Top 10 Tips for Sewing with Faux Fur

One or two almost-unbearable heatwaves and plenty of rain: yes, that was another UK summertime! As autumn approaches with winter hot (or cold!) on its heels, it's a great time to start updating your wardrobe, as well as your home, with unique clothing and soft furnishings to suit the cooler weather.

Faux fur is a beautifully versatile material and can be used to create all sorts of items from hats and scarves to throws and cushion covers. You get all of the warmth and beauty of real fur without any of the cruelty and at a fraction of the price.

Sorted! In this edition of the Croft Mill blog, we'll give you ten top tips on how to sew with faux fur.

1. The hair of faux fur is referred to as the fabric's 'pile' and the direction in which the pile naturally lies is called its 'nap'. When you're planning your project and cutting the material, you should always consider in which direction you want the nap to lie when the project is finished. 
2. The best way to make sure that you don't get the nap wrong when you're working with faux fur is mark arrows indicating nap direction on the reverse of the material using a permanent marker.
3. Work with a single layer of fabric at a time from the back. You can again use your permanent marker to trace around your pattern and mark your cutting lines. 
4. You can't cut faux fur in the same way you would cut other fabrics. Instead, you should slide the tips of your scissor blades between the fur, cutting just the backing fabric. It's far easier to cut against the nap rather than with it. 
5. Secure the right sides of the faux fur together with pins before sewing. The material is known to 'crawl' because of the nap so start by pinning two ends and work towards the middle, tucking the fur inside and away from the edge as you go. 
6. When working with faux fur, you may notice a crackling from static electricity. To keep this from giving you a tingle, simply spritz your hands with water before you start!
7. Always leave a seam allowance of at least 1/4" and use longer stitches of around 3". If you're sewing the faux fur to a lighter fabric, sewing with the fur on top will help prevent shifting. 
8. While you're sewing, keep an eye out for any hairs getting caught in the seams. You can remove any such hairs with a pin or a comb. 
9. Create clean edges and compress the bulk of faux fur by using a serger on the seam allowances. 
10. Faux fur can be messy to sew with. Clean up your sewing machine and working area when you're finished using a lint roller and a vacuum cleaner with appropriate attachment. 

Check out the Croft Mill website to discover our eclectic collection of faux fur and look forward to a warm, stylish autumn!