Link to the sewing machine: amzn.to/3rdiwHT Link to mannequin head: amzn.to/3FjklYQ

I’m required to hand-sew my parts, but hopefully through time I’ll save up for a sewing machine! Technically I can afford it right now, but I’d much rather have enough to be sure that if something pops up that needs to be paid for, I won’t go broke :’]

Here’s one - not double checking fur direction when cutting the fabric. The underside of one of Aishi’s cheeks is backwards due to me not checking, and I didn’t notice until after I had finished the head. It’s minky, and on a part no one really looks at, so unless someone is looking for it they won’t see it, but because I got so far into it before noticing it would take a LOT of work to fix, I’m just lucky I can get away with not fixing it, but someone with proper fur might not be as lucky in this regard

I'm still upset the biggest mistake I made has never been fully talked about. When I went to make the dtd for the head, I didn't know I wasnt supposed to put the duct tape directly on the head, I assumed based on what few videos existed at the time, that the tape would come off easy..... Tore so many holes into my foam base and I was so mad So I guess, use a buffer between the tape and foam, press n seal worked best for me, idk how people use cling wrap, it slides around too much for me. Idk, feels almost like every fursuit tutorial I have seen just misses some key information or assumes the viewer already knows certain things they need to do

I think another good tip is one- SHAVE UR FURSUIT! Lots of beginners including my first 2 suits, dont shave their fursuit and tbh it is the makers preference but depending on the species it could make the suit look ALOT better and overall make ur work look more "professional" and #2 USE PET CLIPPERS! On one part of the suit I just used old beard clippers cuz I didn't have money for good pet fur clippers, u can still use the human clippers BUT they dont shave the fur as well or as easy. They tend to be slower and get caught on the fur more whereas pet clippers just glide right through the fur

Also! Be very careful when using faux fur in a sewing machine. If your machine is higher end or belongs to someone else you may not wanna risk it unless you're experienced. Great vid!

While it may be faster with the sewing machine I find that on heads it’s almost impossible to brush out the seams that are left by a sewing machine rather than by hand. You basically end up with less bunching up on the back of the fabric

Hiya! Ive been a costume maker for a good 10+ years. And I'm so happy to see you making this. And here's the thing i cannot stress. Every first fursuit is going to be hard. Its your first go. And we all start somewhere! Every single one of my heads i do, i ask how i can improve it from my last. I've done like 150 heads i think? And then a ton of parts and such. But i keep count of heads overall. And i can do a head in a week if that. Mind you i don't take breaks xD oh and funny thing. Never used a machine in my life and i like it that way. I think its fine if people do either or. But there will be a lot you need to rely on for hand sewing. And my advice is to learn some basic stitches. Blanket and puppet are what i use most. As well as learn the direction of the fur. And a little "hack". You never need to use colored thread. Use white on lights and black on darks. It saves sooo much time. As well as no more needing to match colors. And don't be afraid to drape your fur on the base as you work. Fur adds volume. It might look one way as foam then another with the fur on top of it. Just drape and experiment! And make sure you always focus on: ventilation, weight and vision over ANYTHING. Heck if you cannot breathe, you just wasted your time. Make sure to carve out the muzzle and don't block air. Not even fans can save you if you have no natural air flow. Gah sorry for the wall of text! Im just big on giving help ^^"

All in all this is good info for those starting out. I do disagree with your first point though. Style is a matter of preference. Some people like super expressive suits and others like more realistic suits. If you are a fursuit maker then find the style that works for YOU. If you are planning to sell suits then there will always be a market for whatever style you go with. I do agree that new makers should try to use sewing machines more, however be aware that there are some intricate seams that are basically impossible to correctly sew with a machine. You may not have them on every fursuit you make but eventually you will encounter a complex design or shape that is simply easier to sew by hand than with a machine. Lastly, my own tip to new fursuit makers; you dont have to make a perfect headbase to end up with a good finished product! My first couple suits I spent so much time and effort carving my foam heads, trying to get them perfect before gluing the fur on, only to discover that far more experienced makers didn't spend anywhere as much time carving as I did. The fur has enough give in it to cover small mistakes and it will hide little irregularities in the foam base.

sewing clips are literally the biggest lifesaver. if i tried to do anything w/ fur using regular pins i would just go live underground

I think I might have found your channel just in time. I've been slowly attempting to make my own head for the past few months and I'm almost ready to tape it up and make the fur pattern. Perfect time to check out your videos!

