There is a lot of hype in the craft blog world when new fabric collections are released and I love to look at all the patterns and colors just as much as the rest of us, but in the end I can't get all that excited because I don't sew much with quilting cotton.
I don't think quilting cotton is a great material for softies because, well, it isn't very soft. Imagine being at the toy store choosing a stuffed animal for a new baby or for a child's birthday. On one side is a shelf of super soft Gund stuffed animals and on the other is shelf of animals made from quiting cotton. Which one would you choose? The soft stuffed animals win every time. They are just more snuggly.
For years I was afraid to sew with fabrics other than quilting cotton. Fleece, minky, and faux fur just seemed really hard to control. They were stretchy and messy and always gave me a headache. I had a piece of purple novelty fur that I bought on a whim and it would just shed all over my other fabrics and taunt me from its shelf. Periodically I'd try to make something with it, but it would always slip and slide when I put two layers under my machine needle and I'd give up.
And then I conquered my fear of sewing with soft fabrics. Here are a few tips that made all the difference:
1. Figure out the direction of the nap on faux fur fabrics. Turn the fabric over and use chalk to mark the nap direction with a big arrow. Use this arrow as a guide when placing your pattern pieces. Generally the nap should run down your toy from top to bottom.
2. Place your pattern pieces parallel with the straight grain on fleece fabrics. There really is no stretch in this direction.
3. Pin like crazy. I'm not kidding you when I say place a pin every 1/8 inch. Pins are like tiny fingers holding the fabric layers together when you can't.
4. Free faux fur from the seams using an awl. I used to use a needle for this, but an awl is so much stronger.
5. To define the features of a toy, shear the fur with small scissors. If the backing is a different color than the pile you'll get an even more dramatic effect.
You can do it! Soft fabrics are actually really forgiving, especially fur with a long pile. Little imperfections get buried and can't be seen.
A few weeks ago Shannon Fabrics, a company based in in L.A., sent me some beautiful pieces of faux fur to play with. Shannon Fabrics is an importer and distributor of really high quality plush fabrics perfect for softies. They have all kinds of furs and cuddle fabrics (these are minky but with one way stretch so they are easier to control). Super soft stuff that make incredible stuffed animals and blankets for babies or for anyone. Frankly, we could all use some softness in our lives! They sell their fabrics to small chains and independent fabric stores all over the world. In my area, you can buy their fabrics at Fabric Place Basement in Framingham. (You can find Shannon Fabrics online on Facebook and Twitter if you'd like to get updates on their latest fabric lines.)
The fur you get at big box fabric stores can often be less than desirable. Cheap furs often only have the printed pattern on the top layer of the pile, not deep inside. The color choices and pile lengths are usually in limited supply (I was at Jo-Ann's on Monday looking for yellow fur and there was none to be had. Boo.)
And my main problem with the minky fabrics at big box stores is the unsophisticated pattern choices. What about all those beautiful new fabric lines that quilters get?
I was so pleased to see that Shannon Fabrics has lines of cuddle with Robert Kaufman in beautiful, sophisticated prints. Finally, soft, patterned fabric that I can get excited about.
Shannon allowed me to choose some yardage from their catalogue and of all of the furs I received, this one was the most amazing:
Check it out! It's called Mongolian Faux Fur in Grey Frost. Deep gray inside and then white tipped at the end of the super long pile. I was both intimidated and drawn to it. And I think I succeeded in taming it!
I have started a Facebook page for Abby Glassenberg Design. I'll be posting there about new pattern releases, book news, and other interesting softie-related topics so if you'd like to keep up with that, click "like". And I've posted a picture of what this amazing piece of fur became. Come take a look!
And while you're there (or here) share with me how you feel about sewing with fur and fleece. Love it? Hate it? Hoping to give it a try? Any good tips we should know about?
I love that fur is so forgiving, but I’m a little scared it will mess up my sewing machine, so I haven’t used it much! Seems like Jo-Ann’s etc carry a much wider variety around Halloween time, so that’s a good chance to stock up for the future.
That's a good point. I love all the crazy Halloween furs.
Hi there! I’m a 17 year old Australian plush maker, and I just have to say I adore your blog! I’ve been teaching myself how to make potshots (or softies ;D) since ’08, but I’ve learnt so many terms ad tricks from your many blogs, and your series on making plushing a professional career is really making me think deeply about making my hobby more than just that.
I must admit, I smiled when I saw this post. 😀 I’ve been working with fleece, and more recently minky (which is a bit tricky to get down in Aus!) fore the better part of 4 years, but reading your blog, I couldn’t help but wonder if I was using an unprofessional material. But I was so happy to see you make a post about them. And even more so to see that I’m apparently doing what I’m doing right! Though I haven’t yet invested in a sewing machine, and I’ll definitely keep your pins suggestion in mind when I take the plunge.
Sorry this comment’s so long. I just wanted to say thank you for your blogs, and for making me feel a little less weird about what I love to create. c:
Hi Renata,
Good for you for working hard to make what you love. I'm so happy my blog has been helpful to you in your creative work. I hope you get a sewing machine soon. It makes things so much easier! Keep in touch,
Abby
Hey Abby!
I love working with fleece – that’s what I started with!!! Funny enough, I have only recently started designing in quilting cottons as these seem so popular? Maybe it’s to do with the hot climate here in Australia or the shift away from synthetic materials, I don’t know, but it is certainly harder to get hold of fabulous fake fur of late! I still love using fake fur in wild colours like luminous greens and purples for my softies so I am curious to see what you are making with this fur! 🙂
Hi Abby,
on seing that wonderful fur I immediately thought of making some tribble-ish thingy of it – remember the Tribbles from Star Trek? 😉
Thanks for sharing!
Claudia
I almost bought some faux fur fabric at the store yesterday… but this might inspire me to actually go for it next time!
Cotton quilting fabrics are great for details (like the inner ears of your dachshund design) but don’t make for great plushies if they are a main fabric. It’s not so much that it isn’t soft – all fabrics will get soft over time… I think it’s because it is very thin, stiff, doesn’t stretch, and doesn’t have any texture to it. After all, plushies are textile objects! They are meant to be hugged and loved.
I totally agree. Think about shopping for a baby present at a toy store. There’s a plush Gund polar bear, and then a similar bear sewn from quilting cotton. Which would you choose? I’d go for the soft one every time.
Give sewing with fur a try. It’s not as challenging as you might think at first! Use lots of pins.
I recently started making bears and whatnot with faux fur and a friend got some mohair[yes, real mohair]from an older woman she cleaned for.I was so happy to receive this wondrous gift I started with a graduation bear ,then a fathers day bear, well needless to say,I`m hooked.I am an avid quilter ,but there is something so special about creating softies.I`m not usually so chatty but,I love sewing critters.It`s like giving someone a neverending hug to have around whenever you need one!