Tips For Beginners Who Wish To Try Out Sewing With Faux Fur
Sewing with faux fur fabric is quite easy, and also fun. However, every beginner should know these basic tips before starting such a project. After all, it is a special material that does require patience. On the other hand, it can turn out to be very amusing since there are all kinds of fun stuff you can make from faux fur.
This type of fabric is also known as fake, synthetic, or fun fur. Whatever you call it, sometimes is very difficult to notice the difference between fake or real fur. Real fur is backed by animal skin and that’s the only certain way to distinguish between these two fabrics.
While quite affordable, faux fur can add beautiful accents to garments or bags. And here are some tips if you wish to create something gorgeous with it.
What Is Pile Nap and Why Should You Mark It?
This material is classified as pile fabric. The nap of the fur is the direction on which the pile falls, giving a distinctive look on its texture. When the nap pile is brushed in the direction of the hair it catches more light and renders the fabric soft to the touch. It is worth knowing that fabrics used against the nap direction will have a shorter life span. It will also have less water permeability and less ability to control the temperature.
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Adequate Scissors For Cutting Faux Fur Fabric
The right pair of scissors is the most important tool when working with fake fur. Make sure they are extremely sharp. Don’t dive in with the full body of sheers – only the tip of the scissor should be used to cut the fur. Insert the tip of the scissors under the knit jersey fabric and make small cut slowly. Take your time and don’t rush cutting, as it can damage the fabric. If needed, use the rotary cutter with utmost attention.
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Best Pins and Right Way to Pin
When sewing with faux fur, select the long pins. It is a thick material and extra length of the pins makes it ideal for handling and getting through its thickness. Place the pins correctly by pinning the fur at an angle.
There’s no limit on how many pins to use, but more is always better – perhaps one every inch.
Marking stitching lines
After cutting the pieces, mark the stitches. This might seems like overkill, but remember it is a very rough material. Pinning is not enough when sewing two thick layers of fur. Also, due to its thickness, the machine will struggle to accommodate the layers of the material under the presser foot. The stitching line will make this job a lot easier.
Use a large stitching size to help the machine to cope better with the density. If your sewing machine foes from 1 to 5, use 4 if you wish to attach a lining to the fur and 5 if you’re sewing two layers of synthetic fur together. The proper needle size for this type of fabric is a size 14.
Feed Dog or a Walking Foot
Before starting the project, test on a piece how will your sewing machine be able to cope with it. It is possible that feed dog adjustments will be required. It is located under the needle plate and it should be always up.
If you’re using a basic or even vintage sewing machine, you will need to use a walking foot for sewing faux fur.
Sewing Faux Fur
Once your fur is cut and prepared for sewing, the real test to your patience is next. The hair of the fabric can get tangled, so you will have to sew fur material steadily and carefully. Since the best seam allowance for fake fur is 1/4″ you might have to reduce the pattern. Great thing is that fake fur doesn’t ravel, so there’s no need to neaten the seam allowance.
As for the thread, use the polyester one since it will be much more durable. Metallic thread is also a good option but stay away from the cotton thread when sewing with faux fur.
Lining the Fury Fabric
Fake fur might look like a real one, but it doesn’t have its warmth, so good quality and soft lining material are important. Silk is the best option for making garment warmer, but there are other fabrics that will suffice just fine in case you don’t have enough room in your budget for silk lining.
Use a zigzag stitch when attaching the lining to the fur as it will make it more durable.
Im age credit: @freepic/ user18526052
Closures and Button Holes
There are a few ways to make a closure for a fur coat or vest and it will mostly depend on the look you are going for. A belt made out of the same material is by far the easiest solution.
The other closures to consider are a hook and eye that are sold either covered or uncovered. Placing just one large button can be an interesting-looking solution, while you also can’t go wrong with a leather belt.
Placing zippers is possible, but it requires a lot of hard work and patience. And the result might not look as good as it will with other closure methods.
On the other hand, if added properly, zippers can make the faux fur garment more interesting. If that’s your agenda, also consider painting a fabric, as showed in the following video:
Take Care Of Your Fur
By following these tips you can make wonders from fake fur. But when you do, such a garment will require proper care.
Here’s how to look after fur fabric:
- Brushing – Fake fur needs to be brushed after every use with a soft bristle brush. This will avoid a buildup of debris and matting of the fibers. If the hairs have flattened or distorted due to improper storing use a slightly wet brush to brush the hair in the direction of the nap. Allow fake fur some time to dry before storing.
- Cleaning – It is recommendable to dry clean your fur before you store it.
- Storing – When storing, give your coat made of faux furry plenty of room so that the hair doesn’t flatten. Store it in a garment bag for more safety.