Making fox tail and ears- suggestions needed-updated!

[Sila]

Before anyone jumps on the bandwagon and yells for me to look at the fursuit journal on livejournal, I already have. I've looked at tutorials and such, but I'd like to hear some first hand help here.

I'm going to be making some fox ears to place on a headband, and a fox tail. I know the actual procedure to make the ears, I watched a nice video, but I dont know how to actually put them on the headband itself.

I also dont know exactly how to make the tail, I can't find easy to understand instructions.

I need to know where I can locally find the fur needed...would Micheal's be a possibility? Joan's fabric has been closed down for months, I dont know if Walmart has anything fabric related, or anything nearbye.

I've got other questions too but they slipped my mind atm. Does anyone have any real, firsthand tips or anything? x3

also: mom said she'll be buying it because it's my "halloween costume". XD so yeah. x3

 

[EmmEmmThree]

Can't really help you on the tail, but for the ears, you could make them a slight hollow, and inner-stitch them on a double-fold at the seam to make the seam/stitch invisible and yet keep it firmly attached.

...

half a year of Home Ec, 7th grade =P

 

[Mandy]

YouTube - Oresama - How to make Neko Ears

Shows you how to make ears and put them on a headband

 

[wulfpup]

Hi! I'm in the process of building my first fursuit too, so i would say...

One idea that might work is you could get some wire; such as dandy-line or anchor line at your local hardware store for a few bucks; it is this easily moldable wire. You could then drill some holes in the headband; and use the wire to make a mold for the ears, securring the wire by bending the bottoms to match the headband, and using tape to secure them. Then you can get some fur (michaels might work; I just got some good fur at joann's lastnight, but ebay may also work well; I just ordered some off of there too. And wrap the fur arround and secure it with glue.

I haven't made a tail yet so I donno on that at the momment... Good Luck & Have Fun

 

[Sila]

well I found a good tutorial that explains that all I have to do for the ear cartilige is get thick felt and glue it inside. Making the ears I have no problem with, mandy's link seems like it'll help a lot. It's just the tail- and making a seperate tail is different than making one to go on a fursuit IMO.

 

[Envy]

A tail.

You'll need the following things:
A wire coat hanger
Fabric for the tail
Stuffing

1- Bend the coat hanger so it's a straight line

2 Measure out a length of fabric, and draw the tail shape on it.
If it's fur, make sure the fur points toward the bottom of the tail. The side that you want on the outside should have inward
The shape of the tail should be roughly straight aside from bulging of the tail; your going to be bending the hangar afterward to make a curve.

3- Once satisfied with the shape, cut the tail out.
Make sure to go about a few CMs around the outline so you have more room to sew it together.
Remember that you can fold the fabric over itself to make two duplicates to stitch together, but make sure both sides have the fur facing down.
After your done that, sew the two halves together, but make sure to leave a gap large enough to fit your arm through at the top end. Your going to use this to feed the coat hangar and stuffing through.

4- Turn the tail inside out.
If you've done it correctly, the fur should now be on the outside.

5-Stuff the tail, and feed the coat hangar through.
This is pretty self-explanatory.

6-Sew the opening shut.
This is when you attach the belt loop. Simply add a loop of fabric, but make sure it's firmly attached. You can also make a loop out of the tip of the coat hangar for added stability, in which case be sure to encase it in fabric to hide the hangar.

7- Finally, bend the tail into the desired shape.
The hangar will make it keep it's shape

And that's basically all there is too it.

 

[Sila]

thank you! my friend thought about using the wire from a weed eater since it's a bit more flexible- think that'd work too?

 

[wulfpup]

Yeah I would think the weed eatter wire would work, the only thing is it isn't really all that bendable; I mean like for the tips of the ears it would be pretty round I would think; but you could also solve that by cutting a triangular shape with the main color of fur, and then leave a bit extra on the top, fold the fur arround the wire mold into a triangle and leave a bit on the top that is above the wire and secure it all with glue. And what I did on my ears, is do that with the fold in the middle facing forewards, and then glues in a smaller white fur triangle in the middle to both cover up the fold line and to give it a cool effect.

