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

Mini Me Coco Sweatshirt Dress

Getting my sewjo back with a Coco dress seems to be how I need to ease myself through January. Even though I made my NYE Tablecloth between Christmas and New Year, I still find that the Christmas comedown and preparing for two birthdays in January means that I don't sew at all in January. Then I start to panic and think that I'll never sew again. Then I calm down and make something easy. Like a sweatshirt dress.

Big Sis has been an admirer of my Coco Sweatshirt Dress ever since I finished it last February. She, adorably, asked for one of her own. I had plenty of fabric left over from mine, so I added it to my sewing queue.

For the pattern I went back to one of my all time favourite children's patterns: Simplicity 1584. Seriously, this pattern is amazing! It is a perfect basic pattern block, the long sleeve dress can be made short sleeve, or sleeveless, I've done a drop waisted dress from it - actually, three; it also has a long sleeve knit t-shirt, pull on bottoms - which together would make great pyjamas - and of course capes. Because everybody needs capes. I've made three myself. Between this pattern and the Cottage Mama Party Dress, I think I have everything I need to keep my children in clothing. And it goes up to a size 8. Which still fits my 11 year old. Best Pattern Ever!

It was also FAST! On Thursday night, I got inspired to get on with it (two days until her birthday), dug out the fabric and pattern, cut out, realising I could cut the back on the fold - saving another seam in the process - and overlocked all the seams together. Win for already having dark thread in my overlocker. She tried it on and I scooped out about an inch from the front neckline. I didn't lengthen the sleeves because I was adding ribbing. I did add two inches to the hem length, and then shortened it by the same amount in the end. The side seams also needed shaping at the waistline. This is a very shapeless dress.

The next night, I found the navy ribbing I bought at the same time as the fabric and sewed that on to the neckline and sleeve cuffs. The fit was really good, but the colour (Dark Navy) is darker than the main fabric. She knew it was on its way, so I didn't have to rush to get it finished for her birthday. She was pleased that I was working on it though.

She liked the idea of pink patch pockets, and these scraps from my Liberty Sweatshirt (also Coco) are a very nice match with the navy. I really struggle with patch pockets. I never get them exactly right. And this style, with the marked contrast, is very unforgiving. I used the small pocket from the Coco pattern, and added 1/4 inch all around. I also topstitched the top edge of the pocket facing so that these were held down properly. I forgot to add a proper allowance for folding over at the time of cutting out. The pocket pattern piece should not really be square, but rectangular to allow for this.

Never mind that, it is a minor niggle with an otherwise great pattern. I mainly got my pockets sewn on straight, without too many wavy edges. The hem is finished with two rows of top stitching too. I would have liked a deeper hem, but chose to leave it just a smidgeon longer than requested because she is growing fast, this big little girl of mine.

Costs: 
 Fabric: used previously, £0.00
 Pattern: used previously, £0.00 
 Notions: navy ribbing, £6.45
Total: £6.45

Refashioning a Vintage Fur Coat Part 1: Stole

I have a secret which shames me a bit: I adore fur coats! They are so glossy, and silky, and warm! Does it make it ok if they are vintage? I hope so, because I have one. I got it in Italy - where the women are known for their beautiful furs. From a junk shop. Vintage shop is not the right word for this place, it is more of a salvage yard with used furniture piled up outside a shed-like building. They have an amazing selection of vintage home appliances such as pre-electric irons and rotary telephones. If you wanted to dress a film set, this would be the place to shop.

Before, front

Before, back

But back to the coat. I paid far too much for it, 120 euros, and it is actually worthless. More on that later. 

It's not something I would wear at the moment: it is too big for me, the full length is very dated, the double breasted style adds even more volume and the collar is the biggest problem of all. It is far too large, and the pile has been cut which takes off the shine, colour and silkiness of the longer pile pieces. Honestly, wearing the coat makes me look like I am wearing a bear costume. 

