Thanks once again for the advice! I just got a box o' fur today, and am itching to boil it, but I'm also wiped out from a nasty day at work and will save this task for when I can focus. In the meantime, I'm sewing split ostrich feathers to my puppet's head. (I have no idea what the proper way to attach feather hair is, so I'm going with what, so far, looks pretty good.) I'm working from the back forward, and I've done a little tuft right behind the eyes, so right now it looks like my Fraggle has a classic case of male pattern baldness. Heh.
I never thought of using a brush on the seams. Picking the seams isn't a problem for me, but I'll buy a firm toothbrush and see of the results are any better. Although I finally finished sewing the "skin", even making legs when I'd originally planned to end him in a sleeve. What the heck, I want him to "walkaround" at a con, and legs are more photogenic than a chopped-off bod.