Remember the most important parts of making a fursuit is to: A. Have lots of fun! B. Be creative and express yourself! Good Luck and Have Fun!!!

 

[Kuzzy]

Sila, can we expect updated pictures of this project as it develops?

 

[Envy]

thank you! my friend thought about using the wire from a weed eater since it's a bit more flexible- think that'd work too?

Dunno. I have no idea what a weed eater is.

But it you can bend it and it keeps it's shape, and isn't too light or thin, it should work.

 

[Sila]

Yeah I would think the weed eatter wire would work, the only thing is it isn't really all that bendable; I mean like for the tips of the ears it would be pretty round I would think; but you could also solve that by cutting a triangular shape with the main color of fur, and then leave a bit extra on the top, fold the fur arround the wire mold into a triangle and leave a bit on the top that is above the wire and secure it all with glue. And what I did on my ears, is do that with the fold in the middle facing forewards, and then glues in a smaller white fur triangle in the middle to both cover up the fold line and to give it a cool effect.

Remember the most important parts of making a fursuit is to: A. Have lots of fun! B. Be creative and express yourself! Good Luck and Have Fun!!!

I dont need any help with ears. At all. I said that in my first and second replies. And even in my original post. I'm not making a fursuit either. I'm making a seperate ear and tail.

I dont need wire for the ears- that makes them uncomfortably stiff. You use thick felt. I said that, too.

Please, read my posts before you try to offer suggestions. I appreciate the thoughts, but seeing as I've said I don't need help with the ears. I only needed help on how to place them ON the headband itself, and Mandy linked me to a video which explained that.

 

[Deleted member 221]

i think this will turn out great.

 

[Sila]

hehe, thanks mazza<3

also Kuzzy, I can try to take pics ^-^

 

[Canuck]

Weed eater cord .. I presume your talking about the standard gauge orange stuff won't stay in one shape like the coat hanger would. It also usually doesn't tie into knots well as it is too rigid. Unless there is some other stuff I don't know about but I've done a lot of garden work and used almost every day all summer working on a farm.

You might want to try a craft store / hardware store and buy a spool of wire. You can get stuff that would be about the same thickness as weed eater cord, but it would actually bend and retain a shape, and you could actually make a frame out of it to keep your tail shaped properly in certain spots.

 

[Sila]

update: I found some decent faux fur at Joann's fabric at the next town over, and bought some of that. Only problem with it is that it sheds....I hope with a little brushing the shedding will stop, otherwise I'll have to get something different.

 

[Ryan_d]

The only part that will shed is the parts near where you cut, besides that it will work amzingly well.

How much did you get?

Also would you mind looking at your receipt for me and telling me what the numbers next to the fabric was?

 

[Sila]

My mom got a yard or so..which will probably only be enough for the tail, maybe the ears as well?

She also threw the receipt out x.x; I can tell you though that it isnt very long fur, it's probably medium pile and it isn't terribly soft- but it's not overly coarse either. It's white, too. x3
Sorry to make you talk about your work all the time XDD you're a lot of help though <3

 

[Deleted member 221]

good to see that your starting to make it
lets hope that there's enough fur for the ears as well.
can you take pics when you start making the tail and ears? i sooo want a pair of my own

 

[diapeybabybrian]

If they mean the wire from the spool of a weed "wacker", then i think that would work better than anything else, and feel more realistic. I've never done anything like this myself, but from reading about the objective and with my understanding, I think the wire from a weed eater would be best because it would feel more sensitive than a clothes hanger. But if it's more about the visual and less about the physical, then I suppose the clothes hanger would work better because the fur ear would never move out of place. But I don't think securing it with tape would be a good idea. I'd spend the 10 bux and getta glue gun and ammo, those things work great.