Guest Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 <> Sewing fur by hand is harder than it looks! I had a piece of Canadian lynx, maybe 8 inches across and quite narrow at one end and wider at the other, and I tried sewing it onto a cloth pillow. The long hairs just kept getting in the way! I gave up after 20 minutes. I bet furriers much prefer to work with short-haired furs like mink. Fox, tanuki, coyote, wolf and lynx must be hellish to work with. They have such long hairs! Tricia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worker 11811 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 They have a secret: Air blowers are pointed at the fur while it's being sewn to blow the fur out of the seam while they are working. A good fur sewing machine can easily cost in excess of $1,000. There are different kinds of machines and different ways to set them up for sewing different kinds of fur. This is not inclusive of threads and needles. Again, there are different kinds of thread and different gauges and types of needles for different kinds of fur. When making Teddy Bears, artists have to contend with many of these same problems. After the major sewing is done, many of them resort to taking a heavy needle or a seam ripping tool and using it to literally pick the hairs out of the finished seams. Whether you are working on plush (fake) fur or the real thing, this is not a game for amateurs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKcoyote Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Many professional furriers do not use an air blower on their fur machines. An experienced furrier does better with his fingers and/or a special tool to move the hairs down away from the seam. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worker 11811 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 You're right about that. I just want to clarify. 90% of my experience with sewing fur (plush) is from Teddy Bear making. Making coats and other things from real fur is a different thing. There are plenty of "transferable skills" that go between the two but they are not completely compatible. This is also true of Vince's other comment regarding the making of fur pillows. I used what I know from making Teddy Bears to answer that question. Fortunately, when speaking to that question, I referred to Bear making. This time I didn't. I probably should have. Yes, I have seen people use tools to push the fur out of the way when sewing Teddy Bears. If that's the way most furriers do it, instead of air blowers, then you know better than me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKcoyote Posted December 23, 2009 Share Posted December 23, 2009 Worker made one comment that is worth repeating: Whether you are working on plush (fake) fur or the real thing, this is not a game for amateurs. Working with fur and producing a quality product is a very highly skilled art. Matching pelts, cutting, and sewing them so the seams are not obvious and the finished product has the desired look requires a lot of skill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trebor Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 You're right. Sewing pelts by hand is tough....but rewarding. I just made, by hand, a lap blanket for us to use in the car. I took six Russian Blue Fox pelts and made it. It looks somewhat rutic around the edges because I left the legs and tails on. My wife loves it!! Cheers! FurBob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Please post a picture of it in The gallery trebor OFF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 The San Diego furrier who is retiring next year said that many old furriers don't want to give out trade secrets to newcomers, which is sad. She told me that she might stay in business restyling old fur coats, but she hasn't made up her mind yet. Hopefully, she can find a buyer for her fur shop or at least train an apprentice. She's definitely the most skilled furrier in San Diego. The other female furrier in San Diego County doesn't have as large a range of fur sewing skills. Sewing fur is harder than it looks. Tricia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
polygon344 Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 Rather than start a new topic, I thought I'd resurrect this one and pose a new question. Can a sewing pattern designed for use with wool or fleece be used with fur? Or are fur sewing patterns completely different than 'regular' sewing patterns? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justfurme Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 hi all ithought i would throw in my 2 cents... i have been sewing fur for a little over 40 years now. i would much rather sew a long hair type than short, easer to controll the over sew. and if i could find a "good" sewing any where close to a $1000. i would bye it. i have never even seen one of those new fangled machines with the blower on it! hand and machine needles and thread are very differant than what you can bye at your local sewing center! with the patterns for other clothing, you can use then... but you need to know where to alter then, because fur does not act like cloth. and last but not least, the securets we have have, have been pasted down from a long line of craftsman, we know them because we earned them! why would we just throw away all those generation of hard work and knowlege? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Disseminating knowledge to the next generation is a good idea if you want your line of work to continue into the future. Tricia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FurLoverinFL Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Very true - but I'd suggest that there is a big distinction between passing knowledge to the next generation and sharing it with the whole world. FLinFL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Worker 11811 Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 Absolutely! That's why I still teach students how to run 35mm film projectors and how to take photos using real film cameras. People who keep that kind of information to secret are only hurting themselves! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 23, 2010 Share Posted January 23, 2010 justfurme; Do you still work furs? Make things or take in work? OFF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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