# Secret Fursuits



## Chanticleer (Oct 26, 2008)

I was thinking about building a fursuit. However, seeing as I am so jammed into the closet Montressor might as well have personally bricked me in, any construction work and material gathering would have to be done on the down low.  

So I'm here to half seriously ask if anyone knows anything about building suits in secret like:

> How to smuggle in materials

> How to hide materials during construction

> How to find a safe time to do the construction work.

> How to secret away the finished product.

So, any thoughts?


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## Quiet269 (Oct 26, 2008)

Commission someone else to build it


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## Chanticleer (Oct 26, 2008)

Quiet269 said:


> Commission someone else to build it



Ah yes, but then it would cost more, be far less personal and I'd still have to find a place to hide it and explain the enormous box anyway.


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## Kano (Oct 26, 2008)

Well, you could always say that it's for next Halloween and your starting early because it takes a long time. Or you could go with saying it's a character from an anime or show that your going to cosplay as at the next anime convention (if you're going to one) That way you won't have to be TOO secretive about it. 

It would be pretty hard to hide fur though, since unless you have a fabric store close to you that sells that sort of thing you would need to order it online. Hiding a package would be tricky.


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## Quiet269 (Oct 26, 2008)

Besides if you've ever see someone mid creation it is... quite messy

Know any furs nearby? You could see about building it at their house


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## Beetlecat (Oct 26, 2008)

Do you live at home or just with roomates? If it's the first, wait until you move out. You can't hide something that big from parents. If it's the 2nd, do what you want and tell them its none of their business.


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## Nylak (Oct 26, 2008)

Kano said:


> Well, you could always say that it's for next Halloween and your starting early because it takes a long time.


 
This is what I've done.  Both of my roommates knew I do art for the furry community, yet they still bought it (it was a wolf suit that I plan to auction off, so I said it was a "werewolf" costume).  In fact, one of them got so into it she had me model it for her at every stage of production, and liked to watch me work and helped by even wearing parts of it while I stitched and glued it together and such (we're about the same size, so it worked out perfectly).  She was a great help in the end.  >_>

But then, there was NO way I could have hoped to hide it from them.  I had yards upon yards of thick fur, and the process is EXTREMELY messy...like, you just have no clue how much of a mess the fur and foam makes.  I had to completely take over our entire living room for the whole day whenever I started working on it.  Unless you have a large, open, secluded room at your disposal, don't even think about it.


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## Whiskeyfoxtrot (Oct 26, 2008)

I had the same problem.  I had a roommate who I didn't want to share my interest with.  A full fursuit using about 4-5 yards of material (at least mine did) and it arrives at your door in a huge box about 2' cube.  If you can get a hold of the fur company, you can ask them not to put their logo or name on the box.  Ask them just to put the return address and no name.   That way, when it comes to the door, there's no big sticker on it that says, "PLUSH FURS", or anything like that.  Another idea is have it shipped to a furiend's house and drive over there and pick it up. The second thing you can do is have a cover story.  I have a boat in my back yard that has a fur interior, so I told my roommate i was going to replace the interior with some new pieces.  You can also tell him/her that youre making seat covers or door panels for your car.  Or you can tell him/her youre making a blanket and pillows.   As for the construction process; its messy.  Every time you cut the fur, you'll leave a line of fibers on the rug. Then these fibers get stuck to your shoes and socks and you'll track them around the house.  Not only that, but your trash can will be loaded with scraps of fur and foam.  So you'll have to take precautions to prevent the mess from giving you away.   You'll also need a nice section of rug in your room to cut the fur on.  I had a spot about 6'x6' and I did all the cutting there.  There's also the sound of the sewing machine that can give you away.  The best solution that I found was to work on the noisey parts of my suit while my roommate was at work or asleep.  Working night shift worked great! As for storing the suit during the construction process, I found another 2' cube box that i stored the finished/under-construction parts in.  That'll seperate the loose fur from the fursuit.  They also stack nicely in a closet when youre away from home and not working on it. 
So, thats all the advice I have for you today.  I hope it doesnt deter you from beginning construction.
Whiskeyfoxtrot


