FA+
Shop
616
Views
Views
14
Favorites
Favorites
Category
Designs / Fursuit
Species Mammal (Other)
Size 1016 x 760
File Size 189.8 kB
Report this content
★
More from Snapai
Expanding on the concept I mentioned in my journal.
I found this awesome mesh fabric that's actually designed as a backing fabric for making rugs and afghans (they carry it at Jo-Ann's for $3 a yard, currently $2 a yard!). So, I got some yarn, and tried making a patch of fur. Each of these has 16 pieces of yarn sewn into them - with both ends sticking out so that's 32 tips.
I think tying every other hole works better. The patch on the right is tied that way, while the one on the left is tied every hole. The yarn tied every hole POOFS out into a giant cottonball like mass, with enough force to buckle the fabric on the back - I don't think this would be good for costuming work. It'd also use over twice as much yarn. The yellow yarn poofs out enough to cover up the gaps in the mesh, but wisps about and lays down properly, and generally acts a bit more fur-like, so I think that's the style I'll go with.
For reference (let's see how badly FA messes up ASCII art:)
The red fur is tied:
OOOOOO
OXXXXO
OXXXXO
OXXXXO
OXXXXO
OOOOOO
and the yellow fur if I had cut enough of a patch for it to be in a square would be tied:
XOXOXOX
OOOOOOO
XOXOXOX
OOOOOOO
XOXOXOX
OOOOOOO
XOXOXOX
(if that doesn't look go right, go paste it into something monospaced :P )
I found this awesome mesh fabric that's actually designed as a backing fabric for making rugs and afghans (they carry it at Jo-Ann's for $3 a yard, currently $2 a yard!). So, I got some yarn, and tried making a patch of fur. Each of these has 16 pieces of yarn sewn into them - with both ends sticking out so that's 32 tips.
I think tying every other hole works better. The patch on the right is tied that way, while the one on the left is tied every hole. The yarn tied every hole POOFS out into a giant cottonball like mass, with enough force to buckle the fabric on the back - I don't think this would be good for costuming work. It'd also use over twice as much yarn. The yellow yarn poofs out enough to cover up the gaps in the mesh, but wisps about and lays down properly, and generally acts a bit more fur-like, so I think that's the style I'll go with.
For reference (let's see how badly FA messes up ASCII art:)
The red fur is tied:
OOOOOO
OXXXXO
OXXXXO
OXXXXO
OXXXXO
OOOOOO
and the yellow fur if I had cut enough of a patch for it to be in a square would be tied:
XOXOXOX
OOOOOOO
XOXOXOX
OOOOOOO
XOXOXOX
OOOOOOO
XOXOXOX
(if that doesn't look go right, go paste it into something monospaced :P )
Category Designs / Fursuit
Species Mammal (Other)
Size 1016 x 760px
File Size 189.8 kB
I can pat it down pretty flat.
Not sure bout how hairlike it'll behave - this is 100% acrylic, so it's pretty frizzy. I know
bir has hairlike yarnfur down pat, but I dunno what kinda' yarn she uses or any post-processing done to the fur to make it behave that way.
A nice wool yarn and some hair conditioner might work though! Everything I saw at Michaels was AT LEAST 50% synthetic however.
Not sure bout how hairlike it'll behave - this is 100% acrylic, so it's pretty frizzy. I know
bir has hairlike yarnfur down pat, but I dunno what kinda' yarn she uses or any post-processing done to the fur to make it behave that way.A nice wool yarn and some hair conditioner might work though! Everything I saw at Michaels was AT LEAST 50% synthetic however.
Ah, so pretty much ordinary premium yarn, right? Red Heart is what my mom always knit with, and is everywhere (the red stuff in this picture)....the "one pound" skeins at Michaels (yellow in this picture) are by the same brand as "Simply Soft" so I imagine I can find that too. Anyways, they're all 100% acrylic, so at least I know it's not a fiber type issue.
