so here we are 3 weeks from christmas and i am/was? making these very cute stuffed animals for two of the grandkids. There is a girl cat with a dress, shoes, vest and hairbow, and a boy, dog, who will have a complimentary vest (to the cat) and a bow tie out of the dress fabric, so they look like a couple, right?
ok, here is my problem: the 2 cats i made came out great. they are fleece. it's the dogs. they are fur and it's sliding all over the place. i have gobs of stabilizers, but don't know which one to use and how. i tried one last night and my ears still came out whopper-jawed. (his ears, lol)
thinking about trying to purchase some dogs and still make the clothes, but then "nana didn't make them".
If anybody knows how to sew with fur, please share your info. i would be extremely grateful. C

Can you "join" the fabric with a basting spray?
This might help your shifting fabric
K

Lots of pins.

Or sew them by hand. I used to sew dogs for a lady. I would do 4-6 dogs per week and I did them all by hand.

Glue sticks will hold them in place til you get the pieces sewn. I haven't done much with fake fur except cat toys, and bend the fur back in the area I am working on, then re-fluff.

The couple of times I worked with the "fur" I hand basted everything before sewing.

well i pinned them to death and the first side would be fine, but turn the curve and here we go,...the fur just shrank away from the ear lining, so...my next idea was to baste all seams before machine sewing. it helps to know somebody has done that. boy, this is going to take even longer, but that's what we do for those we love right? torture ourselves!!! lol. will be so cute if i can get them finished in time. thanks, guys!!!!!

glue stick...hey, that's an idea i hadn't thought of! i was afraid the basting spray might make them sticky all over or something. why do i try new things when there's a deadline?

years ago I made lots of stuffed animals and my pattern said to trim the fur in the seam allowances before pinning together and sewing. I never had any problems.

thanks. another great idea that never occured to me. think i will try on some scraps and maybe i won't have to do all that basting. i would pin a lot and start at bottom of ear and go to center of top and then back to bottom on other side and meet at top again, but somehow this stuff would move with pins down the middle.
i am not new to sewing by any stretch, but this made me feel skill-less! ok, fur...here i come, we'll do this thing till we come out with two doggies, by golly. i've got two five years old that love dogs and nana is not going to let them down, lol! THANKS, everybody. you guys are great! C

My Mum used to make stuffed animals for all her grandkids and she found that the toys were loved much more if they were'nt perfect!!! If they had a crooked ear or the nose was a bit wonky...they were loved even more!!
So please dont make them TOO perfect!!

Karen xx

thanks, karenmay. i needed to hear that too. one of the kitties has a very slight flaw underneath her tail that was impossible to make 'perfect' bc the area was so small and fleece can become worn thin if you pick at it too much. it doesn't show at all really, but you know how we can get with our projects...very self critical. I love that...ppl here say "wonky" too, lol!!! smiling now. thanks. C

Good luck with those babies. Don't stress too much over them, those kids are gonna love them no matter what! When do we get to see the pics of them?

I guess I never had problems, but I think I also trimmed before sewing the seam. I think that looks nicer than hair trapped in the seam

That's not a flaw under her tail....just part of her anatomy. lol. :lol:

Please do not use real fur. I just read a Peta piece that has givin me nightmares.
In China they are skinning dogs and cats alive then thowing them in piles to slowly die an agonizing death. These animals were stuffed in cages 30 at a time and some on the bottom were crushed to death before they even went thru the torture.
The pictures were heartbreaking.

Effective ad campaigns are not always based on the truth. Many farm raised furs are available, and the trappers I have met were responsible stewards of the land.

When approached by a Peta person, I generally look at their shoes. Leather doesn't come from plants either. I'm all for walking gently on the earth, was a free-range farmer in the 80s and planted over 1500 trees. I also called in a trapper to dispatch a fox that was determined to eat my flock. No, the animal was not relocated - After eating chickens, his pelt went for a nice price. Here in America, we have laws and organizations protecting pets. In China, they are considered food. The meat is used, just as the cattle used in leather production are used.

All fur products coming into the US are labelled for content and country of origin. If the fur is listed as an animal you are not familiar with, investigate before buying. If it is from a country that eats pets, you have every right to direct your fashion dollars elsewhere.

Take the [fake] fur and make a pillow, go buy more fleece :D

I'm so sensitive to all living things I could never use real fur for anything. I can't even bring myself to read about such cruelties bc it would break my heart, but think bc of your message i may support groups against these things in the future if I am able. I think ppl that do stuff like that should be locked up.

I'm glad we have the sense here in america to have laws that accomplish things in sensible ways. It's the cruelty that is so sad.
I guess there is a lot about this world that I know nothing about so I go in my "fantasy" world of fabrics and create a world where I love making gifts for other people and love goes into every one of them.
I suppose I'm childlike in a lot of ways, but i wouldn't change it. Sewing and quilting keeps me sane, lol!

auntluc: That's not a flaw under her tail....just part of her anatomy. lol.

LOL! every one of my projects, whether it's a quilt or a tote bag get named before I am finished bc so much of me goes into them...so of course my "Miss Kitty" would start to become real like pinnochio!
like i tell my grandbabies...your so funny!!! :D