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## Chanticleer (Oct 26, 2008)

Nylak said:


> This is what I've done.  Both of my roommates knew I do art for the furry community, yet they still bought it (it was a wolf suit that I plan to auction off, so I said it was a "werewolf" costume).  In fact, one of them got so into it she had me model it for her at every stage of production, and liked to watch me work and helped by even wearing parts of it while I stitched and glued it together and such (we're about the same size, so it worked out perfectly).  She was a great help in the end.  >_>
> 
> But then, there was NO way I could have hoped to hide it from them.  I had yards upon yards of thick fur, and the process is EXTREMELY messy...like, you just have no clue how much of a mess the fur and foam makes.  I had to completely take over our entire living room for the whole day whenever I started working on it.  Unless you have a large, open, secluded room at your disposal, don't even think about it.



You have some truly impressive roommates.

What if I told you that I had several large open secluded rooms at my disposal? What would be the next thing to take care of?


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## Beastcub (Oct 27, 2008)

my mom does not dissaprove of my work at all and always supported me.

however before i began getting paid to make suits she would get pissed at the ammount of time i spent on them so i can give some advice.

if they are morning people then work late a night when they are alseep.
take advantage of any doctor appointments and such they may have, plan to work while they are gone and have time to clean up, same goes for anything where you know you will be alone for a while, my mom can spend 2 hours in walmart very easily. of they are going on a day trip then play sick so you can stay home and work.

make a half suit, takes less time and needs less materials and thus easier to keep secret.

it could backfire, what if they find out? i guess you could say its a halloween costume and you wanted to suprize them.


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## Lazer (Oct 27, 2008)

For me, I don't believe in sneaking around and doing things in secret, if you are ashamed of something you are interested in, or doing, then that only ads fuel to the fire for people to tell you it's bad or wrong... Eh.. if you can't be open about it, I say don't do it..


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## Chanticleer (Oct 27, 2008)

Lazer said:


> For me, I don't believe in sneaking around and doing things in secret... Eh.. if you can't be open about it, I say don't do it..



I understand your point and I mean no disrespect, but I think all those people who escaped slavery via the underground railroad might disagree (and several other groups as well, but that's the group that sprung to mind.) 

There's a difference between me personally being ashamed and recognizing that the world around me would be a much more hostile place if certain things were revealed.


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## Uro (Oct 27, 2008)

I'll be getting mine in around june or so. But since I live at home during the summer I might just have it shipped to my friends house so my parents don't become curious of a giant rubbermaid box I have sitting in my room that I don't want to open for anyone...


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## Quiet269 (Oct 27, 2008)

Uro said:


> I'll be getting mine in around june or so. But since I live at home during the summer I might just have it shipped to my friends house so my parents don't become curious of a giant rubbermaid box I have sitting in my room that I don't want to open for anyone...


Who knows, they might think it is  your sex toys...

It'd be pretty funning if you came home and found your dad "yiffing" your mom in suit... lol

"I just wanted to try it! Honest, I'll clean it up afterwards!"


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## Gaius_Baltar (Oct 27, 2008)

And this is why I'm waiting 'till I move out to start on my fursuit.
I'll be living either alone with my mate; who's also a furry, or with my mate and another fur that needs a roommate.


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## Lazer (Oct 28, 2008)

Chanticleer said:


> I understand your point and I mean no disrespect, but I think all those people who escaped slavery via the underground railroad might disagree (and several other groups as well, but that's the group that sprung to mind.)
> 
> There's a difference between me personally being ashamed and recognizing that the world around me would be a much more hostile place if certain things were revealed.




