How to cut and sew fake fur?

Whether by hand or machine, our customers often ask us about the right (or best) way to cut and sew faux fur. We have been manufacturing luxury faux fur fabrics for more than 35 years and count among our customers many very talented individuals, as well as many professionals in the world of ready-to-wear, haute-couture, stage costume, historical costume, mascot making, decoration, dog and cat accessories, cosplay, fursuit… As such, we can offer you the best advice to know about how to cut and sew faux fur fabrics easily.

A fabric that is easy to work with (yes!)

Despite what one might think, working with faux fur is not so difficult. This is especially true for our faux fur fabrics, as they are made on a knitted backing, which is the strongest there is, and does not require overcasting after cutting. This speeds up and simplifies the sewing work considerably. Also our faux fur fabrics are very strong and do not shed their hair, which guarantees the longest life for your work.

Fur can be sewn by hand, simply with thread and needle, as well as with a standard sewing machine, equipped with standard thread and needle. This does not require any special equipment or technique, sewing faux fur is accessible to all sewing beginners!

Thus, with fake fur, many creative projects can be realized, for example :

• Jackets, coats, vests, sweaters, hooded sweatshirts
• Leg-warmers, mittens, scarves, snoods, capes, sleeves
• Chapkas, berets, toques, bonnets
• Bags, totebags, fanny packs, backpacks, pouches, purses, etc.
• Historical costumes, stage costumes, sets
• Disguises, masks, mascots
• Special effects, fantastic creatures and animals
• Dolls, teddy bears, cuddly toys
• Partial or complete fursuits
• Cosplays: accessories, complete outfits, nekomimis, tails of all kinds
• Carpets, cushions, plaids
• Upholstery: sofas, chairs, armchairs, stools, footstools
• Carpets, cushions, baskets for dogs and cats, cat trees
• Etc.
• You will find many examples of our clients’ work in our photo gallery.

How to trace your pattern?

To start, always work on the back of the faux fur fabric, it will be easier to trace your pattern and make your cuts. For your markings, you can use a felt pen or a ballpoint pen for lighter fabrics (the reverse sides of our fabrics are usually the same color as the front, hair side), or a tailor’s chalk for darker fabrics.

Keep in mind that faux fur fabric is often thick, remember this for the seam allowance when you draw your pattern, especially if you are adapting a pattern that was not originally intended to be made with fur.

Finally, don’t forget the direction of the pile: all our faux fur fabrics have a dominant sense of pile that must be respected in relation to what you want to sew. For example to sew a jacket, the hair goes from the head to the feet, so when you prepare the right, left, front, back parts of your jacket, all the pieces will have to have the hair in the same direction. Same for the sleeves, the hair goes from the shoulders to the hands.

How to cut faux fur fabrics?

You might be tempted to cut the faux fur with a cutter, but the knitted jersey weave is very strong and it will be very complicated. A pair of sewing scissors will do very well, just follow these few tips to make a perfect cut …

The two biggest fears when cutting fur are :

• Making mistakes when cutting, resulting in waste, with a relatively expensive fabric.
• Cutting the hair, which gives a less beautiful finish to the seams.

To get around this, here’s how to do it:

• Use only a pair of sewing scissors, in good condition, with undamaged blades.
• Ideally place yourself on a carpet mat, which will prevent the hair from flying everywhere.
• Place the fur hairs towards the ground, weave in front of you.
• While following your line, make the lower blade of the scissor enter as little as possible into the fur, this will avoid cutting the hairs too much.
• Proceed slowly, in small successive cuts until you finish your cut.
• Detach your cut-out from your main coupon, proceed slowly so as not to make hairs fly everywhere.

You may see some hairs that fall out after cutting, it’s normal, they were cut by the scissors. To remove them, “pull them out” all along your cut, you just have to pull on them by small handles, without pulling too hard, and all the hairs that have been cut will come off easily. Those which were not cut will remain perfectly fixed, do not worry.

How to sew faux fur in 4 steps?

You might think that it is very complicated to sew fur, but just follow these few tips to get the best results.

Here is the material you will need:

• A sewing machine with jersey needles (size 90 universal needles are also very suitable)
• Standard polyester sewing thread
• A pair of scissors
• Sewing pins (many sewing pins)
• A small rule (see below)

Here are the 4 very simple steps to follow :

1. First secret of a successful sewing: prepare your work well.

Prepare your work by always working on the backing side. Our faux fur fabrics do not fray, so there is no need to overcast the edges of your fabric.

• Place a first pin, then push the hairs towards the inside of the seam with your small ruler. To do this, follow the direction of the arrows on the photos, then place a second pin 3 to 5 centimeters away from the first one.
• Then push the hairs back and place a new pin.
• Proceed in this way along the entire edge that you are going to sew.

Do not hesitate to work slowly, and to place many pins. The more pins you have, the more perfect your sewing will be.

2. The second secret to successful sewing: work gently.

Place your work under the presser foot of the sewing machine, choose a straight stitch with a length of 3 to 5. Start sewing on a small length (1 centimeter), then push the hairs back inside the seam (again) very evenly, as you remove the pins.

To make a perfect seam, you will have to move forward very slowly, stopping every 3 or 5 centimeters. Push back the hairs, remove a pin, sew, push back the hairs, remove a pin and so on.

3. Third secret of a successful sewing: no bad surprises!

Once your seam is finished, cut the threads. Remember to run your hand over all your seams to make sure you have removed all the pins. With the thickness of the fur, they are invisible and could give you an unpleasant surprise when you wear your jacket!

4. The fourth secret to successful sewing: take care of the finishing touches.

For a really perfect seam: turn your work over, and pluck (very delicately) the hairs along the seam. This will allow you to remove the last cut hairs that have not yet fallen out. You can also pass a velvet upholstery brush along your seam to remove the last hairs.

Then, using a needle, pull out the last hairs that would have gotten stuck in the seam (follow the arrow on the picture). Finally, brush the seam hairs with a simple brush to smooth out the hairs that were bent in the seam, for an absolutely perfect look.

How to sew faux fur by hand?

Sewing fur by hand is very easy too! This technique will not only allow you to realize all the creations of your choice (fashion accessories, cushions, stuffed toys…), it also allows you to learn how to repair a hole in the fur in a perfectly invisible way.

To do so, you just have to follow exactly the same steps as in the list above, and instead of sewing with the machine, you will make an overlock stitch, which is the simplest stitch. This type of stitch is the best to sew fur by hand, it is strong and very easy to perform.

Here are the steps in the picture :

How to avoid putting hairs everywhere?

Our faux fur fabrics are very strong and do not shed hair. The only hairs that can come off are those located along a cut. So to achieve a perfect job without any hair falling out and without putting hair everywhere in your home, we invite you to follow these tips:

• When you handle a faux fur coupon, make slow gestures, do not shake it, unfold it gently to prevent the cut hairs from flying away.
• Make your cuts on a carpet, and try to have a carpet also in the room where you sew. This will make it easier to vacuum up the hairs attached to it.
• Keep a velvet brush close at hand to remove any hair that gets on your lining fabric or clothing.
• Always remember to remove any cut hairs that get caught in the seam by hand, pulling them out gently.
• Don’t hesitate to use a vacuum cleaner with low power and a clean nozzle to easily vacuum the cut hairs.

Need help?

If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us. We have been manufacturing faux fur fabrics for over 35 years and have a great deal of experience sewing in different types of creative projects, we are always happy to help you!