Especially as the weather gets cooler, there are few things I love snuggling up in more than faux fur. There is something so timeless and elegant about fur that never goes out of style. It can be a coat, a chunky scarf… or even a hat. I’m not biased. I love faux furs.
The only downside to sewing faux fur is the intimidation you sometimes feel in taking on a faux fur project. To help with this, I have a few easy tips and tricks that make sewing faux fur less messy, time-consuming, and overwhelming. In this article, I’ll share all of my tips with you!
10 Quick Tips on Sewing Faux Fur
1. Select Sewing Patterns Without Excess Darts, Pleats, or Sewing Details
Before you ever start your project, be sure to pick a sewing pattern that will compliment your fabric. Since faux fur can be thick and bulky, avoid sewing patterns with pleats, extra darts, and other sewing details since they will only make your project more difficult to assemble. I like to pick sewing patterns that are made for faux fur since they will often include other tips and techniques for sewing faux fur.
2. Determine The Direction Of Your Grainline
When you glide your hand across the top of your fabric, the fur hairs will likely fall in one direction. This direction is the grainline of your fabric. What is unique about faux fur is that the grainline only goes in one direction rather than up and down, which should be taken into consideration when you are laying your pattern pieces. If you slide your hand in the other direction, your fur will stand on end and feel more coarse.
3. Lay Your Pattern Pieces Out One At A Time Following The Direction Of Fur
Before you begin cutting your pattern pieces, flip your faux fur over. The backside of your fabric is much easier to work with, will help guarantee more accurate cuts, and is far less messy (but I’ll share some tips on that later.) From the back / wrong side of your fabric, begin to lay your sewing pattern pieces down. be mindful of the fabric’s grainline direction and be sure your pattern pieces are all laying in the same
4. Outline Each Pattern Piece With Tailors Chalk
Once your pattern pieces are laid out across the backside of your fabric, don’t just grab your scissors and start hacking away at your fur. Instead, grab your tailors chalk instead and begin outlining each piece. Be sure to include other pattern markings and notches.
5. Trim On The Inside Of Your Chalk Line
Since we traced our pattern pieces on the outside edge of your paper, be sure to cut out each piece from the inside edge to get the exact pattern size. Often, tailors chalk can leave a thicker line (up to 1/4″ thick) so cutting out your pattern pieces from the inside of the line makes sure you are still getting the correct pattern size.
6. Use Tiny Cuts In The Backing Of Your Fabric
If you cut through all the width of your faux fur, you’ll end up with a massive mess and some ugly, choppy pattern pieces. To avoid this, make tiny cuts into the backing of your fabric and be sure to avoid trimming the long hairs that make up the faux fur. Once your pattern pieces are cut out, gently pull the fur hairs apart to separate the pattern pieces without a big mess. You’ll also protect the length of your pile (the long hairs of your fur) and ensure that your pattern pieces have soft, natural looking edges.
7. Or Use A Razor To Prevent Cutting Into Your Pile
If making small cuts into the back of your faux fur fabric makes you nervous, grab a razor or an exacto knife to cut the backside of your fabric instead. The razer will automatically slice through the backing but avoid slicing the fur pile, leaving more faux fur attached to your finished piece.
8. Push Your Pile Into The Seam Allowance To Create Crisp Seams
When it’s time to put your pattern pieces together, use your hand to push the fur pile inward toward so it’s ut of the way of your seam allowance. This will help your fur fall more beautifully on the outside and keep your seams small and more comfortable on the inside of your garment.
9. Use Quilting Clips To Hold Pattern Pieces In Place
Since faux fur can be bulky, use Quilting Clips to hold it all in place and keep it from slipping and sliding around. These clips are inexpensive and perfect for holding thicker projects together with multiple layers. They also come in handy working with leather, vinyl, or suede since they don’t leave permanent puncture holes.
10. Pick Up Loose Hairs w/ A Damp Rubber Glove
After your new faux fur project is complete, you likely have a bit of a mess in your sewing space. The steps above will help reduce the excess mess, but when sewing faux fur, some clean up will likely be involved. Use a damp rubber glove to quickly and easily pick up all the stray hairs that have fallen off the project while you are working on it.
I hope these ten tips give you some helpful takeaways to start your next faux fur project! Working with fur is a fun challenge that creates incredible results. I can’t wait to see what you create! Be sure to tag me on Instagram @CreativeFashionBlogger the next time you work with faux fur.
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