Faux Fur

[kelly1205]

Im preparing to use fuax fur after i have finished my second bear. I know that Moo uses faux fur a lot and I remember reading something about the Muslin used to strengthen it?

I know that faux fur stretches a lot and I want to strengthen the backing. What can I use to strengthen it (e.g. Muslin) and where is the best place to get it?

Thanks everyone =D

Kelly
xxx

[Artemis bears]

I used muslin to line a faux fur just bought it from the local material shop it's really cheap just lightly glued it on then drew and cut out pieces

andrea

[kelly1205]

Thanks, I think it would be good as you can see the drawing lines and on darker fur, its quite hard. Thanks very much, the nearest material shop is a bit of a drive so might search online, maybe ebay?

xxx

[Rich1988]

I was actually speaking to your favourite artist Kim at the Stratford show, and she says she simply puts a mix of PVA glue and water across all the fabric, leaves it to dry and she finds this works for holding it mostly. Although yes muslin either sewn in or glued down or you can buy ready made self adhesive backings from most hobby stores but I find these tend not to hold on very well.

Richard
x

[kelly1205]

Oooo thanks Rich. I think ill try both muslin and the pva/water mixture and see which works best. Need to actually find some time to finish off my bear and start a new one!

xxx

[shebob bears]

Another alternative to muslin or pva/water painted over the backing is to find a faux fur that has a woven backing as opposed to a knitted one. Unfortunately though these woven ones tend to be almost as expensive as the quality mohair fabrics. But there are some extremely realistic animal faux furs on the market, so it's well worth searching.

Hope you find what you are looking for. Keep us informed. :)
Sheila

[kelly1205]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Ill have a look for woven backing. But i dont know if the faux fur i have is woven or knitted as i got it from ebay for 99p =D

I have some muslin, how do i glue it onto the fabric? Do i use a thin spread of pva glue or should i mix it with water first?

xxx

[dutchy.bears]

Do you have the fabric yet? as you don't know whether it is knitted or woven??? it is relatively easy to tell if the backing looks like something your grandmother knitted it's a knit backing and will stretch, if it's woven it'll look like the mohair you got from Christies on the back. I haven't had much experience yet with stretch fabrics so I'll let someone else tell what the best way of attaching muslin to the back of the fabric is. I have a funny feeling it will be a glue stick...... PVA mixed with water can just be spread on the back and when it dries it should prevent the fabric from stretching

-xxx-
Annette

[Artemis bears]

I just used a glue stick ie pritt stick just to get it to hold onto the backing cos it will be sewn to it when you stitch the bear anyway

Andrea xx

[kelly1205]

I tried glue stick and pva/water mix to stick it on but it just would not hold at all. Im not sure if its just the backing that it doesnt like or if im doing it wrong? I spread some pva/water mix on the backing anyway and will leave it to dry and then start cutting the pattern out :)
xxx

[Moorland Bear]

I've never used PVA glue and water before as I've only used mohair and woven Faux Fur. What sort of mix do I use with the PVA and water?:)

[Moosick]

I've never used it either, though I have some lovely faux fur that is a little too stretchy :( I'd also be interested in knowing, but a bit nervous as I'm a messy pup and glue and I don't mix well :6086:

[shebob bears]

I started using PVA glue/water mix, approx equal quantities of each when my fraycheck bottle ran out after the local craft shop had closed.:mad:
It's very effective, but unlike the fraycheck you will need to apply it with a small but stiff paintbrush or it won't soak in properly. I prefer to apply it round all the cutting lines of each beary pice before I cut out. That way there is no chance of ending up with any of the fur going stiff.

Give it a try. I use it all the time now, and the bears have never complained. :D
Sheila

[Moorland Bear]

Thank you so much for the information :6046: I had looked at the fraycheck but wasn't sure about buying it as I was concerned about the fumes it would give off. PVA has virtually no smell. I found out the hard way that not all woven faux fur is the same and had trouble with it unravelling and it was knitted through a woven backing:mad:

I read also where PVA will help stop faux fur stretching when I stuff the bears. I bought some sew in interfacing but it's light weight and I'm not sure it will be strong enough but I'm hoping that the PVA glue will add strength as well. The tip about using a stiff brush is much appreciated and I certainly going to give it a try. :)

[shebob bears]

Painting the backing of a knitted faux fur with pva glue or a fabric stiffener only ever seems to work to a certain degree.
Whilst it appears at first to have stabalized the fabric, I found to my dismay when making a polar bear that the fabric became too stiff to work with, and totally impossible to turn the pieces ready for stuffing.:eek:
I think it's a case of trial and error to get the consistency right. Using a lining material is much safer, and you will get the result you're aiming for.

Good luck, and look forward to meeting your bear.
Sheila

[Moorland Bear]

Thanks so much for your help. :6088: I hadn't thought about the fabric being stiff and hard to turn. What I had thought of doing is putting a light solution of PVA glue/water mix on the back of the knitted faux fur and then pressing a light sew-in interfacing onto the area that's glued. But I'm going to test it on a small piece of the faux fur, say for an example and ear to see if that will work. Or would this make it a bit stiff. I would appreciate any advice you can give.

The bear I'm hopeing to make next is one out of Donna and Brian Gibbs book, 'Making and dressing Traditional bears', and she's called Poppy and is a laughing bear. This will be my most complex bear so far and I just love laughing bears.

Thank you so much again foir all for your help. :6088:

[shebob bears]

I have tried various combinations of stiffeners/linings etc. and I always come back to the lining method. That way the fur fabric remains supple but is restrained by the lining at the stuffing stage.
I find it preferable to oversew the lining round each beary piece before you begin assembling the bear. That way the lining has the final say as to how much stuffing it can take. :D
Just make sure your lining isn't too flimsy or it may not be strong enough to support the faux fur. Anyone else got some advice on faux fur?

Sheila

[Geralye]

I have used a lightweight 'Vilene' iron on interfacing to stabilise a faux fur.

I couldn't use the iron too hot, in case I melted the fur, I think I used the wool setting, or possibly a bit hotter. It stuck long enough for me to get the bear cut out and oversewed together.

I oversewed pieces together before stitching on the seam lines.

It worked fine, the bear didn't stretch during stuffing.

cheers,
G

[Moorland Bear]

Thanks so much for all the information. :6088: It's so good to have somewhere I can go to get help and information and where everyone is so friendly. :)

I think I'm going to use the lining method as I don't want the fabric to get to stiff but I will use the PVA/glue mix as a fray check. I am thinking of using two pieces of light weight sew-in interfacing on each piece to give a bit more strength and the next time I go to the haberdashery stall, which is in the next town about 12 miles away, I will get some of the iron on interfacing as well.

Thank you all so much for you hekp.:6088: