only a 35 by 50 throw. Way too small during a cold winter’s night. The customer and I decided to go with a faux fur that was close in color to the Lynx coat.

We used faux fur as a border and it came out great!

Finished project size 50 by 63.

Sarah's Beautiful Lynx Coat Transformed into a Throw.

See the video here: Sarah's Beautiful Lynx Coat Transformed into a Throw.

Sarah's coat was purchased in 1985. The fur is a Lynx, and it's the first time that I've ever worked with a lynx coat. Apparently, I'm somewhat allergic to it because it caused my eyes to really water and the loose fur was just an irritant for me. I used a full-face mask and a respirator. And it worked great! The fur itself was in excellent condition. The fur felt luxurious when you ran your fingers through it. The throw measures 63 by 45 inches. The customer decided to use her lining. This fur  is just absolutely stunning! The pictures do not do it justice.

Linda's Beautiful Mink Coat Transformed into a Throw.

See the video here: Linda's Beautiful Mink Coat Transformed into a Throw.

Linda wanted to be part of the process of making her throw. She deconstructed the lining as well as cutting the sleeves & collar away. She did a wonderful job clipping some of the openings and holes in the fur. Here are the final results of our join effort. Enjoy the process.

Dinah McCannComment
Nancy's Beautiful Beaver Coat Transformed into a Throw

Watch the video here: Nancy' Coat Transformation

Nancy's Beaver Coat is about 50 years old. It was in excellent condition. Nancy used her own lining and the final results are lovely. Used the arm holes for this coat with beautiful straight lines. The final measurements of the throw was 53 by 57. Really nice size!

Dinah McCannComment
Beautiful Mink Coat Transformed into a Throw & Pillow

See the video here: Anne's Throw & Pillow

Beautiful Mink Coat transformed into a throw & pillow. Lovely embroidered coat lining used as the backing. Final Measurement 47 by 50 for the throw and 16 by 16 pillow. View Part II on tackling the intricate backing.

Michele's Beautiful Tanuki Coat Transformation

Watch the video here: Michele's full length tanuki coat transformation

This project consisted of a full length tanuki coat To be transformed into a throw and a pillow. The fur was in excellent condition. The fur was very thick and must have been super warm in its heyday. It also accompanied a headband, as told by the customer that she used to wear it mainly in the 80s.

The final measurement of the coat was 56 by 58. The pillow measured 16 by 16. The customer chose to use her lining for the back of the pillow as well as maintaining her monogram. She used a pre quilted backing for the throw.

How I hoop my knitted items on a non-industrial embroidery machine

See the video here: How to Monogram on Knits

I was asked to monogram an order of knitted Christmas stockings.  Embroidery or monogramming on knitwear can be tricky. Many of today's embroidery machines have special hoops that will allow you to embroider different kinds of fabrics, sizes & specialty items. I don't have that kind of machine at home, so I use my Brother PE770 Embroidery Machine to do some of my monogramming. In this video I'm going to be showing you how I attach the knitwear without hoping it in the hoop. I used a reinforced cutaway stabilizer, pins, a ruler, and a pen. The software I used to create monograms is called Embird. It's an extremely powerful embroidery software. You can buy all the modules, or you can just purchase the modules that you're interested in. I highly recommend it it's amazing. Like any software when you first start out it can be challenging, but it's we're well worth it I have been using it for over 10 years. And what's great about it is it will not cost an arm and a leg. Updates are usually free, upgrades at a minimal cost.  Hope this helps everyone out there.

Interested in Embird?  Check it out here: Embird

Baby Wilderness Quilt

Watch The Video Here: Baby Wilderness Quilt

I was contacted by a friend to make a custom quilt from a photograph that she presented to me. It turned out that it was a baby wilderness animal panel by Northcott fabrics. It's been discontinued and I could not find the fabric anywhere. So, I tried to recreate it in the best way that I could. I used 27 different embroidery threads, 33 different fabrics, and over 150 applicated pieces in this project. The final measurement of the quilt was 47 inches in width by 56 inches in length. It was a really fun project. I loved all the different use of colors in the fabrics as well as the threads.

Maria's Beautiful Mink Coat Transformation

See Maria's Video here:

Full length Mink Coat transformed into a throw and pillow.

Focus of this video: Working around the arm holes.

Final measurement of throw: 48by50 Pillow size 16 by 16

Debbie 's Sable Coat Transformation.

Watch the video here: Sable Coat Transformation

Debbie's coat was in excellent condition.!!! The fur was soft and supple and easy to work with. She chose to use her lining. The lining was beautifully embroidered with wonderful detail. For this particular coat I chose to have the fur all running in the same direction. The lining was highlighted with a beautiful rose quilting pattern. The border around the original backing was a contrasting brown color, that picked up the colors of the embroidery.  The final dimensions of the throw was 52 inches by 53 inches.