Watch out for that bear!

I was really torn about what to do with it. It was stuffed in the top of my cupboard for quite a few years because I had no idea, and I was really scared of getting it wrong.

The fur is beautifully glossy and silky and it is heavy and warm. I believe the animal is not a bear but fox, possibly male. The pelts in the back and sleeves seem very large and the joins and the stripes look fabulous. They are arranged in large strips with a black stripe running through the centre. The furrier kept a lot of volume in the hem and placed the darker colours here. I don't know how they joined the pelts to get this effect, but it is a lovely touch. The underside of the collar is also quite spectacular. I'm not sure if it is shorn, or a different animal altogether, but these are relatively coarse hairs, moving in stripe patterns. They seem to have joined lots of small pelts together. Possibly the legs? (I am simultaneously enchanted and revolted by this coat.) The short pile on the underside means the collar sits flat when worn. I wouldn't have even thought that it was even necessary to have the under-collar made of fur at all. This must have been a pretty luxurious coat in its day.

Under Collar

In its day. Unfortunately, that day has now passed. The skin has dried out, and the fur sounds rustly and feels papery when you move it about. I now know that if it sounds like that, you shouldn't buy it. I'm not exactly sure if it was that way when I bought it, or if it has deteriorated since I owned it - probably both - but it is in a bad state of decay now. Just from trying it on at home and wearing it about the house for fun (ok, warmth) caused a tear to open up in the underside of the sleeve. These are ugly tears in the middle of the skin. This is because the skin has rotted away under the fur. It also means that the fur is starting to shed. Most people don't bother to send their vintage furs away for storage in the winter, it's too expensive and too much of a hassle. So that means that most vintage furs are in a sorry state indeed. It is probably not worth buying furs older than 10 years. Even top quality furs are going to deteriorate with time. As a positive: I see this as part of the sustainable nature of real fur - it will rot and decompose, and not become more plastic in landfill, as faux fur will. We can look after it and enjoy it, but it is not going to be here forever.

Hole in the hide

The terrible state of the skin made me feel less scared about cutting into it. I knew that I was not set to ruin something, because it was ruined anyway. (Although it did leave me with a niggling question in the back of my mind: how does one dispose of a decomposing fur coat? Throw it in the household rubbish? Compost? Shall I walk past a street bin and dramatically throw it off my shoulders and stuff it in the bin? I would do that last one outside the Opera House!)

Before

But back to the refashion. There are so many different things I could get out of this coat, if only the skins are in good enough condition. Best case: a throw from the skirt, two cushion covers from the sleeves, a cape from the shoulders, a stole from the collar and a hat trim from the under collar. I started by unpicking the top of the collar from the rest of the coat.

After

I was terribly worried about being icked out by the sight of the skins under the lining. I didn't want to see all the little animals that went into this. I like fur and I like meat, but I don't like the animal products that I consume to look like the animals that went into them. 

Lucky me: the coat is more well-made than I even dreamed, the underside is lined with horsehair canvas and another layer of lining. This is all edged with bias binding to hold the shape of the collar. So unpicking the collar (which took three evenings) left me with a lined, bound piece in the shape of a stole. Win! It was a messy job though. The fur is a bit smelly in that old clothes / charity shop way, the pile shed at the edges and there is fine sawdust inside. Something to do with the cleaning process. 

I found this article on how to refashion a fur incredibly helpful.

Lining

There were two slashes, creating lapel edges, I sewed these up by hand and they add nice volume to the stole. I didn't use a special needle, or thread, just one of those hotel sewing kit needles! I tried to keep the stitches going through the bias binding and the hide for maximum strength. The stitches went in easily. Perhaps a better quality hide might cause more problems. 

I have been wearing the stole without adding a new lining. The underside looks pretty ropey, but in all honesty, I am not willing to put in the effort to line it when it is probably going to perish quite soon anyway. I have found a way to wear it as a collar/scarf with my winter jacket and I just stuff the long ends inside my lapel. It is lovely and warm and feels soft too.

