Working with Faux Fur

Faux fur outerwear and accessories are key items this autumn / winter. However working with faux fur is tricky but if you follow these tips and tricks, your faux fur project should have a rewarding outcome. 

Make sure the fur is in the correct direction before cutting. The pile should run down the garment / item.

Place the pattern pieces on the reverse of the fabric. Each pattern piece should be laid separately and mirrored where necessary.

Carefully draw around the pattern pieces with tailors’ chalk or a pen. Also mark the notches with tailor’s chalk or a pen on the backing fabric.

Use scissors to carefully cut through the backing fabric, taking small snips try to avoid cutting as much of the pile as possible.

The backing fabric can also be cut through using a craft knife. However a rotary blade will cut through the fur pile as well as the backing – this is not ideal with longer faux furs as too much trimmed fur may be noticeable in the finished project.

All faux furs will shed hairs and fibres during the cutting out process; use a brush, comb or lint roller to collect the loose hairs from all cut edges.

Use Wonder Clips, rather than pins, if you have them. 

Use a ball point needle – most faux fur is constructed on a knitted backing.

Lengthen the sewing stitch on your machine to allow for the thickness of the fur pile. Test this on your fabric off-cuts to perfect.

After stitching each seam, comb or brush the pile from the right side, to release any caught fur – this will help hide the seams. 

On the wrong side, also free any trapped hairs (top). Once the faux fur is brushed through on both sides, the seam will sit flatter. 

Now trim the fur from the seam allowance to remove any excess bulk. 

Never press faux fur fabric, the heat will flatten the pile. If you do press it, without thinking, it can be possible to retrieve the situation using a hair dryer on the hottest setting and brushing the nap in an upwards direction but it is best to avoid this in the first place.

Where to buy Faux Fur Fabrics? With fabric as tactile as faux fur it is best to buy from a store. If London is accessible, Goldhawk Road is full of fabric shops and at least six of them have a large range of faux fur to choose from. 

Failing that, here are some suggestions for purchasing faux fur fabric online. Remember when purchasing fabric online always get a sample. Getting it wrong can be an expensive mistake and it is impossible to predict the handle from the images.

UK & Europe - Fake Fur Shop, Top Fabric, Minerva Fabrics

USA - Fabrics & Fabrics, Mood Fabrics 

Finally, what to make? There are two patterns in our pattern range designed especially for Faux Fur fabric: The Faux Fur Jacket with two collar styles and The Faux Fur Accessories consisting of five pieces: a gilet, slouch bag, hat, collar and hairband.

Read more about the Faux Fur Accessories pattern HERE 

And the Faux Fur Jacket pattern HERE