Im in a real bind and am hoping that someone out there can help. I am making fur rugs out of possum fur,( and I am supposing that this is similar to other furs out there) I have bought a sewing machine espeacially for this purpose, however even thought the fur is tanned and prepared for sewing, I cannot seem to irradicate the lumpiness of the end product. The 26 skin pelt still looks like a patchwork and not even. I have stretch the skins, but this has not made much of a difference. Can anyone help? I am looking to create a superior product and need this knowledge.
With thanks in advance
Karen
Return to Tanning Category Menu
It sounds like you're making a fur blanket actually.
What type of machine are you using? Needle? Thread? Are you waxing the thread? Are you hammering out the seams? What type of post-sewing blocking are you giving the product?
Let-out or skin-on-skin? If you have some lumps, by all means start letting out the skins until they lay flat. That assumes it's the skins themselves causing the problem.
wow, this forum actually works!
The skins are fine, and yes you are right it is a blanket I am making, what did you mean by post-sewing blocking? excuse my ignorance but I am new at this! I will gt back to you on the machine I am using, its actually my girlfriend thats sewing the skins together, she is a professional machinist, but only new at sewing fur together, but I do know she bought a new machine especially for this project. When the skins are sewn together there is still bits of fur coming through on the reverse which doesnt look professional. We are hand sewing the backing on the reverse once the skins are together.
I look forward to hearing from you again!
Many thanks
Karen
I would still like some more help on this if anyone can help!
To correct the lumpiness in the pieces - you will have to block them prior to sewing. By blocking I am saying you should dampen them - tack them out - and allow them to dry flat with no lumpiness in the skin. Very much like we do for making a Bear Rug lay flat. After drying - cut away the tacked edge and sew them together. It's always best to use a template when cutting them so the size stays consistent.
When you sew the skins together to make the plate (the blanket) - to prevent the fur on the "inside" of the seams, you can do one of three things.
I assume you are working with pre-trimmed, rectangular Possum skins when you are doing your sewing.
1) apply tape (the "not so sticky" kind) to all edges before you sew, that way the fur is held out of the seam area by the tape. Remove tape GENTLY when done. Best on chinchilla. Would probably work fine on Possum.
2) wet skins and then sew. The wetness keeps the fur out of the seams. Make sure to oil the fur machine before, during, and after this unless you want rust and possible ruin! Good on all fur.
3) be meticulous in your technique, keep the fur machine seam as close to the edge as possible. Anyone who's made a mink coat knows how irritating this can be! Good on all fur though.
Bruce is correct. Blocking is when you wet down your skins, and then staple them to your pattern board. When they are dry, you remove the staples and then you sew.
Some lumpiness can not be corrected by blocking alone though, which is why the skins are often let out (cut into strips and then re-sewn). This can give you better length from the pelts, too, meaning a bigger blanket with less skins. Takes a long time and the error margin is high.
To remove fur from the "inside" of your seams, if it's just a little you can groom or if it's a tiny bit, use a pin to remove it from that area. If it's a lot, you can cut or shear it for that "professional" finished appearance.
Now if anyone can tell me why it took 2 and a half weeks for my chrome tanned skins to dry (they were hung "free in the air", not tacked down!), I'd love to know!
I am trying to convert an ancient fur coat (pony, I think) to a blanket. I've pieced all the bits OK, using the sleeves to fill in the gaps, but the resulting rectangle is not as large as I would like, and I want to make a four inch fabric border around the edge. What's the best way to attach the border? I will interline it (same time as I interline the fur piece) and then put an enlarged backing over the whole.
Right now, I have taped the four rectagle edges and turned them in a half inch, but it's how to add on the fabric border that's giving me problems...
Any ideas?