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Vintage fur can be fragile. Air, light, heat, insects and accidents all contribute to causing damage to your precious garment. Generally, most people will take their fur to a professional to be repaired. However, in my experience, I have not always been pleased with the “professional” results, even after paying quite a lot of money for it as well.
Being the type of person who thinks “if you want something done right, do it yourself,” I searched the Internet for any information at all on repairing/sewing furs. I could find absolutely nothing on the subject and couldn’t even find a book on fur manufacturing. The best I could do was buy a package of leather needles at the sewing store, which I figured would be effective when sewing through a very thick fur. I examined many furs to try to understand the construction, as well as studying the way they were stitched, from the seams, to attaching the collars, to the way the linings were hand-sewn into the garment. I also scrutinized the actual repairs that were done on my minks, noting how they were done and taking special notice of the things I thought could have been done more neatly. I really believed that I could do it better than a professional furrier, so I took a deep breath and plunged into the world of fur repair.
What I Did
 To attach sable pelts to a coat, I threaded a huge leather needle with quadruple thread and, my fingers aching, I kept sewing until the job was done. My first project was to re-do a repair that was done by my furrier. He was supposed to have re-attached the dangling fur pelts that were hanging from the ends of a Sable stole. He had sewn them on so loosely and unevenly that I was very displeased. I nervously cut out his stitches, leaving me with four Sable pelts on the table, completely separated from the main body of the stole. I threaded the huge leather needle with quadruple thread, since I had seen that the thread the furrier used was a thick cord type, rather than the usual sewing thread. I began sewing the first pelt to the end of the stole, blowing on the fur to get it out of the way of the thread as I pulled it tight.
I seemed to have some kind of instinct as to what to do to make the stitches invisible. It was very difficult, as the pelts were doubled and had some kind of batting inside them. The needle had to pass through four thicknesses of fur and batting in order to be attached. My fingers aching, I kept sewing until the job was done and was rewarded with a perfectly sewn stole with pelts so tight that no amount of pulling would loosen them. I was tempted to show the furrier but thought better of it, as I didn’t want to insult him or seem arrogant. However, I was extremely proud of my accomplishment, which gave me courage to attack other repairs on my furs.
What You Can Do
 I was rewarded with a perfectly sewn stole with pelts so tight that no amount of pulling would loosen them. When sewing a fur, here is how to proceed: Use a special leather needle, available at any sewing store. You will need a needle-nose pliers, thimble, thread and scissors. To attach one piece of fur to another, pin it in place to hold it while you sew. Insert needle and thread, pushing the needle through the pelts with the thimble. When you have enough of the needle to grab on the other side, take the pliers and pull it though. Before you completely pull the thread tight, blow and brush the fur out of the way of the thread so it does not get caught. If it does, use the needle to pick it out of the stitch, flicking the fur back and forth with the needle. Brushing the fur with the fingers will smooth it over and hide the stitches. Continue until you are finished and tie off the thread, again pushing on the fur and blowing it out of the way. You want the stitches to be buried deep in the fur so you will never see them. Cut the thread, leaving it long so you can separate the strands and tie them several times, then carefully cut it deep within the fur, but be careful not to cut the fur. Better to leave the thread a little too long than to cut the guard hairs because they won’t grow back!
If you need to sew a seam or tear, use a thin needle, as the torn skin is delicate and a thick needle will damage it further. Using a double thread, gently put the needle into the skin, but not too close to the edge or it will likely tear out and you will not be able to repair it at all. When you pull the thread, do so gently and very slowly to see if it’s holding. If the repair is in a spot that will have a great deal of stress, you can sew it lightly, then glue a leather patch on the reverse side of the pelt (which will require you to open the lining). Then you must re-sew the lining, copying the original method you will see when you examine the lining edges. The stitches of the lining are taken from inside the lining and attached to the fabric strip which you will see is sewn to the edge of the pelt. The lining is not sewn to the skin itself, but to the fabric strip. Make the stitches as tiny as you can and you should have an invisible repair.
Easy Fixes
 If you are repairing Broadtail lamb, you should open the lining and sew it in from the back to hide the seams, and then close the lining back up. Another type of damage you can easily repair is the wear on the edges of a Persian lamb. Very often there is fur worn off, resulting in the ivory-colored skin showing through. Simply get a bottle of leather/shoe dye in the correct color at your local shoe repair shop or shoe polish section of the supermarket. If there is no dauber in the bottle, use a cotton swab to dab the color on the ivory skin. Use it sparingly and let it dry completely before wearing. You will be surprised and pleased at how the damage blends in and it makes the piece completely wearable.