Which doesn't really solve my problem of "how do you get the acrylic fibers to lay flat?" - instead of frizzing. Maybe an iron of some sort, I dunno o.o
It may also just be that I am using MUCH shorter strands of yarn than the yarn tails, The yarn here is sticking up maybe 2" above the cloth. Possibly using longer yarn yields flatter fur?
Which doesn't really solve my problem of "how do you get the acrylic fibers to lay flat?" - instead of frizzing. Maybe an iron of some sort, I dunno o.o
It may also just be that I am using MUCH shorter strands of yarn than the yarn tails, The yarn here is sticking up maybe 2" above the cloth. Possibly using longer yarn yields flatter fur?
I know Walmart sells Red Heart. As for the other two I've never looked for em so I dunno where they are sold.
Ironing the fibers will melt them I know that for sure :/ I would suggest using longer fibers. My mate and I are working on a tail and we are using 3 inch strands and they lay down pretty flat. What kind of brush are you using? We are using a wire pet brush.
Ironing the fibers will melt them I know that for sure :/ I would suggest using longer fibers. My mate and I are working on a tail and we are using 3 inch strands and they lay down pretty flat. What kind of brush are you using? We are using a wire pet brush.
The red one is like 3/4" square. The yellow one is a decent size patch. They didn't take me very long to do at all- and the point is for a super breathable fur, made with locally-available materials, not to save work! XD
Maybe I've seen too much knitting / quilting / needlepoint / crochet, but that kind of work doesn't seem that tough to me. Tedious, sure, but not difficult.
Maybe I've seen too much knitting / quilting / needlepoint / crochet, but that kind of work doesn't seem that tough to me. Tedious, sure, but not difficult.
I don't mean to say it's difficult, and I understand why you intend to try it completely. I'm just the kind of person who would never be able to make myself finish a project if the very first step was a something like this. Don't think me trying to discourage you (I couldn't even be bothered to properly install tweeters in my car, one of them is attached with masking tape) I was just curious.
This is ESSELLENT findings and experimentation!
.... o.o!
anyway this should work well for making a fursuit, and be really well ventilated...you know i have to journal to try to start a discussion someday, on my hypothesis that as fursuit building becomes more complex and widespread, fursuits are going to start exhibiting features and structures similar to those in living organisms, and thus the quality and comfort of fursuits is going to suddenly go SHOOOM way high really quickly. Like this mesh + yarn structure :)
.... o.o!
anyway this should work well for making a fursuit, and be really well ventilated...you know i have to journal to try to start a discussion someday, on my hypothesis that as fursuit building becomes more complex and widespread, fursuits are going to start exhibiting features and structures similar to those in living organisms, and thus the quality and comfort of fursuits is going to suddenly go SHOOOM way high really quickly. Like this mesh + yarn structure :)
yes, though it's more labor-intensive this way. You can mail-order faux-fur in a lot of colors too,just look at the fursuits there are out there. But the real neat thing about this method is there won't be any seams in the fur, and you can detail the fur as finely as per-tuft, so patterning is MUCH more straightforward.
I'm really starting to like this idea, actually. You'd fit, cut and sew the body-suit before-hand, then tuft it in the colours you'd want, comb and style and off you go! As for getting it to lie flat, acrylic yarns can sometimes be "shaped" if you damp it down first, then comb and blow-dry. The heat from the blow-drier might set the fibres without crinkling or melting them. Or one of those hair irons set to low heat and just gently brush it past the fur- but that will still likely be too hot and crinkle it.
Or you could just be all shaggy and make it work for the character! *giggle*
My only thought is about how to deal with the fur on the head of a fursuit: the pelt is a lot shorter, there, and the mesh is likely to be seen. I suppose you could go a stitch in every hole there, then shave it down to the length you'll need. But, you won't be able to get "velvet"-length fibres, though- you'll have to leave it a little longer. I guess you could make the base foam smaller to compensate (the fur adds "bulk" to the whole shape). Or carefully match fur and yarn colour and use a short pile fur on the head, hand-paws and feet.
