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When you love the look of fur, but love animals even more, Fabulous-Furs are the answer. The luxurious alternative to animal fur, Fabulous-Furs are surprisingly easy to sew. With just average sewing skills, an ordinary sewing machine and the tips below, you'll cut and sew like a pro. In fact, a coat can be cut and sewn in about 8-10 hours -- that's just two evenings!
WHICH FUR? The fur that matches your hair color is often the fabric that's most flattering. Remember too. that short hair furs such as Sable and Mink aren't as bulky as long hair, fuller furs such as fox.
PELT LINES in man-made furs are created in the manufacturing process by shearing. The resulting fabric looks as if narrow strips of fur have been sewn together. By simply turning up a conventional hem in a pelted fur, scallops form along the lower edge. Pelt lines visually reduce the bulky hood of a fur coat, furnishing many vertical lines for a slender silhouette.
POSITION PATTERN pieces so the nap runs down. Sew with the nap, from top to bottom. Dark sheared fabrics such as black sheared beaver are the exception -- in our workroom we cut so the pile runs UP.
WITH CUTTING SHEARS and a snipping motion, cut fur-like fabrics single thickness, face down. Cut through the backing only, leaving the pile undisturbed. In our workroom, however, we use a razor blade for fast, mess-free cutting.
KEEP YOUR VACUUM CLEANER HANDY. Control the mess by cutting a coat piece, then vacuuming it and the cutting surface, before moving on to the next piece.
JOIN SEAMS with a zigzag stitch (2 W, 3.5 L), stitching close to the edge of a 1/4" seam allowance. Use an embroidery foot and good quality all-purpose thread. Reduce presser foot pressure and loosen thread tension. Do test seams on scraps to find the best machine settings.
THE BEST TIP: Our newer patterns have notches about 5" apart along every seam. Mark rather than cut notches. Pin seams, pushing pile to the right side. Then stitch a flawless seam!
Other articles online by Donna Salyers:
Fabu-Leather
Sewing Tips
Fabulous-Furs
Headband
More information on Donna Salyer's Fabulous-Furs
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