what to do? damaged fur coat...

[kealina]

i bought a damaged muskrat coat (Sz M or maybe L) at a yard sale yesterday for $1... it's got rather large holes (up to 3+ inch diam) due to being left out in the rain (by movers) and deteriorating and the leather is a little stiff in several areas including the ends of the sleeves... there is a hole under each armpit and another 6 or 7 on the back of the coat within 2 1/2 feet of the hem.... if it wasn't for the two armpit holes i would simply shorten the coat into a short ladies jacket... but i have no idea how i would patch those holes or even if the jacket is good enough to salvage...
i would have to remove the lining to see how the leather is before i know for sure but from the feel, it's got a lot of problems and it would probably be better just to use the salvageable pieces...

so now i am looking for ideas on what to do... the lady selling the jacket told me she had thought of turning one of the nicer sections into a small pillow for visual impact...but every time she saw the coat she was angry so she decided to let it go... so now i'd like to do my best to salvage as much as possible without spending much... my MIL and SIL and even sister can sew so that helps although none of us know much about working with fur...

i was thinking maybe i could salvage some of the fur for stuff like a fur collar/cuffs for another jacket, a hat? or whatever else i could think of... any ideas??

[getforfree]

Can you shorten it to make the jacket, and use the leftover pieces to patch the holes? Don't know if you would have enough leftovers.

[Crystallas]

You can make patterns out of good fabric. Thats what a lot of furriers do with multiple samples.

Pull the sketch pad out and draw up some ideas.

[PrincessPerky]

First I think the lady did the right thing getting rid of it, while salvagable anything salvaged would be emotional turmuil for her..

which is good luck for you

I think as a jacket it sounds impossible, but as accent fur it sounds pretty salvagable. That or a small pillow or whatnot. just dono't try to salvage anything questionable in hopes of using it..you don't want a nice project ruined by 'oops' I guess it was worse than I thought' fur....

[kealina]

thank you everybody for the input...
get for free, i think a jacket would almost impossible...i took a closer look and it turns out there is another hole near the shoulder at the top of the left sleeve...

crystallas, could you clarify what you are talking about? i'm not sure what you mean.

perky, you're right... i'm hoping to remove the lining to take a look at the condition of the leather and see exactly how much is usable... i'm hoping for enough for the front of a pillow, a collar/headband, and a pair of cuffs if i'm lucky... i'd love a small hat but i doubt it plus i wouldn't know how to make it anyway...

does anybody know anything about working with fur? i'd love some tips... i did do a little research and read that you should use an exacto blade to cut on the leather side (less damage to fur) but that's all I've found...

thanks again everybody...

[PrincessPerky]

heh, I can't even sew a patch on my kid jeans I was just offering the generic advice sorry. I hope someone here does know more about leather/fur though.

[boefixepa]

Well, I'm no expert, but my dad has made mocassins and leather indian stuff for years. Some mocs he has done with fur. I can tell you a few simple things, but they may not apply to your situation. You will need a good cutting board, my dad uses a nylon kitchen one, and a collection of exacto knifes with different blades. He prepunches holes with a thingy and a mallot. You may not need to do this with a softer leather, but it's hard to get needles through the hide. He uses a special thread too and lots of wax on the needle and thread to keep things from getting hung up. From what I've seen of the leather with furs still on they are softer and a bit easier to get things through. I'd find some leather stores in your area and see if you could talk to someone there. They would be able to tell you a bit more probably. Or give you a direction to do to take with someone. If you have trouble finding a leather store, look for a bead store. Someone there will know where to find leather/fur.

[kealina]

lol... well, i can sew a patch although i sew better by hand than with an actual sewing machine...
boe, thanks so much for the info. it is very helpful. i was hoping to keep it pretty simple since it's just a salvage project... i can get my hands on a cutting board, maybe a few exactos, needle, thread and possibly needle-nose pliers (what we use on with the needles for stubborn projects)... i don't know if we have a leather store here either... there isn't much call for warm clothing in hawaii...
i just started removing the lining to get a look at the leather... only to find there is another layer of fabric underneath... i have a feeling it will be at least a week before i can get going on any real sewing...