Boiling Fur Before Cutting Patten?

scandell

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Hi guys,

Newbie here. :concern:

I am following a project puppet pattern, and following TheCreatureWorks valuable video tutorial! I bought some great looking Mongolian fur from The Fabric District in downtown LA. Great prices $12 a yard! Here is my question,

Do i cut the pattern before I boil the fur? Does it shrink too much during boiling? Is it hard to cut fabric correctly when it has been boiled and is wrung and no longer lies perfect flat?

Thanks in advance,

This site is great.

I hope to be a positive influence for the forum.

-Scandell
 

muppet88

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I just made a puppet using the Borsa pattern from project puppet and pinky muppet faux fur. I boiled the fur before I cut out the pattern as the material did shrink a decent amount. I reccoment boiling several test swatches at different water temps and lengths of time. The most difficult thing about boiling the fur before cutting is finding a pot big enough to hold it all. I layed out my pattern and cut the fur into 4 sections, leaving extra room around the patten pieces for shrinkage, and boiled the 4 pieces separately. I noticed the larger the piece I boiled the less even the distressed look of the fur was. I reccomend boing as small pieces of fur at a time as you can, making sure to leave extra for shrinkage. I ended up only boling the fur for 15 seconds, and that was plenty.
 

scandell

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That's exactly what I needed to know, thanks! 15 seconds? I did a test piece last night for 1:15 seconds and it came out great....I wonder how much difference it makes....or if the majority of the "effect" happens in the first 15-30 seconds...:hungry:
 

muppet88

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The fur I used is about 1.5 inches in length and I think the Mongolian fur is quite longer so it may need more time in the water to distress. Good luck. Post some pictures when you are done!
 
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