Persian lamb very often has little splits where the curls peel back from the skin. You can correct this by using glue. This is the only time I will recommend gluing a fur, since in most cases, it will show and you will permanently damage the hair if the glue gets on the fur. To repair the loose Persian lamb curls, use tweezers to hold back the curl from the skin. Take a dot of white glue on a toothpick and put a tiny amount on the skin. With the tweezers, gently press the curl back onto the skin. Voila! You have done another invisible fix. Persian lamb is one of the easiest furs to patch as well. If you find yourself with an actual hole in the fur, you can cut a piece from an old damaged garment made of Persian Lamb. These are easy to find on online auction sites and are usually titled “craft cutters”. Cut a piece a little larger than the hole, place it in the opening and sew it to the perimeter of the hole. The curls will hide the stitches. If you are repairing the flatter type of Broadtail lamb, you should open the lining and sew it in from the back to hide the seams, and then close the lining back up. Persian lamb is the most forgiving fur when it comes to repairs!
Yet another type of damage is something being stuck in the fur, like a spill or something sticky. Using a pet brush will usually correct this. Very gently brush the substance from the stuck-together fur and you will have a uniform nap once more.
Use Your Imagination
 This fur had a monogram that had been horribly chopped out of the lining, leaving a huge, gaping hole. I used black satin blanket binding from the sewing store to make a patch and put my own monogram on it. There are other types of damage I have fixed simply by using my imagination, like opening a lining, rolling the damaged edge of a mink stole inward and re-sewing the lining to the shortened fur edge. It totally hid the damage and no one would ever notice anything had been done. Another time, I had a fur from which the monogram had been horribly chopped out of the lining, leaving a huge, gaping hole. I used black satin blanket binding from the sewing store to make a patch (the edges were already finished on two sides), or you could cut a piece of pretty fabric to cover the hole. Machine hem the edges into a neat square or rectangle. You can decorate the edges by sewing on a fancy trim or brocade ribbon, as I did. You can then use iron-on initials to make your own monogram, then you can either hand or machine-sew the “patch” into the lining. Again, nobody would ever know there was a hole there before you did your magic! Make the patch as pretty as you can, embellishing with trims and pearls and it will become a really special part of the garment, one which you will actually want to show off rather than hide. If you are really into details, stencil your initials onto the patch, and then sew tiny pearls to the outline to actually make a pearl monogram! Talk about unique!
When you have a special fur that you love, find ways to make it wearable by repairing it yourself. You will have the satisfaction of saving money, acquiring a new skill, using your imagination and saving your prized fur in the process.
Sharon Maxwell-Yamamoto is a Worthologist who specializes in vintage clothing and accessories.
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Thanks guys.
I was worried about the vacuum, which was why I waited to get home to use the Miele. It can be so gentle for dusting and such. I definitely had no problem, but I wouldn’t have used any other vacuum I’d owned :p
For me the whole point is that I did not intend to pay for a furrier to do anything for this coat. It was worth experimenting, to me. My good mink will always go to the furrier, but this was different and money tight.
There is a site, Vintage Sewing, which I like, and I remembered to look there about furs. They have laundering methods, and a lot on fur: http://www.vintagesewing.info/1930s/31-ldc/ldc-14.html
The gasoline thing is frightening, but I am reassured about the powdering. Next time I might try the bran method!
Anyway, I finally checked on the coat today, and it turned out wonderfully (the skins.) I still plan to do a better job of it, but the conditioning made such a difference already.
Hello-
i found somw interesting ideas on your site- this weekend i found an adorable vintage short “swing” mink coat at a flea market.
The body of the coat is beautiful however the arms and collar are badly ripped.
It looks to me like the coat was not stored correctly and creased. I ave done alot of searching and cannot seem to find the best way to attemp to repair it.
The woman that i bough tit from told me to sew it however i think it will tear the hide more. My mother suggested i use some type of glue.i am thinking this would be a better solution.
Do you have any ideas?
Thank you!
Diane
Hi Diane,
I thought to perhaps if the skin is very brittle and one cannot sew, to use a cotton band or similar and glue it on to the skin.
But I am at a loss of which glue one could take. Also glue tends to become harder with time.
I just send this idea to you re : a band or tape of cotton.
If you have received any worthwile answers ( not like mine….) could you please send them to me ?
I have a chinchilla bolero I have bought. It is vintage from the 60 ies.
Although in good condition, the woman who tried it on before I could have a look at it was hasty and ripped a 5 inch tear into the fur…
But I bought it anyway to eventually surprise my wife, as she has always liked to have tp have one.
So here I am with a wonderful chinchilla bolero, and a rip in it.
The fur stores I showed it to will not bother but want to sell me a new one …
I do have champagne taste but beer money I must admit.
Could you help me perhaps ?
I am in Brussels, Belgium
Thank you so very much in advance for anything you could come across
Bernd
I ironed my Estrakhan coat from the linning side, it shrunk in the ironed area
Is there any suggestions?Can the nature of the fur return back to its original state?
