Watch the video here: Pat's Teddy Bears and Pillow

I am a member of a Quilting Guild, and during one of our regular meetings, I brought along one of the teddy bears I had lovingly made to share during show and tell. One of the members noticed the teddy bear and mentioned that she had the perfect mink coat that would be ideal for making more teddy bears. As it turned out, I was able to create four jointed teddy bears, one large 18 by 18 inch pillow, and two smaller 14 by 14 inch pillows. What I especially loved about this particular project was that it allowed me to preserve someone's cherished memories—a person I knew personally—which made the whole experience even more meaningful and special.

Watch the Video Here: Gloria's Silver Tipped Racoon Coat Transformed into a Throw & Pillow

Gloria's Racoon coat was a joy to work with. It was about 30 to 35 years old. The fur was in pristine condition. The lining of this fur had a film of dirt and oil. It took four washes to clean all the dirt out of the fibers. The final measurement of the throw was 48 by 50 and we made an 18 inch pillow to match.

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.

See Video Here: Denise's Fur Transformation

Denise sent in a beautiful black mink coat. The coat was well made and was in excellent condition. She wanted to make a throw as well as two bolster pillows. The bolster pillows were made from the sleeves. The original lining and monogram was used for the backing.

Final throw measurement: 44 by 52. 

Final measurement for Bolster pillows: 6 inches in diameter and 18 inches in length.

Watch the video here: How to Make a Fur Pillow with a Pocket/Muff

My customer wanted a pillow where she could take her hands and put it in the pillow and give it a hug. I scoured YouTube and the Internet for a pattern, but I didn't find one. I found regular pillows with a pocket for reading a book and I found an old-fashioned Muff, but I couldn't find anything that she wanted. So, here's a little mini tutorial on how I created this pillow.

The pillow is Constructed in the following order starting at the top and working down to the bottom

. • Fur

• Suede

• Batting

• 2nd layer of Fur

• 2nd layer of Suede

• Light interfacing (both sides)

Pillow measures 16 by 16.

Highlights are: • How to cut out the pocket/muff Using a pot lid as a template. • How to properly cut and mark leather and fur. • Using suede as a binding strip • How to sandwich all the layers together and some helpful tips along the way

I was asked to use the lining of a coat to make two fur pillows. The lining was made of New Zealand Opossum. They wanted to use both the fur and the jacket lining. A very sharp Exacto knife was used the cut the fur. As you can see the manufacturer used very small left over pieces to make the inside lining of the coat. Enjoy the process.