I've hand stitched leather, from rabbit & doe to pig & goat to cow, but generally without the fur/hair. I'm working on making a hair-on rabbit skin vest for my daughter to wear if the earlier faires are still cool/cold. I was hoping to be able to have it reversable, either fur in or fur out, as it won't be lined. I really do not want to deal with hand stitching it. I'm fairly sure my machine can handle such a light leather and have a pack of leather needles. I know to have the lay of the fur all the same direction (down). Is there anything else I should be aware of? What kind of thread would be recommended? Does it need to be flat seamed, or do I stitch it same sides together like a simple seam? Any concerns, hints and pointers would be most graciously appreciated. Thankfully, it would only be three pieces (front panels and a back).
I know nothing about sewing leather with or without fur but wanted to say that I think it would look good to sew the seams with the fur as the "right" side so when she wears it with the leather side out a little bit of fur will show along the seams kind of like those shearling vests you always see.
hoowil,
how wierd you asked this!! I did it just the other day to repair a rabbit fur haversack. I just used a black cotton embroidery thread, nothing special. I used the regular needle, nothing havy duty, and it did just fine! good luck!
Any sewing I've done with rabbit fur, I've trimmed up the fur a little in the seam allowance. Not a lot but enough to make it easier to sew. Do NOT take it all the way back to the hide or it will look horrible.
I've worked with beaver fur but I elected to handstitch it. I tried machine sewing but (for me) the fur would get sewn into the stitches thus showing the seam.
No matter which way you elect to stitch you need to be able to brush aside the fur as you sew. So if the bulk of the work is on the left side of the presser foot and your seam allowance on the right you need to brush or move the fur to the left as you sew so the fur lies flat and away from the stitching.
When it's turned over the seam will disappear into the fur.