# hand sewn or michine sewn



## HolyWolfLeopard (May 30, 2012)

ill b making my 1st fursuit in the next few months, and i was wondering if i should hand sew or use a machine when making my suit or does it just depend? i never used a sewing machine b4 iv always hand sewn, but my stuff like my tails dont stay together very well, like the thread keeps breaking, am i sewing wrong or do i need stronger thread? oh and im also using cheap low quality fur for practice( untill i get some good fur of course) so could that be the problem? and the machine i have is a Brother which i heard isnt very good with fur after i got it 

 oh and tips on making a realistic or semi-realistic suit would b nice!:grin:


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## Ozriel (May 30, 2012)

I find hand sewing things like the fur for the head, hands and the tail much better than machine stitching it, unless you plan on reinforcing the tail to make sure it doesn't pop. 

The type of thread you use also plays a part in how it will stay together. All purpose is good for general stitching of the head, while stronger thread like some quitling is decent for hands, tail, and sometimes the bodysuit.

For realistic heads, you will want to examine pictures of animals to get general details on their head size, shape and coloring, and also decide what bases will be suitable for making a realistic fursuit. Nowadays, Cast resin bases and sometimes foam on a balaclava are two choices that people go for when making realistic suits.

I don't know much about brother Sewing Machines since my friend Trp and I use Genome, which os okay for "some" furs. I think you can adjust the hieght of the foot and you may need to use a different type of needle.


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## mirepoix (May 31, 2012)

Go buy yourself some good polyester thread, as I've found it's stronger than cotton thread.  Your projects breaking could be the result of old thread, or maybe your thread tension on your machine.  Here's an article I found about thread tension.  Just fuss with your machine and read your manual some.

Hand sewing takes so long and is so inferior to machine sewing, I can't honestly recommend it except in detailed, non load bearing applications, like on the head or polka dots.  Even then, try buying polyester "button thread" if you find your seams snapping.  Do a tight back stitch rather than a whip stitch, as whip stitches look ugly on the outside.

Also, I'm going to sound like a jerk, but please don't type like that anymore... It's spelled "before," not "b4."  You're typing like a child.


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## Zenia (May 31, 2012)

I am not a fursuit maker... but I am a seamstress in a shop. I would probably handsewing for details on the head. There aren't any stress points on a fursuit head (unless you have a moving jaw, and even then it is minimal). For the body though, I would definitely use a machine. There are lots of stress points (underarms, seat, at the zipper) there and machine stitching is stronger.

Also make sure you use a heavier thread on the body and double stitch... the first row of stitches should be on the machines largest setting, and the second row should be right on top in a smaller (but not tiny) stitch. I do the double stitch technique on the seat of pants for my customers. this way, that seam shouldn't blow out (unless the pants are too small for them).


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## Trpdwarf (Jun 1, 2012)

mirepoix said:


> Go buy yourself some good polyester thread, as I've found it's stronger than cotton thread.  Your projects breaking could be the result of old thread, or maybe your thread tension on your machine.  Here's an article I found about thread tension.  Just fuss with your machine and read your manual some.
> 
> Hand sewing takes so long and is so inferior to machine sewing, I can't honestly recommend it except in detailed, non load bearing applications, like on the head or polka dots.  Even then, try buying polyester "button thread" if you find your seams snapping.  Do a tight back stitch rather than a whip stitch, as whip stitches look ugly on the outside.
> 
> Also, I'm going to sound like a jerk, but please don't type like that anymore... It's spelled "before," not "b4."  You're typing like a child.



I'm going to have to contend something here. Hand sewing is not inferior to a machine. Maybe it's just because I have a good hand for it but I can stitch furs by hand with the same strength as a machine (meaning my seams are strong). That said strong seams are not everything. For example you don't want mega strong seams in areas that need a lot of flex otherwise you risk your fabric ripping apart. Also if you are working with long furs a good patient hand stitch is ten times better than just running it through a machine because it's easier to get a seamless approach.

I cannot tell you how many fursuits have their entire look ruined because someone was too lazy to at LEAST go through with a good hand stitch to give you a nice seamless look and then run it through the machine for reinforcing.

So to the OP for something that need a lot of flexibility (such as fingers and hands in general) you need to patiently do a firm hand stitch. If your stuff falls apart it's probably because you are using weak thread or you have material that has a backing that can't hold up to the stress (things like fun-fur is bad for that). There is also a third option that your hand stitching just isn't that good but I wouldn't know. For things like legs and arms, and body suits take the time to do a good straight stitch with your needle. Doing so means that with thicker furs like punky muppet and faux fox fur...you get a seamless approach. Then if you have a machine use it to reinforce the stitching.


