This story starts in the year 2000, give or take. My very good friend, G, gifted me a tufted black wool coat from his then girlfriend’s closet. She was cleaning out and donating and thought I would like this particular coat. It was kind of my style, in that it was black, which was my uniform of choice. It had an 80s punk-rock puffy-shoulder feel that made you think of Cyndi Lauper or Debra Harry. I loved the fabric. I had a habit of cutting up clothes to makes parts of creature-like sculptures, so this tufty wool was perfect. On hearing my declaration of my intentions to cut apart the unwanted coat, G mentioned, “Its a Fendi coat.” And of course, my super sophisticated response was, “What’s that?” G took a moment and said, “Nope, nevermind. I think whatever you do with the coat will be perfect.” Cool. We were both satisfied with ourselves

Later I looked up Fendi on the internet and discovered it a fancy fancy Italian fashion house , and realizing that the coat was worth some bucks decided to hold on to it. Now I was about 10 sizes larger than the girlfriend, so over the years I would try on the coat but, even though it was baggy and unfitted, it just wasn’t comfortable. It also had no lining, which, in my opinion,is a huge oversight for such a brand name. Let’s just say, it was itchy wool but really nice itchy wool.

Fast forward to 2020. I find myself in the possession of some Costa Rican appliques and in the middle of a global pandemic. Work is slow. Projects need to be tackled and conquered. I browse my closet for the perfect fabric to provide the fabric for a new set of pillows made with the richly colored appliques. Ahhh, the Fendi coat that I have lugged around to multiple states and houses for 20 years...Its perfect! But the weird guilt I have at the thought of cutting up a jacket made by a fancy Italian designer is overwhelming. Is it handmade, is it worth something? A few google searches later I learn that this coat is Fendi 365 which is the ready to wear line. Coats similar, made from the same fabric, are selling resale for about $300.

I did not hesitate. I immediately got the seam rippers out and began dismantling the coat. My pillows would give me way more joy that $300. $300 would pay some bills, but these pillows would give me joy for years. In hindsight I should have take a picture of the coat before I ripped it apart, forgot. But here are pictures of my brand new pillows. Complete with a cozy pocket on each one that acts as a hand warmer or surprise keeper. They are perfect and loved.