These are some great tips!I loved the patch repair – very creative. I do have one concern though..It can be very difficult maintain fur coats so I would recommend not taking even a pet brush to them. It can easily create even more of a problem than what you already have and thus forcing you to either toss it or bring it to a furrier for repair or fur remodeling. In all though, great post. Impressive job outdoing your furrier! :)
I have a Cigarette burn mark,what can I do to repair it
Thank you
how you c an pressed fur….?
I got a mink from a friend and well it is dried out and needs to be repaired! it’s split all over and I love the coat and it has value only because of family,
is there a stick or glue or something I can use to bring it togethera? the liner is fine just the fur!
The best way I have found to repair a vintage fur thats not worth spending money at the furrier is to cut a patch of fabric – best from a cotton shirt, place it under the rip in between the lining and the pelts – then with a hot glue gun glue one side of the rip to it, let it dry, then glue the other side to it, you would never know and its still flexible!
: )
the WORST THING you can do yo a fur is use GLUE to repair itt… hoever says it is clueless about repairing furs. glue will dry out and crack and there goes your fur. people dont give advice if you dont have a clue..
I must agree…as I said in the article, the ONLY time I use glue is a TINY dot of it on a toothpick to fasten a Persian lamb curl back into place.
I appreciate your knowledge, but please don’t be nasty to people who post here. Thank you.
Sharon
I tried to repair my just purchased vintage fur, apologies but unsure what the fur is possibly able, it is made from lets running down in lines and had a 3 inch split at the back close to the shoulder, I opened the lining and using an iron on invisible mending patch from behind tried to repair. What an idiot I was, I now have glue on the coat, a 2nd split and still the original split although it is larger, I will sew the splits now having read the advice given, but does anyone have any idea how I can remove a patch of glue about 2 ins square please as if I cant sort this out I might as well throw the coat, which was lovely. Anj
Per a furrier if you are not going to wear the coat a lot or are making something like a blanket out of an old coat you can use duct tape on the tear. She said to pull the rip together, tape from the back and then hold the hair dryer on it. Please be aware that once you do this the duct tape will not come off without ripping the skin.
I purchased a vintage fur that has no visable flaws except that it is kind of stiff. I was wondering if I could open the lining and use some kind of leather oil, mink oil, lexol, etc. on the hide side to soften it. Any other “do it yourself” suggestions so that I don’t have to pay a furrier?
I have a home product I am going to test myself and I will post the results here.
Y’all can send me your fur fiascoes!! Even if you think they are too small or awkwardly shaped.
depnomore@yahoo.com
If you can’t pay for shipping, I may be able to, it just depends.
Thanks,
M
Hello
I have this old fur coat and it has an approx 5 inch long rip on the arm sleeve.
i’m not sure what type of fur it is.. it’s a bit course, it’s dark brown with lines on it..
mink? but.. i dont know how to repair it.. should i add fur, or should i try and sew it back together. the rip is right on line.. i’m sorry i don’t really know fur lingo
i need help :( i really want to repair it and wear it this winter.
Hi Natassia,
From your description, and what I know is commonly available out there, I would bet this is muskrat. Dyed with stripes to make it look more like mink, muskrat is a very versatile and relatively inexpensive fur that was popular (dyed like thta) in the 1930′s and ’40′s. If there is a tear that large, it really depends on the condition of the skin itself, not the fur, as to whether it can be sewn back up. Open the lining and see how stiff the skin feels. Use my directions from the article to sew it and possibly reinforce it with a leather patch from behind, after you finish sewing it. And wear it with extreme care, meaning, take it off before getting into a car, and just be very aware of the way you’re stressing it. No shoulder bags, nothing that will grab the fur in any way.
Good luck!
Thank you for your site!!! I have a couple old coats that I haven’t been able to part yet but they’re really aren’t wearable either with the rips and tears in the pelts.
I’m going to try the duct tape mentioned above in one of the comments on the sleeve of my Persian lamb. I’m guessing the pelts have dried out and at the point of the shoulder both sleeves have tears right where the pointy end of the hanger would be. (they must not of seen the movie ‘Mommy Dearest’ or else they’d of known better! “No wire hangers ever!!!” ha)
The tears are really jagged leaving very thin, frayed edges that would tear again if I tried sewing them directly. But I’m thinking that if I used small pieces of duct tape on the underside and stitched them together it might work plus it’d help prevent more tears.
I have fur jacket acquired from a reputable furrier about 1980. The large collar is curly lamb. Due to the way the jacket was stored, the collar has developed what can best be described as “bed hair.” The curls near the outer edge of the collar lie awkwardly because of pressure over time. I’ve tried combing lightly with a hair pick, which helps, but the problem lingers. Can this be fixed?
I have bought a fox fur stole but the head has bent and is too stiff to reposition. Does anyone have any ideas on how to soften the head to position it correctly so it lies flat?