I used my machine to sew my last head and OMG it made things SO much easier and faster! Not to mention how durable the seams are, I yanked and tugged and NOTHING popped, compared to hand sewing where I've had seams rip. If you have pieces that are the same color, I'd say yes, it'd probably be better to hand sew to prevent obvious seams, but I found that I can usually brush/shave those out as long as I'm just careful and patient. There were only a few pieces I had to hand sew on my last head, but I basically got everything sewn in a few hours. Learning a machine is also a HUGE skill to have, not only with headmaking, but also if you ever want to make body suits! You can definitely hand sew a bodysuit, but I can't imagine how long that would take or how questionable the durability would be. Great video!

From my experience the most important thing I think was said are the tools such as the clips I love the clips they make things so much easier and you won’t have to worry about stabbing your hands One more thing I would recommend is use a X-Acto knife or craft knife to cut the fur it reduces the chances of cutting the fur fibers and it also makes the process a little faster because you don’t have to be as careful

Thanks for the tips. I'm actually making my head as I'm watching this and it's nice to get help from another beginner

I also can make the head in 7 days, and i have documented the whole thing on my channel I used papier mache for the base + epoxy glue to protect from water, and make it more durable Trust me, the world is not ending if you use it, its relatively cheap and trustworthy method But this method requres a lot of patience, and consumes 1/3 of all head making time (other 2/3 are making insides and outsides, plus sewing and glueing onto base)

I don't have a sewing machine but I'll definitely use your other advice as I'm currently starting my first suit

2 things, first of all, I dont find the first mistake really as a mistake, I honestly like the one you have in the video that the ones you showed more expressive. I think sometimes its about style too. Also, a question, which sewing machine can be good? Some people (not fursuit makers) told me that normal sewing machines wont work!

Great tips that I've not heard before, thanks for making this!

Hm well.. sewing machines aren't really a huge requirement as really, they're optional. Sure they are good for getting the job done quicker but it is still possible to make fursuits (and plushies!) by handsewing all the way. Sadly I don't think you can fully machine things 100% as for closing gaps and seams, you would have to use the ladder/hidden stitch if you want to give it a clean finish, and not have this look where there's this one corner where you can see all the stitching and the rest you can't. Hope this info was useful to anyone reading this anyway, and yes I'm a fursuit maker too, I just don't post them on here, I do however on my other acc Fennekit Studios tho!

Thanks for tackling some tools that are helpful and how to use 'em!

im thinking about making my own fursuit head/partial for me and a friend this helped a lot thank you

This video is super helpful, thank you so much for making it! :D

as someone who plans on becoming a fursuit maker in the near future this was a big help.

I'm gonna have to hand sew my suit, but that's okay cause I'm only ever gonna make one suit. Very excited to get started once I get the money to get materials. Tha KS for the tips!

Thank you very much for sharing!

this was super helpful, thanks!

I'm trying make my first head fursuit and I'm really in need of a good mannequin head. I have one of thoses cheap ones and it was a big mistake. Thanks for the tips 😊

Something that occurred to me - it’s so much easier to cut faux fur fabric with an X-Acto knife/box cutter than with scissors. Also, good mannequin heads don’t have to break the bank! I found a great one on EBay for only $20 USD.

Thanks for sharing!

Okay this is helpful. I'm going to try to make my furSona as soon as I get the stuff I need to.

As experienced suitmaker (14 heads) ill never use sewing machine on face, and handsew it all by myself It tooks me around 6, maximum 9 hrs of sewing, and ill took this time and handsew all thing The reason for this is a lot of curves and small details that will be much bigger and puffier as more details sewn in Also if any grammatic brainfarts - english is my second language

Thank you!

I’m impatient here is something that helps me. Think of the day you finish like a holiday! We love holidays but the faster they come the sooner we will have to wait another 364 days for them to be here again. The day you finish making something your passionate about won’t happen again, sure the sense of accomplishment will but when will you make that thing again? If you wanted to you could make a remake but it’s still not the original. The first time you make something is the only time it will be original something new! Even if it’s based on something that already exists, it’s still your take on it so it’s still original.