Or you could just be all shaggy and make it work for the character! *giggle*
My only thought is about how to deal with the fur on the head of a fursuit: the pelt is a lot shorter, there, and the mesh is likely to be seen. I suppose you could go a stitch in every hole there, then shave it down to the length you'll need. But, you won't be able to get "velvet"-length fibres, though- you'll have to leave it a little longer. I guess you could make the base foam smaller to compensate (the fur adds "bulk" to the whole shape). Or carefully match fur and yarn colour and use a short pile fur on the head, hand-paws and feet.
Well, when you comb the yarn tufts out, you actually wind up pulling out about 1/3rd to 1/2 of the fibers, so if you kept them sorted by color, maybe you could make them into felt or something for that? Notsure.
Maybe you could also just glue the lint down indiscriminately onto the foam, aiming for the middles of the fibers, then brush it again to pull the ends to the top, and then shave it down?
If you're going to be gluing filled-mesh fur to the foam, then I would think you could just pull strands through the holes, but NOT tie it - and just use enough glue to fuse the fibers in place on the foam. You'd wind up with a lot more even coverage that way, since the yarn wouldn't be passing through a knot on the surface of the mesh.
If your yarn is "no dye lot" there might also be a good chance of finding fake fur in the same colors - I was watching a youtube video about carpet fiber manufacture, and it was being produced directly from pre-colored industrial acrylic pellets - hence the lack of a dye lot.
Maybe you could also just glue the lint down indiscriminately onto the foam, aiming for the middles of the fibers, then brush it again to pull the ends to the top, and then shave it down?
If you're going to be gluing filled-mesh fur to the foam, then I would think you could just pull strands through the holes, but NOT tie it - and just use enough glue to fuse the fibers in place on the foam. You'd wind up with a lot more even coverage that way, since the yarn wouldn't be passing through a knot on the surface of the mesh.
If your yarn is "no dye lot" there might also be a good chance of finding fake fur in the same colors - I was watching a youtube video about carpet fiber manufacture, and it was being produced directly from pre-colored industrial acrylic pellets - hence the lack of a dye lot.
I foresee problems with gluing, since hot glue is the usual adhesive method. The mesh holes may end with your getting glue into the fur and that would look like ass. I was thinking possibly carefully hand-sewing the mesh all down through the foam with a doll-maker's needle, only gluing in areas that wouldn't be seen or are hard to see when done.
I'd probably get the fur first for the head and then colour-match in yarn for the body, as yarns have a far-wider range of shades, it'll be easier that way. Unfortunately, it does mean limiting yourself to the colours available in the faux furs. At least yarn is far cheaper (if you're using the acrylic stuff).
Still, this sounds like a neato experiment.
I'd probably get the fur first for the head and then colour-match in yarn for the body, as yarns have a far-wider range of shades, it'll be easier that way. Unfortunately, it does mean limiting yourself to the colours available in the faux furs. At least yarn is far cheaper (if you're using the acrylic stuff).
Still, this sounds like a neato experiment.
Yup, but it can be messy if you use too much (my bad habit with the stuff), and I use the 3M spray glue a lot already. The only flaw with the stuff is that it does break down a bit after time, and anything under tension will separate. A combination of the spray glue and hand-sewing would work, though- you can sew through the stuff without too much difficulty.
This looks like an interesting idea if you are looking for a fur pattern without cutting and sewing a lot of small fur pieces. Also I wonder if you can make the fur length long, say up to 12 inches with this method. That would make some interesting hair fur or lion like manes.
hey i did this on one of my heads http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5170137 http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5203373
i used fleece as a base and sewed on the knots.
i also used it as hair on http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4804866/
i just love how the stuff moves it has so much life.
i used fleece as a base and sewed on the knots.
i also used it as hair on http://www.furaffinity.net/view/4804866/
i just love how the stuff moves it has so much life.
Comments