Me-Made May Days 15 and 16: in which I start to get serious about stash-busting
First up: a mink coat acquired for $50 when the costume department where a friend works had a sale to clear out some underused stuff. It fit me just fine around and through the shoulders, but sleeves were too short (technically, it's too short for fashion as well, but I don't mind this length as I will actually wear it walking to work and when I want to stay warm). Rootling around to reorganize some craft and sewing supplies, I found a mink coat collar. I have no idea where it came from, but it was an almost perfect match in terms of colour. I carefully unstitched part of the backing and trimmed it, then unstitched the fur down the middle to make two pieces. Then I sewed them to the lining of the coat so that the sleeves are now long enough for comfort.
Second and third: a pair of pyjama bottoms for my horse-mad daughter and two more necklaces. Technically, the pyjamas aren't quite finished because she didn't get around to trying them on so I could hem, put in an elastic waistband, and make any minor size adjustments necessary since I used an old pair of pj's as a pattern and may have overestimated a) how much she has grown and b) how much the fleece stretches. Instead, she headed off to a movie about horses. I'm calling it a win under the circumstances. On the pyjamas I have displayed the repaired jade bead necklace and the gold-dyed pearl necklace. Both have been in my "to do" box of bead supplies for at least a decade.