 Please don't compair furry to something like slavery.. they are two completely different things and unless you're talking sexually they don't even belong in the same sentence together. Slavery was a matter of life or death,  the denial of basic human rights, mistreatment, inhumanity... ext. 
  Furry fandom and fursuits have nothing to do with that.

Hell, if you have to tell people _something_ then tell them you're trying for a job as a mascot, or that you mascot for charity events. I've told a few people that when I didn't feel like explaining it to them or didn't have the time. 

The thing is, something like that, you can't hide it forever, eventually someone is going to notice it and then you have to explain what it is, why it's there and why you were trying to hide it. So, I feel that being open from the get go gets better results. But that's just me. In the end you'll do what you want to do, but I find being honest leads to a lot less trouble and explinations than sneaking.


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## Chanticleer (Oct 28, 2008)

Lazer said:


> Please don't compair furry to something like slavery.. they are two completely different things and unless you're talking sexually they don't even belong in the same sentence together. Slavery was a matter of life or death,  the denial of basic human rights, mistreatment, inhumanity... ext.
> Furry fandom and fursuits have nothing to do with that.
> 
> Hell, if you have to tell people _something_ then tell them you're trying for a job as a mascot, or that you mascot for charity events. I've told a few people that when I didn't feel like explaining it to them or didn't have the time.
> ...



I'm sorry if I was offensive, I was being hyperbolic when I referenced slavery and I'm sorry if that was misinterpreted. I certainly recognize the madness that came out of that mess and realize my situation is *far* less serious. 

The parallel that I was trying to draw was simply that sometimes it's quite a good idea to keep certain aspects of yourself hidden, for instance when you are surrounded by groups that are likely to misinterpret you and have access to things that actually _could_ cause bodily harm or even death, (though I don't want to get too dramatic, again I'm just trying to illustrate a point.)

If you don't agree with that then I suppose we'll just have to agree to disagree.


But enough of that, this thread is veering off topic.


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## sashadistan (Oct 28, 2008)

I think your worries have a definate foot in reality. some places are dangerous. If you've got big secluded rooms to work it, do something fun like buy a big wardrobe and keep it in there. anything with keys is good. Just tell people it's either
For someone else
For next Halloween
For a school mascot (or similar)

et voila.

As far as i'm concerned, if you don't trust someone to have your best interests at heart, you probably shouldn't be open about the kind of thing that can bring about scorn and social castration. It is a good lesson.


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## Trpdwarf (Oct 28, 2008)

You know, if you say it was given to you to hold on to for mascoting purposes, or tell people it's a Halloween costume they probably won't ask too many questions.

That said, if you have space under your bed hide stuff there.


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## Chomper (Oct 29, 2008)

You could always just tell people it's for a Halloween costume, thats what i would do if i were in such situation.


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## Skruffs (Nov 3, 2008)

If you have the Money for it, you could rent a small storage space... they go for about $60/month if I remember correctly. It would be your own room that you could leave stuff in without worrying about anyone else running into.


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## UKtehwhitewolf (Nov 3, 2008)

Another thing you could try, if just saying it's a halloween costume won't work. They pull the "Halloween's finished.." line. Then just say it's for any possible charity events you may take part in.
Fairs, sponsored walks etc. Say you want to dress up and wearing an animal costume where no one can see your face is less embarrassing.
That's what I told my mum.


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## harry2110 (Nov 14, 2008)

I'm waiting till I get in college to get one as it would be hard to hide it from parents.  Do you have a basement if so hide it there.


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## Rath Illucer (Nov 17, 2008)

Ok. Most of the comments have been very on key. I know this because i do all of my work on the down low. My mother is very.... Difficult to explain things to. I don't have too much of a problem with her knowing most things about WHAT i do - she knows i make paws, and ears and tails and wear tails regularly. She also knows i'm bi, so i really don't have many things to keep in the closet lol.

