Refashioning a vintage fur, Pt 2: Collar

So far, my Vintage Fur Refashion has consisted of unpicking parts of the original fur coat and wearing them as separates. Not very imaginative, but a surprising amount of work nevertheless.

My Fur Stole is something to be worn when it is very cold. This collar is a bit more versatile, and is worn for fashion rather than warmth.

Under collar (before)

The underside of the coat collar was really quite spectacular. The pelts are narrow with quite short hair. I think there might be as many as 24 different pelts joined together. The colour variation is marvellous and the effect is of luxe stripes of black and brown silkiness.

The inside has been lined with horsehair canvas and bound with bias tape around the edges. The cut edges of the skins were visible at the edge of the collar, so I needed something to line the edges. I considered adding a full lining, but decided that my cutting skills were probably not up to the job of getting the lining to not bag out somewhere, and again, this fur is on it's last legs so I didn't want to sink a lot of materials into this project.

A length of black ribbon, fished from the present wrapping bag, did the trick instead. I attached it by hand to the right side of the fur edges, catching both the skin and the bias binding in the edges.

The skin held up pretty well. This part of the coat is not terribly decayed. Some of the edges are a bit wavy where the skin had disappeared and I had to move the stitches inward to find it again. I left two long edges of ribbon to make ties. Sewing the ribbon down to the canvas on the inside is not the prettiest. The edges are curved and the ribbon is not Petersham, so my ribbon is full of pleats and tucks. Plus, you can see the canvas. Maybe after I refashion the rest of the coat, I'll take some of the old lining (which is silk) and line the inside of this collar.

I have worn it over the collar of my leather jacket - again, a fabric that won't hold onto the shedding hairs. I appreciate the bit of extra grip that the canvas gives the underside. I tied the ribbon under the jacket collar. It takes a bit of holding together to put it on, but I managed it. The pile runs the "wrong" way on this collar, in that you stroke it from the edge up to the neckline. But I am going to be the only person stroking my clothing thank-you-very-much.

It also makes a very pretty child's stole/cape, and Cruella de Ville is going to wear it to school as part of her World Book Day costume.

Vintage Fur Refashion

Part 1: original coat and turning the collar into a stole

Part 2: under collar into a new collar