Vintage Fur Refashion

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

Part 2: under collar into a new collar

Wool Cardigan

The poor child got shown this yarn when I first bought it in July 2011. That is SIX AND A HALF YEARS AGO! She waited so patiently for her cardigan, dear love. Luckily she still likes purple.

This Hayfield Bonus Aran is only 20% wool, but it feels as though it has a much higher wool content. It feels wooly and soft, but not poly-soft. The yarn comes in the most enormous ball: 400g at once. The good part is that there are no joins between balls, and you never leave your spare balls behind. The bad part is that the ball gets in a bit of a mess as you knit with it because it falls apart as you go along. A lot of re-winding was necessary. But... no joins!

I eventually started knitting it up in January 2016. That is TWO YEARS AGO! I used the same pattern as a previous cardigan for her, the Lace Panel Cardigan from Fabulous Knits. I cast on for the 6-7 year size again, expecting that it might be a size or two larger in the Aran weight wool.

It was absolutely enormous! Larger than the ball of yarn. It was massively large on me. So I put it aside for another YEAR AND A HALF and re-cast on for the size 2-3 this summer.

I did a rib waistband. I should have stuck with my original 2x2 rib and a thicker band. This one is 1x1 and only about 1 inch deep so it is prone to flipping up - which is something I hate about home knits.

I had to re-think the raglan sleeves so that I could join them to the body and keep knitting. I should have left a stitch between the decreases to make a thicker seam, rather than a row of eyelets, but otherwise it worked well. I had to re-knit a section because I was decreasing too fast and I needed the height of the shoulder to be taller. I think I switched from decreasing every second row to every fourth row, but we tried it on as we went along, and it is pretty quick by the time you get to this part of the shoulders. My actual notes are on Ravelry.

I seamed the sleeves rather than knitting in the round. My rounds show where the needles break the pattern and never look as nice as flat knitting. So I chose to have one seam under the arm rather than four breaks all around.

I am in two minds as to whether I think the seamed on button bands are necessary or not. On the one hand, they allow you to stretch the bands into place, making the edges firmer and giving a good finish. They also allow you to place the buttonholes evenly, especially if you are making up the size as you go along - as I was. I suppose, on reflection, the seaming is worth it, albeit painful at the time. I very nearly didn't finish because of this seaming.

I only had six of the metal buttons so I couldn't add any more, and had to make do with the button placement as it is. One extra would have been perfect. I sewed them on to the first button band and left the knitting of the second one to match up the buttons with the buttonholes as I knitted up. This is the edge that I nearly didn't finish. Luckily, I am not one to allow myself to get going with a new project until the old one is finished.

I did make an exception of a PussyHat, in case Baby Donald showed up in town and I needed to go to a protest at short notice. I also needed a de-stress knitting project and this was the right sort of mindless knitting that is just what the doctor ordered.

Happy New Year... Tablecloth

Pretty simple, but a black linen tablecloth is one that I have wanted for a while. Black looks elegant and glamorous and doesn't show the marks.

I have a long rectangular table that is over 2 meters in length. I got 3 meters of black linen from Amazon and have about 50cm left over. The width wasn't quite wide enough to hide the edges of my table protector so I added a border of black cotton to the edges. The border is 5.25 inches wide but doubled over and topstitched down. I got a bit tired of mitred corners so I didn't get around to making the four matching napkins, but I got this on the table in time for New Years Eve.

Happy New Year!

Costs:

  Linen: 3m, Amazon, £21.54

  Cotton: 2 yards, Southern Fabrics, £14.41

  Thread: used previously, £0.00

Total: £35.95

2017 in review

As 2017 comes to an end, it is fun to look back over the year and see what I have done.

