# Help a noobie out...please?



## KitJuma87 (Feb 13, 2009)

So, I've wanted to construct my own version of a partial suit for a while--but I have some questions before I start this project. 

I was planning on making furred pants that would be form fitting and possibly use leggings (like these: http://www.welovecolors.com/Shop/LycraSolidColorMicroFiberTights.htm ) as a base to work off of. I would be able to use their elastic to keep everything up where it needs to be. Iâ€™m wondering if you think this would work, or will it not hold the furred fabric very well? Also, do you think with the added weight of the fur, I would need to add some additional elastic up at the top. Iâ€™m not skilled with zippers, so unless there is a really good tutorial out there I donâ€™t think Iâ€™d be able to do that.
Also, I plan on using shorter cubby fur for the base--however, if anyone knows about king cheetah patterns, you know that, that is going to cause headaches for me. I am interested in knowing what works best for fur as far as making spots? I would be extremely frustrated if I ruined a beautiful piece of fur with ink that is going to rub off, or bleed. So I'll start with a separate piece to test on, I just wanted to know if there was a better medium to do this or not? I donâ€™t have access to an airbrushâ€”unless of course any of you knew of someone who would be willing to airbrush the spots, when I send them the completed pieces?

Any help would be much appreciated!


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## Kellan Meig'h (Feb 13, 2009)

I was able to see a King Cheetah up close and they have a very unique pattern. I guess you're going to try to cut 'n splice in spots into the base color? Can be done with 2 colors of the same brand/type of fur if you have extreme patience.

I worry about the strength of these tights because they say 'good for a few warmups and performances'. This leads me to believe they're very thin.

You might be better off making your leggings strictly from the fur material. Stronger and easier to fit. And yes, there are zipper tutorials out there. It seems to me that you would want to wear something like the tights under the fur just as a way to keep the sweat off the fur and keep the fur from chafing.

Kellan


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## KitJuma87 (Feb 19, 2009)

Thanks for replying. I actually was able to find a thread about attaching fur to some type of lightweight pants. It seems like at American Apparel they have some nylon, or nylon blends of stretch pants (like these: http://store.americanapparel.net/women-pants---leggings.html). They are decently priced and would hold up a lot better than the leggings I was looking at first. I am sure that I could find a tutorial for zippers, to help me out if I end up going that route though.

As far as sewing black fur over my base fur goes, yes it could be doable, but patience wise...I don't know if I could survive it. XD However would it be easier to just get a decent dye, make a few spot, large spot, and thicker line patterns, and then paint the fur pattern on? I suppose paint isn't the right word...I would of course try it on a scrape piece first to see how well the dye would hold up. My question is, besides airbrushing, what inks work...I have read that fabric markers are something to avoid, but there has to be another kind of fabric dye people have used and had good experience with. I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for fabric dyes?


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## Trpdwarf (Feb 19, 2009)

KitJuma87 said:


> Thanks for replying. I actually was able to find a thread about attaching fur to some type of lightweight pants. It seems like at American Apparel they have some nylon, or nylon blends of stretch pants (like these: http://store.americanapparel.net/women-pants---leggings.html). They are decently priced and would hold up a lot better than the leggings I was looking at first. I am sure that I could find a tutorial for zippers, to help me out if I end up going that route though.
> 
> As far as sewing black fur over my base fur goes, yes it could be doable, but patience wise...I don't know if I could survive it. XD However would it be easier to just get a decent dye, make a few spot, large spot, and thicker line patterns, and then paint the fur pattern on? I suppose paint isn't the right word...I would of course try it on a scrape piece first to see how well the dye would hold up. My question is, besides airbrushing, what inks work...I have read that fabric markers are something to avoid, but there has to be another kind of fabric dye people have used and had good experience with. I am wondering if anyone has any suggestions for fabric dyes?



Oh...try activewear pants. They are made of material that wicks away sweat. I found a good pair at Target for around 29.99 USD.

The best way I know of to attach faux fur over pants is to make a duck tape dummy of your legs. Then place the pants on the dummy, and measure out the needed pieces and sew them on. The dummy ensures that the material is being stretched enough so that when you take it off the pants fit.