Beth's Cross Dyed Mink Coat Transformation

Watch Beth's Fur Transformation Here:

I was sent this absolutely stunning fur coat. The coat belonged to the customer's mother. Both the customer and I could not identify the fur. After reaching out to a furrier’s group, the consensus was that the fur is a cross dyed mink coat. The customer chose to purchase a cream/tan velvet backing that complemented the coat. The challenge with this project was ensuring that the black stripes ran all in the same direction and with continuity. The throw measures approximately 51 by 60. It is absolutely gorgeous!

Dinah McCannComment
Stunning Beaver Coat Transformed into a Throw & Pillow

Watch the video here: Marsha's Beaver Coat Transformation

Beaver Coat Transformed into a Throw (48 by 53) a & Pillow (18 by 18). Coat was in excellent condition. 3 inch border using graduated light to dark tones. Customer's lining was used as a backing for the pillow. Original monogram was cut out and saved for the customer, as directed.

Brooke's Beautiful Mink Coat Transformed into a Memory Bear & Throw

Watch Brooke's Fur Transformation here!

Brooke's Lovely Mink Coat Transformed into a Throw & Teddy Bear It was such an honor to make this beautiful Mink Throw & Teddy Bear. The completed throw measures 48 inches wide by 50 inches long. The customer chose to keep her lining, as well as her monogram. With the remaining mink scraps Brooke opted to make a Memory Teddy Bear. We used the button from the coat and made the bear’s nose. The lining was also used on the paw pads and inner ears.

Teddy Bear Pattern: https://www.funkyfriendsfactory.com/melody-memory-bear-keepsake-toy-sewing-pattern

Mink Coats Transformed into 3 Teddy Bears & a Mink Bunny

You can watch the video here: Fur Teddy Bear and Bunny

I was contacted by a customer who wanted to turn their deceased wife's mink coats into teddy bears for his grandchildren. He had a particular style of bear in mind, but he wanted them all to look a bit different. The pattern that was used was the same for each of the bears, but their look is completely different. The pattern that I used was named Sebastian, and will make a 15 inches fully jointed traditional teddy bear.  They even have a small pattern for a shirt collar.  Although the pattern is designed for mohair I was able to use it for real fur. My final project measured approximately 14 inches due to the bulk of the real fur seams. You can purchase this pattern here:  https://www.etsy.com/se-en/listing/164872932/pdf-teddy-bear-pattern-sebastian-15

The fox trim was used in the belly area as well as the shaved down brown parts of the face and ears.

The Bunny pattern is quite cute. It is a traditional plush animal with non movable joints. Measures about 9 nines high.. The pattern can be purchased here: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1384893435/adorable-bunny-rabbit-plush-diy-pattern?ref=yr_purchases

 

Karen's Lovely Mink Coat Transformed into a Throw & Cowl

View the video here: Karen's Mink Coat Transformation

It was such an honor to make this beautiful Mink Throw & Cowl!! This coat belonged to the customer’s mother. We were hoping that the project could have been completed before her mom passed, but unfortunately that didn't happen. I did my absolute best to honor Karen’s mother's memory. The completed throw measures 45 inches wide by 52 inches long. The throw is lined with wool batting. The customer chose to keep her mother's lining, as well as her monogram. With the remaining mink scraps Karen opted to make a Cowl to keep her nice and warm in the winter. We were able to line both sides with fur, which I was kind of doubtful in the beginning. I can’t believe that we had enough. The Cowell measures 36 inches long and has a keyhole opening so the one end of the scarf can be tucked into the center of scarf.

Beautiful Beaver Coat Transformed into a Throw

Watch the video here: Beautiful Beaver Coat Transformed into a Throw

Beaver Coat transformed into a throw. The fur was in amazing condition! So nice to work with. I loved the lining in this fur. The color variation was very unique.

Final measurements: 42 by 57

Carol's Mink Transformed into a 20 by 60 Bolster & Pompoms

See the video here: Carol's 20 by 60 Bolster and Pompoms

This beautiful brown mink jacket was transformed into a 20 by 60 bolster. It is absolutely stunning! It will be used on her bed. The customer chose to use the lining of her coat as the backing of her bolster. The embroidery on the lining is so lovely and soft looking. It turned out beautiful! She also asked if I could make her six pom poms. The customer is a knitter. She's going to use those pom poms on the tops of the hats that she creates!! An amazing way to repurpose a fur.

Virginia's Mink & Seal Throws and a Pillow Too!

See video here: Virginia's Mink & Seal Throws

The customer sent in two beautiful fur coats. She wanted to make a two throws.

The Brown Mink was in rough shape and needed a support material on the side of the throw. It was torn, was repaired multiple times prior. The original lining from the brown mink and monogram was used.

The Black Seal was in great condition and was so soft to the touch.

Final throw measurements:

Black Seal Throw- 44 by 50

Brown Mink Throw - 46 by 57

18 by 18 Pillows made from the leftover fur from both projects.