Or haven't done. I feel like I have been making less and less over the years. My output has shrivelled. In an effort to counter this, and use up my extensive stash, I started a system of setting a monthly sewing task for myself. Self imposed deadlines, if you will.

My monthly tasks involved making one thing for myself plus, ideally one thing for the girls and one alteration or mending project that I have been putting off. Did I achieve this?

The happy result is that 2017 saw my output jump. Not back to previous levels, but respectable nevertheless.

Here’s a nerdy chart…

Embarrassingly, the "Me" category is the highest it has ever been, but the girls and the gifts categories look not too bad compared to previous years, the dolls has shrunk and it appears that dolls made up a huge part of my output in my biggest years.

I got one thing made for myself in each of January, February, March, April (2 things), May (2 things), June (2 again), July, September, October and November. Holidays in August and Christmas prep in December took over the missing two months. 

I also got something made for the girls in each month of May, June, July, September, October and November.

The repairs/refashions were also great at getting me to actually get on and do those things that were hanging over my head. But the success was bittersweet: in attempting to peg my grey flannel dress, the seams stretched out so badly that the whole thing was ruined and is no longer wearable. A case of troublesome fabric made worse by overwork.

With all that preamble, how about we move on to the main business?

Top 5 of 2017

My Top 5 is actually a pretty boring list. I can almost squeeze everything I made into it. It looks something like this:

               1.      Suit Refashion

I got a completely wearable dress and a needed waistcoat out of one old suit. Delighted!

2.      Sew Over It, City Break pattern collection

Within a year, I have made 3 things from this pattern bundle. Admittedly, one of them is already in the bin, but that is the fault of the fabric, and not the pattern. I am already planning on my first make of 2018 being its replacement.

3.      Pyjamas 

2017 was the first year I have made some long-planned pyjamas. (0.5 down, 3.5 to go!) This feather fabric is one of my all time favourite prints and the Daydream shorts are the first time I have ever been able to say that I know the fabric designer. Actually know her, not just met her at a sewing event. Cool, heh?

4.      Karen Dress

Ahh Karen, my love for thee knows no end. My all time favourite dress pattern, in one of my most favourite fabrics. Long stashed and finally cut into, this dress is totally “me”.

5.      Costumes 

Is this my first time making costumes for myself? Such an oversight that I made two: a skirt for Eurovision and a complete outfit for Egyptian day. Plus a spider and a mummy for the child. While not being anywhere close to cosplay quality, they did the job on the day(s).

Now that I’ve made the boring list, how about a different one? How about…

My top 5 makes of all time

I went through my finished project spreadsheet and ranked everything on a scale of one to 10. Here are the 10s:

1. Karen Drape Dress in black
2. Karen Drape Dress in patterned wool jersey
3. Vogue Floral Coat
4. Hibiscus Dress
5. Megan Wool Dress

I'm pretty pleased with those makes, none of them are perfect but they are all perfect for me. A lot more of them reached the 7s, 8s and 9s, so that was a win too. I notice my newer things are scoring higher. Possibly because I am tired of the older items, but possibly also because I am getting better at choosing fabrics and making more of what I know I want to wear, rather than getting distracted by the pretty patterns and colours on the quilting cottons.

Now it's on to my sewing queue for 2018!

Walk Like an Egyptian... Mummy!

What better thing to make just after Halloween, than a costume?

We did actually know that Egyptian Day at school was coming up in November, but we went ahead and became a spider for Halloween anyway, knowing that we were going to make a mummy appear in November.

Mummy Costume

The brief was to come in Egyptian costume for a workshop and a feast, but we decided to ignore that and just be a mummy, because it was more fun.

To make the costume, we had to rip up some fabric into strips. I started with a shirt sleeve of M's that he used to strain some red wine, after the cork crumbled. The wine stain had gone a lovely dirty grey colour. The rest of the scraps are from a worn out sheet, and I got to use the worn out parts. The mummy had great fun helping me tear the strips. The long threads and torn edges were so effective in the final costume. 