I've been working on my fursuit head since July between finding the correct fur colors and finding the energy to work on it after work and on the weekends is hard

I’ve been thinking about getting a mannequin head for a while and this has made me want one more. I might get one now because I’m stressing about how I’ll make the neck for my suit

Ive tried to machine sew my heads before but i can never get it right, im on my 10th suit right now and through that i usually can get them done within a day or two, another tip though. Remember to backstitch on your machine! Stitches will fall out bear the end of the seam if you dont

Just saying my friend called your voice calming- anyways thank you! Helped a lot :)

i love fursuit head u made from scratch

I usually Handsew my heads(I like using the Blanket stitch), but if it was body parts then I use a sewing machine, sometimes for paws tho they require handsewing

I used a Styrofoam head and built a "base" out of foam then built my first fursuit head around it. Currently stuck as idk where to go next 😅 I've got the foam head made, added teeth, but I've not added the fur yet because i dont know where to start.

Best raw ideas from the fresh

I’m 12. I’m planning to get materials soon to make one. I hope it comes out well. Sorry for the commenting twice

I'm going to be trying to make my first suit head soon. I'm watching as many videos as I can, but my anxiety about it is so high. I'm a young fur, so I really don't want to wait years u til I can commision one, so I'm going to try my hand at this.

watching this before i try making one just going for a partial fur suit, much easier and faster, takes up less space, less maintenance and won't get as hot. plus i don't think it would be a good idea for me to go for a full suit for my first fur suit

thank for the help, right now im trying to make a fur suit and i just got in to the furry fandom this will help a lot :D

Your Projects are looking preaty amazing and awesome there the way you make ^^ and when it come to the eyes you war talking about! the main reason why ( MORE FURLESS ) has this super big eyes is becuase there Head bases are super big and they easely run away with that toony desine like beive me it awesome to have big fursuit head but then again packing it for con and everything its just way 2 big xP i made my Head base a bit close to what they make and damn its big xD alsow agree with you there about the hand sawing it take way to long! but you got to look the other way around you can easely sit down watch a movie or youtube videos while you are sawing your parts together! but then again sawing wiht maching does speed up the proces 3x again thak you for sharing your tips and tricks with us ^^ keep up the amazing work on your projects and have a nice day

omg you have a russelbuck sticker on your sewing machine... thats sick as hell

I hand sewed a fullsuit (tail, paws, head etc.) And it was miserable. Something like 300 yards of thread all in blanket stitches

I also have to hand sew everything because I dont have a sewing machine sadly and it’s a little bit complicated for me to fully figure out how’d that work I would have to wait for a bit before asking my parent for one I have been practicing making fursuit bases and I’m kinda only twelve, well technically turned twelve nine days ago but yeah and I also need some alligator clips. I just never use mannequin head and just measure my head and start clipping away. I am currently making a kemono styled head but can’t fully decide if I wanna make a dragon or fox but there’s more chance I’ll do a fox

Somehow I made a fursuit partial in about a week an half, but I recomend measuring everything

I've been working on fursuit foam heads since the past 4 years and I am still not close to anywhere being completed. And me being me, all in the process has ended up creating several more bases. I've ended up with at least 8 different head bases and soon to end up with 10. Only 1 out of the 10 are my current soul focus! And that has taken up almost 4 years at least on just mostly the first head base. My family tells me that it is merely just a waste of my time but I continue to do it anyways even if I have never completed a single project as of yet. I tell them that this will be worth all the thousands of dollars I've spent on everything and continue to spend on to create these pieces that are yet to be completed.

I hand stitched everything in my suit originally. Now I'm starting to do things like the arms on my paws with the sewing machine...

I handsew everything, I trust my hands far more than I trust my machine. Even when I do use my machine, I handsew first so that I can tuck in all the fluff and align the seams perfectly, and I dont have to worry about running over a clip and snapping a needle.

Omg likes and subscribed ❤

me watching this video as i unbox the cheap foam mannequin head i ordered yesterday

I got a question! Can i glue the fur pices on whitout suing all of them and rhen puting it on. Bc i dont realy have rhe sewing machine. Pleas answer!

I mean... it's not "perfect", but that head is pretty damn good. Like 9/10. If I paid 2k and got that I would not at all be disappointed.

I built my head without looking at any videos or tutorials and it looks good I finished it in 3 days the only issue is the hand sewn top because I have never sewn before

Oh goodie. I estimated that the head alone might take me 2 months to put together. I'll be working on my very first and I am prepared for it to take up to a year to make the whole thing.