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## Zenia (Jun 1, 2012)

Trpdwarf said:


> I'm going to have to contend something here. Hand sewing is not inferior to a machine. Maybe it's just because I have a good hand for it but I can stitch furs by hand with the same strength as a machine (meaning my seams are strong).


This is true. My former boss has been sewing for 40 years and I have been sewing for just over 20. We can both sew really well by hand... but going by how the OP described their hand sewing skills... machine stitching may be better in their case.


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## Trpdwarf (Jun 1, 2012)

Zenia said:


> This is true. My former boss has been sewing for 40 years and I have been sewing for just over 20. We can both sew really well by hand... but going by how the OP described their hand sewing skills... machine stitching may be better in their case.



Back in the day everything was done by hand. I honestly feel every person who wants to try their hand at making suits should start off doing it by hand. Learn the basics of good hand sewing skills and then upgrade to a machine. That way you can balance what works and doesn't for what parts of the costume and up with the best look and functionality as well as durability.

That said....machine's are only good for some things. The user really needs to sit down and do some research to improve their hand stitching if that is the issue. However all purpose thread will by default fall apart on you no matter how well you stitch. If you are using inferior furs like fun fur or a bad batch of cubby fur no machine or hand stitched line can keep it together because the backing itself is unable to handle the stress (the backing begins to rip). So these two could be the issues here.

The user should explore using stronger thread (I agree with the suggestion someone made of doing polyester thread), and better furs. A good step up might be practicing with seal fur which is utter crap as fursuit material (you end up with lumpy, baggy costumes) but it's backing is more stable and gives you a better feel for where you skill lies with hand-stitching.


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## Ozriel (Jun 1, 2012)

mirepoix said:


> *and sewing takes so long and is so inferior to machine sewing,*



Hand sewing is better than machine; there's less room for error when it comes to hand sewing things like tails and you have better control of your seams. Just because something's faster doesn't mean it is better. You can use a machine to reinforce hand stitched things if you do not have the sewing dex of a machine itself to make sure it'll stay.


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## HolyWolfLeopard (Jun 1, 2012)

thanx for the help, ill b getting some good supplies soon so i will know how good i really am, with hand sewing, but for right know i prefer to hand sew
anyway thanx for the help, any advice on making good realistic/semi-realistic suits would b nice!


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## Trpdwarf (Jun 2, 2012)

HolyWolfLeopard said:


> thanx for the help, ill b getting some good supplies soon so i will know how good i really am, with hand sewing, but for right know i prefer to hand sew
> anyway thanx for the help, any advice on making good realistic/semi-realistic suits would b nice!



When it comes down to making "realistic" or "semi" realistic suits your material is half the battle. When Zeke and I recently did a realistic style head of her character based on a resin mask we ordered the material used is called "fox fur". It shaves down well, and is one of the best materials out there when it comes to making realism. Course the rust came from Clockworkstudios who sells that specialty color. 

There are three "Fox" furs here: http://www.mendels.com/fur2.shtml that are ideal for realistic costume making. It comes down to finding good realistic materials. Realistic heads also tend to have cast eyes (not toony eyes) that are made of clear resin. You have to work on getting your anatomy down well too. If you use nice materials but your anatomy is shit you just end up with disturbing mangled horror that would scare kids and adults (and not in a good way).


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## HolyWolfLeopard (Jun 4, 2012)

is there any odd colored(as in blues and pinks mainly) fur that u would suggest for realistic suits. cus my fursona has bright pink and blue, dark blue patterns but i dont want her to look very toony(i honestly dont realy like the toony look, just semi) i have an idea on what furs to get for realism but i dont see them in the colors i need, can i still make it look realistic with some not very realistic fur or should just go with natural colors for a good realistic look


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## Ozriel (Jun 4, 2012)

HolyWolfLeopard said:


> is there any odd colored(as in blues and pinks mainly) fur that u would suggest for realistic suits. cus my fursona has bright pink and blue, dark blue patterns but i dont want her to look very toony(i honestly dont realy like the toony look, just semi) i have an idea on what furs to get for realism but i dont see them in the colors i need, can i still make it look realistic with some not very realistic fur or should just go with natural colors for a good realistic look



You can try using "punky muppet furs" since it looks like you are going the semi-realistic route. If you are not sure about the colors and things, you can order swatches of it online.

Here's another site that carries the fur, and you can purchase in half yard quanitites as well as whole. 
Stay away from the Shag fur below. Unless you are using it for hair poofs, I advise you not to purchase it. The backing is weak and it shaves down terribly.


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