If you are looking to dye fabric, try India Ink. You can brush (with a paint brush) it onto to faux fur, let it air dry, then use a dog fur or cat fur brush to brush it out. India Ink holds up really well:
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/1630795/


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## Kellan Meig'h (Feb 19, 2009)

As far as dyeing synthetic fur, the pro's are using leather dye (the alcohol based stuff) to color fur.

The leggings that seem to be popular are the UnderArmor brand. I think Target carries them as well as any large sporting goods store.

Making a Duct Tape Dummy to work with is an excellent idea. I still lean towards the cut/splice method for the bigger stripes, though.

_Kellan_


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## KitJuma87 (Feb 19, 2009)

Duct tape dummy you say--I've seen a few tutorials on that, and it sounds like a great idea! Also, I will price check both types of ink--and see what it more in the budget. I also have a target nearby, so I will definitely check that out. Thank you both.

I also have one more question, I want my partial to be for the most part form fitting, and I am wondering what pile length for fur would be best to work with? King Cheetahs, with the exception of their tail, and a slight mane down the back of the neck and along the spine--don't have very shaggy hair. I am absolutely clueless when it comes to lengths of fur (piles?). I could see buying some longer fur for the few areas I need it, but for the most part I need a shorter fur--problem is I have no clue what works the best. I was looking at either using imstuffedfur.com or http://www.crscrafts.com as places to purchase fur from. Both are fairly decently priced but--like I said I would feel much more at ease if I knew what pile length would be best to use, versus guess and end up with a bunch I can't do anything with. 

Sorry for the silly questions, but I need help and I thought I'd ask.


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## Trpdwarf (Feb 19, 2009)

KitJuma87 said:


> Duct tape dummy you say--I've seen a few tutorials on that, and it sounds like a great idea! Also, I will price check both types of ink--and see what it more in the budget. I also have a target nearby, so I will definitely check that out. Thank you both.
> 
> I also have one more question, I want my partial to be for the most part form fitting, and I am wondering what pile length for fur would be best to work with? King Cheetahs, with the exception of their tail, and a slight mane down the back of the neck and along the spine--don't have very shaggy hair. I am absolutely clueless when it comes to lengths of fur (piles?). I could see buying some longer fur for the few areas I need it, but for the most part I need a shorter fur--problem is I have no clue what works the best. I was looking at either using imstuffedfur.com or http://www.crscrafts.com as places to purchase fur from. Both are fairly decently priced but--like I said I would feel much more at ease if I knew what pile length would be best to use, versus guess and end up with a bunch I can't do anything with.
> 
> Sorry for the silly questions, but I need help and I thought I'd ask.


 
No problem.

When you seek to have something form fitting it is more about how you sow it and less about the pile length. However it is important when making something form fitting to get good faux fur material. Cheaply made faux fur can lead to it quickly falling apart at the seams.

I would suggest looking into Mendel's shorter to medium pile length furs for this purpose: http://www.mendels.com/creativity2.shtml

Look for their two different fur areas..one for shorter and one for longer. I think as long as your faux fur has at least half an inch pile you are good. It's the backing you have to worry more about and Mendels allows you to order 5 free swatches to help you decide which material to go with.


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## Kellan Meig'h (Feb 19, 2009)

Mendel's is a good source but they have the same fur (Monterey Mills) as 
CR Crafts and CR Crafts is cheaper by a ton.

http://www.crscraft.com/products/vProduct2.asp?pid=Fur&L1=2&L2=13&L3=0&L4=0&V2=1&V3=0&V4=0&cat=bear+suppliesâŠ‚=Fabrics&class=

The most often used fur is Cubby, Teddy and Fox furs. For the weird colors use the fun fur.

You might get the sample swatches from Mendel's but order through CR. It's pretty easy to figure out what you need by looking at the examples. Monterey Mills has very good descriptions on their website.

Too bad about the price- I live across the bay from Mendel's.

_Kellan_


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## KitJuma87 (Feb 20, 2009)

What exactly do you mean by backing? I looked at Mendel's and I do like their fur selections...and there is quite a price difference, though I suppose if the fur is easy to work with, than the cost might not be such an issue. In your experience, is Mendel's fur easier to worth with, does it have a little bit of stretch in it, or is it pretty unforgiving if you don't cut and sew a piece just right. I've read that many people will pattern out on a cheap fabric first, I plan on doing that also. Is there already a thread made with some simple how to's for sewing: such as what needles work better, what type of stitch, ect.? Or do you know if there is a helpful website on this...I hate to keep bothering people with my questions, if someone somewhere else has already answered a good deal of them. Thanks for replying to me so far though; it has helped me out a ton!


