Throwback Thursday - MacTavish

 While researching genealogy, not only is it about tracking data like birth dates, city of birth, census records, photographs, but it's important to try get the stories behind the facts.

Ma told me when she was courting Dad, he had given her a stuffed Scottie dog that they named MacTavish. The dog wore a Tam O'Shanter, a Scottish hat. I don't know whether the dog was a birthday, Christmas gift, or a prize won at a fair. I never asked Dad his side of the story about the toy.

Ma had a Persian Lamb coat which she loved. The coat was never properly cared for or stored. One of the shoulders was torn so it couldn't be worn. Besides, no one wears fur coats any more. What to do with it? 

A few years ago, I stumbled on the idea that teddy bears could be made from fur (usually mink) coats as a remembrance. I thought it was a charming idea, but it was very expensive, and I don't really sew. The coat languished in my cedar closet. Until...

The Young One has taken an interest in fabric arts. I told her the story of MacTavish and asked if she could do the project. She found a Scottie Dog pattern on Etsy.

After working on the project,  a couple of weeks, cutting and sewing by hand, she presented me with MacTavish. She used blue safety eyes and sewed on a square, leather button nose from (Ma's) the button box. MacTavish had to have blue eyes because he was for me, and blue is my favorite color.  She also gave him a jaunty, Tartan bow. I'm working on crocheting a hat for him.

I told the Eldest about her sister's creation and the response was: : She made a cute dog out of that hideous coat! 😀 (I'm not really interested in having one, but it is cute.)

I'll ask other family members if they want a MacTavish, but I'm thinking the answer is no. There's still a lot of material left as MacTavish was made out of one of the sleeves. If the Young One has no further use for the material, I found some animal rescue sites that take donations of fur coats to use as bedding.

Thank you, DB for bringing MacTavish to life for me, for us. MacTavish will be yours. When it comes time for you and your sister to clean out the Dollhouse, if left up to your sister, MacTavish will be first in the dumpster. 😺