Sewing Fur

[dumbass45601]

Has anyone tried to create something with fur pelts? I have some ideas to try and create but I don't know what certain thread or anything to use, I do not have a sewing machine so it will be "craft" quality for myself.

[FullLengthFox]

I played with the idea but ended up having it done by a furrier. It is possible to hand sew, you can find some tutorials on YouTube. 

[dumbass45601]

Yeah I am just wondering if anyone has any personal experience with it, the tutorials are ones who actually do sewing crafts.

[rabbitfur]

I made a blanket out of an old ratty lynx coat. In hindsight that coat's skins were too brittle to make it worthwhile but it was good to learn how to do the stitching. Get a variety of needle widths from any craft store and some thick leather working thread and the YouTube tutorials will do you fine.

[dumbass45601]

Thanks that thread suggestion helps.

[rabbitfur]

You bet. You'll end up using thicker needles most of the time. Practice your stitch on a piece you don't care about or won't be able to see, but otherwise it's not too terribly hard. I learned from online tutorials.

[Luigi]

There are plenty of used fur sewing machines out on the market. Otherwise you spend ages on sewing manually. There will be no limits! Make a sketch of what you like to produce on paper. Cut the paper adding a few milimetres as a compensation for the sewing seam. Glue the pieces of paper together and make a test. If it suits you make the drawings on you fur pelts but please keep the direction of the hairs in mind not to either mix up those or get them in the completely wrong direction. Some good imagination of the surface of cylinders, cone and spheres is helpful. Have fun!

[rabbitfur]

Nearly done making the first massage glove out of a repurposed fox coat! Second glove next.

[FullLengthFox]

Looks good! How does it go? Hand sewing or did you get a machine? 

[Worker 11811]

Hit Google and look up "Taxidermy."

Taxidermy and leather crafting are, probably, the two closest things to fur making that I can think of.  In those subjects, I think you'll find what you need to know to get started.

You're also going to want to look for some Glover's Needles.

Glover's needles are specially designed for sewing leather or fur.  They are flat and spear-shaped with sharpened edges to slice through instead of piercing.

If you want to use a machine to sew fur, I'd suggest looking into a special machine, made to sew fur and leather.

Something along the lines of these: https://bonisparts.com/

They are expensive but, if you look on Ebay, you might be able to pick one up for a couple-few hundred bucks.

[rabbitfur]

This was by hand and careful selection of material that I didn't have to alter too much to get this shape. I was able to use the sleeve, and the sleeve lining to line the glove.

[dumbass45601]

Second question does anyone know the depth of shearing for sheared beaver? I have an old beaver coat that I want to "convert" to sheared.

[Worker 11811]

It's going to be super hard to get a smooth, even shearing without a special machine.  A fur shearing machine looks kind of like an old fashioned reel style lawnmower on steroids.  There are a series of combs and cutter bars that pull the fur up to the right height then the spinning blades shear the fur off, even with the cutter bar.  The height of the shear is set by raising or lowering the cutter bar(s).  Everything comes out real smooth and even.

I don't know how you would ever duplicate that kind of precision using hand shears.

As for how to know what height to shear the fur?  That's probably done by examining the fur to see where the underfur is then shearing just a bit deeper to be sure you get everything even.

[dumbass45601]

Hmm, well again it is not going to be for professional work so thanks for the information.

[Worker 11811]

Na, it's what you want.  If you want a rough look, cutting with scissors or something might be a good way to do it.

I was just saying that, if you want that smooth look of manufactured fur, scissors might not cut it.

:)

[Shy_Fur_Guy]

LOL. Scissors might not cut it. That's a quality pun.

Edited January 12, 2023 by Shy_Fur_Guy
typo

[Worker 11811]

I always try to stay sharp!  😉

[dumbass45601]

Wow just wow!

[pnwhist]

I know this is a dated thread (no pun) but ran across this book on Amazon. 
Being that it was published in 1974 in the era when fur ran prevalent, perhaps there’s some Master furrier insight.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Sew-Leather-Suede-Fur/dp/0020119305/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?crid=J2KEHLRT257B&keywords=fur+coat&qid=1695259878&s=books&sprefix=fur+coat%2Caps%2C317&sr=1-12