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## Kellan Meig'h (Feb 20, 2009)

What CR and Mendel's carries is the exact same fur. It's all from Monterey Mills.

The backing on this stuff stretches slightly in one direction. It's not like the NFT 4 way stretch @ $40+ per sq ft.

Also ... the backing on this stuff is coarse enough you might not want this stuff against your skin!

AS far as the cut/sew part, you will want your fur 'nap' to lay downwards (waist to toe). That dictates how you cut out your pieces.

Sewing; You will probably want to use a needle that's easy for you to grip and do a backstitch or a blanket stitch with some sturdy thread. You can google these pretty easy and I plan to put some tutorials on my site in the next 6 months when I do my daughter's new fursuit.

The actual order of preference in sewing is:
1. Serger. Very expensive but very effective
2. Sewing machine stretch stitch
3. Sewing maching narrow zigzag stitch
4. Careful hand stitching
5. Sewing machine straight stitch (no give, not suggested by me)

Please don't feel like you're bothering us. The worst question is the uasked on. If you have more, please ask!

_Kel_


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## Ozriel (Feb 20, 2009)

KitJuma87 said:


> What exactly do you mean by backing? I looked at Mendel's and I do like their fur selections...and there is quite a price difference, though I suppose if the fur is easy to work with, than the cost might not be such an issue. In your experience, is Mendel's fur easier to worth with, does it have a little bit of stretch in it, or is it pretty unforgiving if you don't cut and sew a piece just right. I've read that many people will pattern out on a cheap fabric first, I plan on doing that also. Is there already a thread made with some simple how to's for sewing: such as what needles work better, what type of stitch, ect.? Or do you know if there is a helpful website on this...I hate to keep bothering people with my questions, if someone somewhere else has already answered a good deal of them. Thanks for replying to me so far though; it has helped me out a ton!




Like the Shag fur for instance: If your are planning to shave it down the backing will be visible. Shag fur has a longer pile but it is not dense. It is perfect for tails. Most suit makers I have seen use Shag fur. It's easier to shave down and you do not see the backing. It's also easier to dye in my experience.


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## KitJuma87 (Feb 27, 2009)

Zeke:
I don't know if I have enough patience--or a steady enough hand to shave fur. Since I was planning on making a cheetah, the fur would have to be pretty short--save for the mane, and the tail...so I don't see how getting shaggy fur would be in my best interest...though it does tend to be cheaper...I think the amount of work I'd end having to do, to make it look good would not be worth that. 

Kellan: Thank you so much for the tips, really those will come in handy. Since I am a bit of a fur sewing newbie...no scratch that, I am a lot of a fur sewing newbie. Also, the 4-way stretch would be nice, but whoa...even the clearance stuff is super expensive!

Since I am on such a roll with questions:

As you know I was planning a partial, but more like a 3/4 suit, since I was planning on making legs, tail, at least elbow lengthed paws, and a head--which will probably end up being commissioned. What I was wanting though, was to make digigrade padded legs, but still keep them rather slim looking a la Beetlecat's fabulous looking gemsbok legs seen here http://community.livejournal.com/fursuit/3037659.html

I'm thinking that to cut down on the bulk that digigrade legs sometimes get, would be to shave down the foam. Also, to be sparing with where I would put it as well. I was thinking, the top of the upper thigh area, the back of the calves, to help make the elongated heel area, a little more natural. I can take walking on the balls of my feet for extended periods of time, so I am not worried so much about hiding my own platigrade foot in the padding. My question is, in order for them to be more formfitting, are sewing pockets onto the legs of the pair of pants I am starting with, and putting the foam in the pockets, a better way to go? Or is glueing the foam onto the pants and them wrapping them with sometype of stretchfabric (lycra), so they have a little give in them be best? *I guess what I am asking is: how to I go about crafting a pair of digigrade legs that are slimmer, and as formfitting as possible, and how can I do this in a way that still gives me a pretty good range of movement?*

Thanks again for all the help you've all been!


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## Kanin (Feb 27, 2009)

You could do it the way wig are made, but it would take FOREVER to do. You would sew in the hairs, one at a time. Which would give you a high quality suit, more realistic suit. But like I said, it would take FOREVER!


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