I heard the same deep gasp as when he was resurrected when he woke up on the ship, too.
I think so, but from what we've seen, they don't get a clear view of the future. So, he may have known that they would meet at Hardhome, and win, but maybe not that Jon was in the Night's Watch with a Valyrian steel sword, rather that just a wildling.
I think it was shaved/cut/trimmed fur, rather than pieced. I think you could use good faux fur, although the Ikea hides would probably be cheaper than the nice stuff (the last I bought was sheared beaver at $60 per yard, and the longer stuff was a lot more). Also yay fellow sewist!