Jillcostumes had a great idea in explaining how she makes her suits and thus inspired me to do the same sort of disclosure ^_^

You can ask questions in the comments but this is not a tutorial :p Just an explanation.

I also have to caveat that with my slow turn around time I tend to improve from suit to suit perhaps a little more than some other artists (as I may learn more in the extended time in-between suits). So I will give my build style as of this moment - it might not be the same as it was a year ago.

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I slush cast a resin mask from a mold of a head that I had sculpted earlier. If there is no mold suitable (which is very often) then I sculpt a totally new one from scratch, mold it and cast it.

I hinge the mask and cut out the eye holes/cut apart the mouth/etc. I paint some eyes. I sew a balaclava.

I attach the mask to the balaclava and add elastic to make it fit tighter so the moving jaw can work then add in the eyes and nose and line the inside of the mouth and adjust the head until the jaw works correctly. Eyelids and lips may go in now or they may go in after the foaming step.

The next step is to add foam to the mask and the back of the head to make it the shape of the animal/character that I really want. I also sculpt the ears. So even when using the same mask mold, it is primarily to just give me an anchoring point for the face and foam and easily make room inside the mask to breathe (which can be hard in an all foam head). Each character is sculpted as an individual.

When I am happy, I tape the whole head and use that the pattern out my markings and cut my fur. The fur is sewn together then glued down to the head. Some parts are handsewed after they are glued down.

The head is trimmed. Teeth are added. I make sure the jaw can still move correctly and I airbrush it and detail it (I might change some fur out or add fuzzy tufts or whatever to get the look I want). The neck is adjusted or added and I sew the balaclava edge to the neck edge on the inside so it is easy to put on and looks clean. A tongue usually gets added last.

I usually make the head first so that I can let it sit and stare at me for a while and I can decide if it is indeed correct or not. If not then I can adjust it.

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Hands are machine sewn with either fleece or latex pawpads. They are usually oversized so that they look good with the full costume but I avoid the 'floppy fingers' syndrome. Claws are cast from mold I sculpted myself. I do not outsource ANY of my 'fursuit pieces' but it is all made by me to fit my own style. I have no issue with outsourcing but I just prefer to not have to bend towards what someone else is offering ^^

Feet are are machine sewn and 100% made from scratch (no slippers or shoes) and made to be comfortable and fit tight without risking being too small (since I have rather bad feet myself I'm picky on this footpaw aspect and I'm always trying to make them better). Feet with have a parade sole or a parade sole with latex pads. I do not make indoor feet because I do not want to encourage my clients to need to wear fursuit sandals >< I would rather the costume get out and about and worn often like it was intended!

Bodysuits are machine sewn with a straight stitch then I zig-zag over the seam again after I pick the fur and trim them. I try to leave the major seams (one down each side and the back) a little larger so there is room for alterations. The padding is made from carved foam and lined with fleece on the outside so it is soft and comfortable and there is no exposed foam (I'm allergic to foam so I assume others are too XD). I sew in some padding and leave larger pieces removable for washing and storing. I do not build my padding on an undersuit because I do not like the 'sagging skin' aspect that can arise when not pairing it with stretch fur.

Tails are machine sewn and often have a carved foam core. it depends on the tail! I like to make tails oversized to fit the size of the bodysuit (like I do paws) so they are almost never attached to the bodysuit directly unless they are tiny because that is really really hard on a bodysuit and makes it stretch then wrinkle in unappealing ways.

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I think that's most of the pieces. I hope this helps to explain a little when i build a costume for you how it will be done and why it is done that way :D That said I am always learning! And I expect that every costume I make to be better than the last ^_^ And if there are ANY problems at ALL, you can always mention them to me and I will do my best to fix them.