Hi,
Ok, here's one for all you resourcefull mamas. I have my grandfather's bear fur coat from the 20's. It isn't in the greatest of condition and It's never been properlly stored. I don't have the heart to part with it, but I have no idea what to do with it.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
My step mom maid hers into Teddy Bears for all of her grandchildren. They are adorable and will be around forever.
I've seen ads for places that can make it into a teddy bear. Thought that was a sweet idea and a way to preserve a fur that someone either didn't want to wear or that wasn't in great condition.
http://www.teddybearsbykaren.com
You should take it to a fur salon/furrier and ask if they could restore it and what they would recommend. They may have suggestions or places that take old furs and turn them into other items. Since fur isn't in vogue like it used to be, there are many people who inherit them and don't really know what to do with them! I'm thinking a throw would be really nice and soft (and very, very warm).
Keep it. I have lots of things of my grandmothers that I don't use and are stored away but I don't have the heart to part with them yet. Maybe someday but not right now.
Lisa
I would ask a professional how to store it... I had one I got from my grandma (that she got from HER grandma...) when I was 12, and it was kept in my dad's closet... My brother needed to make a costume for boy's camp, got in the closet and cut it up!!! My grandma just about had a stroke when I told her about it. (Brother was punished...but that didn't bring back my coat!)
When my grandmother passed I was given her fur coat, which I'm very against. My mother had a place make it into a teddy bear and used the lining from the coat, which had my grandmother's initials on it, to make a bow for around the bears neck. The store's name was "Born Again Bears" in East Tawas, MI ###-###-####. I don't know if they are still in business but worth a try.
We turned one into a teddy bear as well...now that is the heirloom! It was my husband's grandmother's coat that was used. Then I got some pins that were from my grandmothers and put them on the bear & the bear's hat. A beautiful keepsake to pass down with memorabilia from each side!
The throw idea is a good one, on a couch, chair or bed; had that in mind myself. How about using as a "rug" to pull an area of a room together.
It all depends on the size and shape, of course. And the teddy bears would be great. You could even have a doll or teddy bear made to include in a picture grouping on a bare wall, either on a "hook" or in a shadow box.
In any event, keeping it seems a good way to go. Good luck.
I would call around too. If it's one of those things that you want to keep then it's worth the money it will cost. Fur, fake fur, and leather are expensive to clean. Our cleaners has to send them off to get them done. They don't even keep the chemicals in store. If it's wearable after cleaning then do it and enjoy the warmth.
Would you be willing to part with it if it was at a local museum where you could go see it?
Local chapters of hsus and peta were accepting them in the past to then recycle for wildlife endeavors.
They use them as nesting material for baby mammals who have become orphaned by poachers who have killed their mothers for their fur.
We are in an age where it is no longer fashionable to to wear the fur of an animal that was killed just for a fashion statement.
Google the above information in hopes to make a humane decision.
