Hi everyone.

I did a search, but it came up empty.  I'm beginning to think there's a trick to the search that I'm not getting.  When you use the one at the top of the page, does it ONLY search the forum you are currently in??  If that's the case, that might be why I can never find anything. 

Anyways...on to my question.

I have started a project that uses faux fur.  I'm trying to cut the fur down about 1/4 inch from the edge per the Project Puppet working with faux fur tutorial.  What I have found, is that when I do that the fur almost seems too thick, and then the seams are still showing up, but with no fur on them at all.  I gave up trimming and started just sewing with the fur all the way to the edge but "combed" inwards and the results came out pretty favorable...except in one spot.  In that one spot the fur got trapped in the seam pretty bad. 

Is there any kind of trick to getting that fur that's trapped in the seam out??  I tried just kind of combing it back out and that worked to an extent, but not much. 

Also, was I just doing the trimming the fur away wrong??  For what it's worth, the fur I got is like the stuff that a faux fur coat would be made out of.  It's REALLY thick.  I don't know if it's really ideal for puppet making, but I liked the look and it went with the character that I had in mind.  If I trim it to 1/4 of an inch from the edge, should I still be sewing where the fur itself is, or only on that trimmed edge??  I tried it only on the trimmed edge and that's when I was getting visible seams with no fur at all around them.

Thanks!!
Jeff

When I use fur i prefer hand sewing it it makes a much cleaner look so it's worth the time it takes and I don't really cut fur certain way Uniat go with it hopes this helps and btw when handsewing take out the seam allowance it helps

And also I never trim the fur I always leave it. Creates less of a mess and a more natural look

I don't trim my fur.  I do what you did.  I brush the fur inwards away from the seam then sew. If some gets caught in the seam I comb it out like you did or use a sharp point like a awl or even a pin.  Sewing fur takes patients and you need to go slow.   As you sew you have to kind of keep pushing the fur back away from the edge.  As you sew you can use an awl, point of scissors, ruler or something like that to push the fur back. You can use your fingers but watch out for that sewing machine needle.

I assume you are talking about the fur in the picture you posted of your new puppet.  It does look like it is pretty thick. That is the hardest to work with I think.  A longer nape can actually be easier to deal with I think.  When I shop for fur I look for ones that are "softer".  Not the fur itself but the backing. I don't know if it is how it is milled or if they maybe add a starch or something to the backing but some furs are really stiff.  I find it easier to work with and a better end product if the backing is pliable.  At one time you could get what is called Teddy Bear fur that was very pliable but I have not seen anyone refer to it like that for some time.

Thanks Shawn.

I was looking at a puppet that I have that has really long fur, and I did notice that it doesn't seem NEARLY as thick as the stuff that I got. 

I really like that stuff that I got...it looks great and fits the character perfectly.  But it was definitely a bit of a chore to work with. 

I will try ordering some longer naped fur for the next furry monster that I do and see how different it is working with it. 

Being a classical teddy bear maker I used to pin the seems for the sewing machines and fur....as others said they would push the fur away from the seems and then I would use many pins to keep the fur away from the seems until it was sewn.  I also got a small tiny cat brush which really helps with getting any possible fur caught in the seems. 

I guess this could be a new video to added to my Youtube.....lol. This will be added to the list of the new season.

Daryl H

Yes yes more Daryl! Gee we always want more from you don't we. I do think it would make a great video though. It really is not a difficult process but I think it is one that is often hard to describe without visuals.

I think I have actually shown using a pin to get the fur out of the seam in one of my (non-advertised but still there) Blogtv videos. I got a third of the way through filming making a muppet and then had to stop for various reasons. (Head to blogtv and search for 'pupsinmelb')

Naomi,
Yes you do show how to pick out the fur in this one.  I had no idea you had BlogTV stuff!
No Longer Available
Skinning the head, Part 1

Yeah, I had to cancel a live person-to-person workshop last minute and told the participants I'd offer the classes online. That was a bust too, but was going to make the videos anyway and hope they'd get some people to buy my patterns. I haven't been able to finish them yet due to various unfortunate circumstances.