Then we stained the scraps with tea. For reference, I used 3 tea bags in a mixing bowl of hot water - Earl Grey, if you must know - and then dunked the scraps in the tea with tongs. We had the bowl standing in the bathtub so we could pull them out soaking. The dunking was very quick, just in and out of the tea. I rinsed it a bit, but didn't want to rinse all the tea out of the fabric, so I mostly hung it to dry, all wrinked and messy. The rags looked so cool, hanging on the rack. Made me wonder where the mummy was - every time!

Then I started the labourious process of hand sewing the strips to the wrong side of a pair of white leggings and a t-shirt. I had at least two needles on the go, one on one side seam, and one on the other. I would pass the fabric over to the other side, secure with a few stitches in the top and then run the needle up the seam to wait for the next pass. I had to leave enough ease so the clothing would stretch properly to get it on and off. It was surprisingly difficult to do this. I had to sew the leggings while the child was wearing them to get it right. 

The good part was that I didn't have to sew neatly, nor hide the knots in my thread. The messier the better! While I was working, I left the scraps and the project stuffed in a bag, looking like a bunch of dirty rags and I am quite sure it helped with the final effect! I borrowed a friend's idea and joined bits of fabric by tying knots with exposed ends, in different places  over the costume (that's the friend's costume in the picture above). It looks really good, as do some random bits of rags hanging down here and there. She didn't like how much ease there was in the costume and the bits hanging in swathes, so I joined the rags together through the centre front, which covered more of the t-shirt. I sewed a long rag to the edge of the sleeve so we could wind this around her arms, another rag made a 'necklace' which covered the skin on her neck and instead of a head covering, I twisted a rag around her ponytail and tied it under her chin, which did a for a head bandage.

She wanted Egyptian eye makeup and we added purple under-eye smudges then a liberal dusting of talcum powder. 

Egyptian Costume

While I was working on the mummy, the teacher emailed me to thank me for responding to their request for parent helpers, and to ask if parents could come in costume too! Eeek! But life is more fun if you dress up so I decided to embrace the challenge and go for it. 

First, the mummy had to make a decision on whether I would be a mummy or a person. Thankfully she chose a person, because I thought it might be easier than a second mummy. But it would have been funny for Mummy to be a mummy!

I returned to the last scraps of the sheet to make a straight, white maxi dress. Just two rectangles, sewn at the side seams, with a centre back seam. The top edges are diagonal up to the centre because of the stitching line of the fitted sheet. I created straps for the shoulders. I made a pleat in the front and under each arm and a side slit at each side. The front hem curve is another sheet-made necessity, not a styling choice! For the hem, I zig zagged and turned once. The arm holes and neckline are finished by turning twice.

Then I wanted gold brocade for a belt, necklace and headband. I couldn't find brocade in my 5 minutes of looking in the upholstery section of John Lewis, so bought 1m of the gold-est fabric I could see. It is floral, which is not at all Egyptian, but the flowers were set wide apart with a nice vine pattern and the reverse side was very gold indeed. Plus it was only £14/m. 

For the belt, I used my waistband pattern from New Look 6057, my favourite curved waistband. I added length to exaggerate the sash style, and increased the front sections to overlap for velcro. I used flat felled seams for the side seams and then added strips of black ribbon for decoration. I eyeballed the pattern I wanted for the hanging down part (I'm sure that is the technical name for it) and sewed the ribbon to the front. After I had created a lining for the belt and the front, I attached the belt to the front piece at the top of the belt.

The fabric didn't sew very nicely, especially with the ribbon addition. I interfaced the front of the collar. The whole thing would have been better with interfacing, but I wasn't about to sink that amount of notions into a dressing up project.

I had enough for some half-cuffs, but you can only see the elastic in this photo. They are stiffened with toilet roll cardboard.

I even have gold snake sandals, and the Mummies had fun putting on their makeup in the school bathrooms!