I’m recycling reusing repurposing pre-loved fur coats. And how did this all come about?
Well, my skating buddy, Pat Corbell, sent me a photo of a pompom she handmade out of raccoon fur. She thought it made a nice addition to my bamboo toque and I wholeheartedly agreed. So, I wrote about in a blog post. Then, lo and behold, women in the community wanted to donate their unworn fur coats and stoles to be recycled, reused and repurposed as fur pompoms.
Previously, you read about Bernadette and her raccoon coat. This week, here are 5 more generous souls and their fur stories:
Giselle
When I was a young girl I use to run errands to the local corner store for an elderly couple down the street. I was thrilled they let me keep the pop bottle deposit. After dropping off their groceries and the occasional pack of cigarettes, I’d have some lemonade with them. They would tell me stories of the old days and I would talk about school and usually the latest book I was reading.
One day I showed them my prized rhinestone broach and earrings that I bought at the church sale. I talked about my fascination with the jewellery, the hats, the long gloves and the evening bags. I should mention I loved playing dress-up. The next time I visited, I was given a fox stole and later another stole. That was the start of my collection of fur pieces.
Fur wrap donated by Giselle
And now, Giselle’s fur collection is being repurposed as fur pompoms.
Sheila
A friend won a rabbit stole as a door prize and gifted it to me. It sat in a bag for many years because I had no occasion to wear it. And, really, even if I’d had, I probably wouldn’t have worn it.
So, Colleen did me a huge favour by giving a purpose to something I had no purpose for. It was too nice to toss, but languished in a bag for years, unappreciated.
Now it has a use and I get to feel good that I did some small thing to support a local business woman. Really, I feel Colleen did more for me than I did for her.
White pompoms from Sheila’s rabbit stole
Not true, Sheila! I’m so grateful for your contribution to my pompom collection. And, FYI, the 2 white rabbit pompoms have already been spoken for.
Louise
The green muskrat was my retirement present from me to me.
Green muskrat coat donated by Louise
Recycled pompoms from Louise’s muskrat coat. I’ll have golden yellow toques to go with these colourful pompoms.
My long black ranch mink is too heavy to wear now. I’ve had surgery on my back.
Louise’s long black ranch mink coat
My fondest memory is of my grandchildren burying their faces in the fur and saying, “Grandma it’s so soft”.
I’m happy to support Colleen and her business by donating the coats to be recycled into fur pompoms for her new bamboo toques.
Christine
When I was 9 I had to start a collection of some sort for my Grade 5 class. I had collected rocks for awhile, been invited to view stamp collections of older neighbours, and had a few silver dollars as birthday gifts. Then, I decided to write to local furriers in Ottawa to ask for their scraps. They all generously sent me samples and I put them all in a shoe box. I remember my favourite was the marten fur which was 2-toned.
Later on, in my late teens my mother gave me her Persian lamb coat to wear. I was a thrifter from the age of 14 and picked up a fur coat which I think was made out of goat. I wore that for a couple of years. Even now, I’ll still pick up a fur item like a hat at a thrift store, and have been given lots of fur bits from friends and family.
Some of these were contributed to Colleen in her call-out for fur pieces for her toque pom-poms.
Pompoms from Christine’s fur collection
Keep your eye out for a future article on Christine’s fur ponderings.
Margo
For Christmas 1983, my grandfather wanted a special gift for my grandmother. You see my grandfather was dying and he knew it would be his last gift to her. He gave her another gift leading her to believe that that was her one Christmas gift. Later when my grandfather was resting in bed, she found a box hidden at the back of the tree. She took it to him, opened it and there was the coat. It was an incredibly special moment, a special love, and a special gift.
Gift of love
Margo, thank you for sharing this special story. It’s truly an honour to bring a new life to your grandfather’s gift of love to your grandmother.
Pre-order your toque with fur pompom
Pre-order your bamboo toque with removable fur pompom here. You can request the type of fur you’d like in the Notes section when you check out, subject to availability of course. There are also matching bamboo mitts. The anticipated arrival date is sometime in October in plenty of time before the snow flies. If you’re an early holiday shopper, they make great gifts.
Psst: I’m going to do a Live “Pick your pompom” on my COKANNA Facebook page on Thursday, September 30th at 1:00 pm EST. Pre-order your bamboo toque and then come on the live and hand pick your pompom. I have about 100 different pompoms to choose from. Each one is unique and handmade. Many customers have already ordered and selected their pompoms so don’t miss out on the one you like!
Pick your pompom
Until next time,
~ Colleen
I’m a recovering Chartered Accountant and Breast Cancer Champion turned Fashion Designer. My COKANNA Canadian-made bamboo clothing is all about comfort and style. Giving back to the community is important to me so I support Rethink Breast Cancer‘s metastatic breast cancer education, support, and advocacy work.