BUT. She DOESN'T know i'm making things on an almost constant basis, since she dissaproves of wasted time. Any time i 'waste' working on my projects could be time better spent as she views it. Also - most things i make DO end up going to 'friends' or people i sell to half the time end up as friends strangely so it ends up working out quite well as an excuse. My mother actually doesn't know how rarely i make anything for myself anymore. But saying i'm making Halloween gear and gifts for birthdays (while i do a little more work than just that) covers all issues with having my materials laying around everywhere.

Now. Onto the advice i can attempt to think of that might be useful to your situation.

First off. Living with pets prepares you with this- buy a good delinting brush. You will want it anyways. You can use it as you go to clean up after yourself, or if you're called for something on short notice, you won't have to worry so much about being covered in fur. Also helps keep your work space nice and tidy.

When you cut fur, do it with a very sharp exacto knife, and as you go try not to move the fur itself too much. Then before you do anything use your hand to pull the loose fibers off of the edge and toss them directly into the trash bag you'll have handy. This will also help cut down on excess fur flying. If you can, put each project as you cut it into an opaque plastic bag and get it outside somewhere you won't be noticed, or the aftermath won't be questioned, even if it's a bit far and adds time, but shake out your fur as MUCH as possible. This way the only fur that should be flying around your house when you get to sewing will be as minimal as possible. Using this method keeps things surprisingly clean around my house although i work with fur CONSTANTLY. Although i will admit that anything i miss just sortof blends in with the rest of the pet hair so it's hardly noticeable ^.~

Next- find bins, or as suggested something you can lock. A closet, small safe, something that you and only you can get into.

When you get your fur, try to either intercept the mail (i usually get the mail around the house so that works for me) or ask a friend if they would mind having it shipped to them to give to you. If need be bring the box into the house under the pretense of books in a backpack.

Plan your timing well. I hand-sew everything i do with fur currently, so i never have to worry about the sounds of a sewing machine, but if you do - aim for times where your family, or roommate's are out. Or when people are sleeping and if you can ascertain that there are places (like a basement) in your house where you know you won't be overheard that will be ideal.

For the head, just try and keep sane. Work in small increments and only work small pieces at a time to keep what's spread out to a minimum. Usually i'm able to pull out everything i'm working on, and then pack it all away rather quickly if necessary, or if i have to go out somewhere so it's nicely compacted.

I'm not overly worried about my own reluctance to let my mother know what i'm doing as it's more of a keeping the peace thing, since she already knows everything i make and do, but for you i'd be as careful as possible. And again- if you need a backup excuse just say a friend needs some part of it for something, and you have the skills to help make it for them, and the time they may not have access too. And then go and make a friend something cute, so it won't actually even be a lie ^.~

Good luck, and i hope you are able to realize your fursuit. If i think of anything else that might be helpful, i will let you know.

Hopefully i won't have to be as tentative with my work as i have to be for now (my mother needs careful handling. Mostly it's as if she has a permanent case of menopausal pms level stressed out rage. I just nod my head and agree with her half the time since I appreciate having a roof over my head, and would like to keep it that way ^^; )


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## blackberry_pie (Nov 18, 2008)

Honestly, if I were you I'd save myself the trouble and just wait till I lived in a place that it wouldn't be an issue.   Or do it at a friends.  When I first got into it my mother would flip out that I was wasting my time, so I did it over at my boyfriends house.  Now I've moved out, I'm free to do what I want without persecution.  Why set yourself up to be found out?  Someone will find out eventually.  Be careful either way, if you really think someone will persecute you over a silly costume.


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## StainMcGorver (Nov 19, 2008)

Umm... you don't need a fursuit.


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## Tzolkin (Nov 19, 2008)

The best place to hide anything is in plain sight. My mom already know about furry and all that. She even helped me with building some of my first suit. But for other people, I tell them that I want to learn how to build and perform in costumes. Theatre. And that's the truth, at least for me.

As a result I ended up landing a job working on costumes and props for a play, so I'll be continuing with that. ^^


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