So You Want to Sew Some Fur

ENJOY MY GLORIOUS CHIPPED NAIL POLISH. Blame the sewing machines. They always ruin my nails. Anyway, this is how the furriers do it. Now you guys can be pros~!


Side note: in this tutorial I'm stitching FAKE fur. I think real fur would work the same way, since leather doesn't have a grain, but to be safe I'm going to say test it with scraps first.

Edit 1/23/14: on a home machine, I suggest sewing with a knit stitch (the triple/stretch stitch). If you want to look pretty like mine afterward, cut off the excess to whatever is a comfortable amount and use the fake overlock stitch setting. Or if you have a home overlock, just overlock it.

Edit 12/31/2013: I've tried this on a home machine and yes, it works perfectly fine. Just watch out for the thickness, because your machine may not be able to sew through it depending on how thick the fur is. However, if you tuck it all in like I said, you won't have to brush it out afterward and it'll look seamless. If it is too thick, cut away the fur within the seam allowance, so at 1/2 inch if it's a 5/8th seam allowance or 1/4 if it's a 1/2 seam allowance. (Experiment here; your machine may require you to cut exactly to the seam allowance.)  Also, use a razor blade to cut the fur when cutting from a pattern, not regular fabric scissors. Cut from the knit side (back) and slice through. The fur will not fall off in clumps if you do this. If you cut from a slight angle it will be easier. This is also how you cut real fur.


The rest of the 'So You Want To....' series:


Sewing Fur: fav.me/d5mg5vt
Making Props with Sculpey: fav.me/d3jqyqn
Bird Tail: fav.me/d2s5k13
Painting Leather Shoes: fav.me/d38qiih
Repairing Damaged Painted Shoes: fav.me/d3bzzj5
Putting Decals on Painted Shoes: moonymonster.deviantart.com/ar…
Dog Sock Buddy Toy: fav.me/d5mfxdy