# Making my first suit. Any tips for a newbie?



## Boombox (Jul 2, 2008)

So after a long time of denying myself being furry what-so-ever, I've decided to just go with it and I'm very soon going to be starting my first fursuit. I have no idea how my somewhat anti-furry friend will react but you know, whatever.

i've found some tutorials online and i'll luckily have someone helping me who used to make costumes for their job because I'm not a top-notch sewer. Still, are there any tips out there? things I absolutely shouldn't do, or mistakes often made?


oh, and to any reading this, one last question, about eyes! I want just some regular toony eyes on mine with dot or pie pupils (i'm making a lizard, by the way), what's the best way to do them and still be able to, you know, see?

thanks for the help


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## NoxTigress (Jul 5, 2008)

I've never made a full fursuit myself, but I can give a few tips on sewing and working with fur...

These are in no particular order of usefulness...

~ Make sure you take movement into account when cutting the material, as not all material (especially fur) is stretchy.  Which is why most fursuits are relatively baggy on the wearer.

~ Always leave at least a half an inch of seam allowance when cutting the material.

~ Take your time when sewing, especially if you're new to sewing.

~ When cutting out the pieces of fur, make sure you are very aware of what direction the fur will lay.

~ If possible, use a craft knife rather than scissors to cut the fur.  This will spare you from accidentally 'trimming' the fur at the edge, and will make clean up time a hell of a lot easier.

~ To further help with the above point, try to brush the fur away from the line you're cutting along.  This isn't the easiest thing to do with some fur, but it can be damn helpful (especially if you have no choice but to use scissors).


Those are all the tips that come to mind at the moment... if you have any specific questions though, don't be afraid to ask.  I may not have actually made a fursuit yet, but I've a fair bit of reading and research on the topic myself.


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## Boombox (Jul 5, 2008)

Thanks for the tips! I appreciate it. 

Especially the craft knife thing â€“ hadn't thought about that.


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## leahthecheetah (Jul 6, 2008)

If you haven't seen the LiveJournal Fursuit community yet there are a tons of tips and tutorials.  

http://www.livejournal.com/tools/memories.bml?user=fursuit


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## Boombox (Jul 6, 2008)

righto. I'll check it out.


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## NoxTigress (Jul 7, 2008)

You're welcome.

The LJ Fursuiters community is actually where I picked up a lot of what I've learned about fursuit making, so it's certain to help you out at least a little.  And if worst comes to it, it's another place to ask any questions you might have.


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