How to Make Fur Suit Paws
Fur suits are often worn by people who are dressing up as animals for Halloween or other events. Since it doesn't make sense to have human hands sticking out of a furry costume, you will need to make paws. These paws are simple gloves, which provide enough movement to function while wearing the suit. The design can be modified with different colors and lengths of faux fur to make them work with nearly any costume.
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Things You'll Need
- Straight pins
- Marker
- Scissors
- Dark leather or other fabric
- Sewing machine or needle and thread
Instructions
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1
Place your right hand on a sheet of paper with your fingers spread.
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2
Trace your hand with a pencil, drawing as far down your wrist and forearm as you want the paws to extend.
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3
Draw another line around your hand tracing for the glove patterns. This pattern should be 1/2 inch larger than your hand tracing to allow for sewing, and 3/4-inch larger below the wrist.
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4
Repeat this process for the other hand.
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5
Cut out the two patterns. Write a "B" on the top of each to denote the back of your hand, and a "P" on the other side to denote the palm. If desired, write "LB," "LP," "RB" and "RP" to distinguish the left pattern from the right pattern.
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Pin the patterns on the back of faux fur, then trace the outline with a marker. Ensure that the fur direction goes from fingertip to wrist on all four pieces.
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Flip the patterns over and trace them onto the back of the fur again.
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Cut out the four pieces with a sharp pair of scissors, clipping as closely as possible to the fur's cloth backing to avoid cutting the fur itself. Write the "P" or "B" for each piece onto each piece.
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9
Lay out the palm pieces, fur-side up, onto a work table.
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Look to pictures of animals for paw pad shapes. Cut pads for the palm and fingertips out of dark leather or fabric. The pads on the fingertips should be oval, and the one on the palm should be shaped like a rounded triangle. The exact size depends on the size of your hands.
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Trim the fur off of the palm pieces where the pads will go using a sharp pair of scissors.
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Pin the leather pads onto the palm pieces, then sew them in place with thread that matches the color. A sewing machine greatly speeds this process, but you can do it by hand. Remove the pins when you are done.
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Stack up the palm and back sides of each paw, fur-side in, and pin them together.
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Sew along the edge of each paw to connect the pieces, leaving the bottom open.
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Remove the pins and turn the paws right-side-out so the fur is on the outside.
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Tips & Warnings
Keep your fingers together while tracing (still with the thumb spread) if you want to create mitten paws.
References
- Photo Credit Handout/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
