Winter White Coat with Champagne Mink

Although I'm thinking SPRING these days, I wanted to share this coat that I made for the Holiday Art Fair.   The style of this coat is slightly retro but thoroughly modern.   It is about knee length and is cut fulll enough to put over a jacket or sweater.  It is fully lined and has welt pockets.  I repurposed a champagne mink stole to create the shoulder feature.  I prepare the fur by removing the lining and cutting any seams that prevent it from laying flat.   I then transfer my shoulder pattern on to the back of the fur piece.  I then reseam the fur so that it can lay on top of the coat.   I leave the coat side seams open until I have finished attaching the fur to the coat.  I use a zigzag stitch along the cut edge of the fur to attach it to the coat.  I  used a tapestry floral motif for the applique.    After I apply fusible interfacing to the back of the fabric to prevent excessive fraying, each motif is carefully cut out.   I then strategically arrange the motifs on top of the fur; pin in place and then free motion applique them to the coat.    This is quite a tedious process as the coat is very bulky and hard to manuever.  I also do some thread painting on the motif after they are applied to give it more interest and dimension.