I have grate patent's. I am very curries an am subscribed. So I will follow. Retired mechanic. Not shire if I will commit?

i definitly needs some of this clipps XD well i will stay by handsewing because i tryed with the mashine and i was more readusting/readding the threath . i am aktualy faster with handsewing XD (makeing suits since 2016 and have like 26 Suit heads under my belt ^w^)

Im late bit where can I get pet clippers? My father gave me his beard clippers but they hardly cut fur and I want a pet one due to the fur but on the pet shops they aren't if so in Amazon what are the best ones?

I’m making a stitch fur suit right now. 7:05 wed Jan 4 2023

as a new maker, i feel VERY called out here lmao

Soooo I have a styrofoam mannequin head and I measured my head and it’s head and it’s about the same size, do you think it’ll be okay to use? Cause I’m planning on making my first fursuit and I want it to turn out as good as possible but I definitely can’t afford a professional mannequin head like the one you have 😅

No bcs he called me out so loud when he said “relying way too much on hand sewing…” 😳 was literally me

I'm wanting to make my own but I don't even know where to start

Can you give links where you got your mannequin head and what kind of sewing machine you use? I’m making all this mistakes because I cannot find where to get them or what kind of sewing machine I need, I’ve tried contacting other makers but no one has been responding to me ):

Y’all can someone tell me where to find those clips I’ve literally scowered the internet I cannot find them anywhere

Hey its my first time trying to make a fursuit is there anyone exprenced in making fursuit can give anymore tips pls

I know nothing about makeing them and I need help

Heheh I don't know how to use a sewing machine so I'm just gonna handsew it because it gives me more freedom

Hi. Im beginner to make fursuit i dont know how to make hair for my fursuit. Help me please. Regards Didit from Indonesia

I'm having a hard time finding those exact scissors.

The only thing I'm scared of with sewing machines are big pieces of fabric

Me watching these types of videos even though i wont make a fursuit for at least a couple of years if ever

anyone know where to find their mannequin bust?

i don't think you are talking about mistakes, this is more of a preference video. i use needles just as much as clips, i do normal expressions and over exaggerated ones, most of the time for me sewing the face fur by machine is impossible due to small markings AND seems need to be as small as possible especially for resin bases, i cut everything with normal scissors since those spring loaded ones hurt my thumb more. you can't really do wrong on these.

How do you make one?

4:30 Ya I would like an actually good mannequin head but I don’t have enough space in my room so I have to use my small styrofoam head..

I live in a small city (vatican) and they do not have any of these soooooop

I wanna make a fursuit but I need to wear glasses so how can I make one despite having Glasses?

Hey do you know where I can get a custom made fursuit? I'm looking for a koala. If so we can exchange information and I can explain to you what I want and prices.

Instructions unclear. Created new species

I would use a sewing machine for sewing.. but nobody in my family knows how to use them! My grandmother has gotten me 2 sewing machines but I have no clue how to operate it! I end up hand sewing everything I make now regardless of it being fursuit related or not

Funny how the dont side looks better

Hi

Can you send a link to your mannequin head

I have a child sewing machine I forgot where it is lol

Do you need to sew fursuits with NO markings? My fursona is just solid pink.

I’m a young fur, so I don’t own a sewing machine and I neither can afford a sewing machine. So all my fursuits are hand sewn, 😓

tips in the video and tips from the comments hehe

make me a fursuit omg

Bruh that mannequin looks just like you 😮

I'm from Germany and just couldn't find a good mannequin head, can someone recommend something?

OR you can just take a chunk of foam and make it your head, then grab a few sheets of fabric and glue them

I feel as though a lot of these are really either preference in style, or quality of life changes for the craft. None of these are really mistakes. Spend money on a machine instead of hand sewing, spend money on a mannequin head vs making one that better fits your head/ just works as is, spend money on better scissors, etc. Not mistakes. While yes, fursuit making does take time, patience and practice, and yes equipment does play a big part, I make a lot of my heads without a lot of expensive equipment, and equipment doesn't technically make a good fursuit maker.

My first head was incredibly heavy, I have no idea how or why???????????

I hand sewed the whole head 😩

I don’t have a sewing machine sadly, I’d love to have one but I don’t