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serenitymoonwolf β Yarn Fur Tutorial
Published: 2011-05-12 07:18:58 +0000 UTC; Views: 34247; Favourites: 299; Downloads: 96
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Description
UPDATED WITH BETTER PICTURES YAY!This tutorial is for a single tuft of fur and you will likely need several to complete any given project.
This process is very time consuming but worth it if you want 100% customization of colors in your fur.
For information about my tails please see my website at
ziakiyarntails.webs.com
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Comments: 96
A slicker brush is absolutely required for this process or you will not get the proper results. You can get a plain non fancy slicker brush at pretty much any pet store for about 5 bucks. I splurged on mine and got a slightly better one for about 15$ and it has lasted me a lot longer.Β
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Hi there, I made my first tail with red heart and i thought and still do think it looks really good. I of course believe you when you say its bad, but it doesnt seem to be... Horrific? Idk, maybe I just got lucky. (im making another right now.)
It does seem to be kind of frizzy, but not too horribly. ill try another brand soon.
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Does the flatiron-ing keep the yarn from fluffing out more when you're done? As in, once you're finished, does it keep it from separating badly with normal wear/tear/movement?
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Not sure exactly what you mean but you do have to keep your tail groomed regularly. I keep a soft bristled brush on me while I'm wearing my tail to smooth it out throughout the day.Β
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Ok, I meant as in does the yarn still separate after you've made it? When you brush it throughout the day, do you have yarn remnants in the bristles?
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They do shed a little bit. I brush mine on the regular with a soft bristled brush and keep it hung up in a clean dry place.Β
There's a maintenence guide on my website ziakiyarntails.com
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Ok! I'll go check it out then. Thanks!
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I love this tutorial and am looking to apply the faux fur look to other projects.. this is why I ask
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Hello c: It's been years since you posted it but I see you replied to the comment below month ago so I'll give it a try.
Do you think there's a way to do short-haired, specifically, lion yarn tail with this technique? Or maybe you know other ways that one could be made?
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It's very difficult to do short fur with this technique and have it coming out looking decent.Β
I did do this lion tail which defintely doesn't have the characteristic smoothness of most of my tails.Β
static.wixstatic.com/media/becβ¦
The fur is shorter than what I normally do and I made then end tuft but making a big knot at the end of my braid and building it up with more yarn.
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I'm really scared to do it too short and make the knots visible and I don't have much money to experiment. I've asked because you can only find feline tails online that look like house cat's or leopard's, or something fluffy and long-haired generally.Β I wish someone actually tried it.
You really do awesome job on your tails and this tutorial is extremely helpful with the final notes and everything.
Yarn tails look much more realistic than tails sewn with fur so I absolutely want to go this way. Thank you for the example and reply.
On the other hand a lot of long-haired yarn tails, when brushed look completely skinny so I might as well not even try for short fur :/
Also, do you think a person could combine both, yarn tail with one made out of fur fabric?
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If you make the tail long enough you can get away with a wider width and longer fur and still have a feline look.Β
For example this tail is thick by my commission standards but since it's 34 inches long it still passes for cat like.Β
serenitymoonwolf.deviantart.coβ¦
The real difficulty in what you want to do is creating the variation in size between the main part of the tail and the tuft at the end. If you are doing a lion tail you pretty much have to start with a thin base.
With that said I do think you could make the main part of the tail with a short pile faux fur and make the tuft out of yarn fur. How exactly you would do the main part of the tail I couldn't tell you, i'm not a seamstress. But I'm sure you could find some sort of tutorial.
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Thank you so much!
I already bought my yarn and started to make tail but it seems like it breaks too much. I always end up with fluffs around 4-5 inches long no matter how long I cut the yarn.
Is there a way to tell if a yarn is a good quality? Or do I need to follow the brands? It's 100% acrylic though.
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4 to 5 inches is about the longest your going to get honestly even with good yarn
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Alright, thank you again. You've been very helpful!
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Are there any other ways to heat treat the tail?
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You can try a clothing iron on a low setting with no steam but other than that I can't think of anything.
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I bought a large bundle of "Stitch studio by nicole" Β yarn. Is that a good type of yarn to use to make the yarn fur?
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Honestly I couldn't tell you without trying it myself and I've never heard of it.
If you do try it out you are looking for your "fur" to come out smooth and silky (unless you want a more textured tail). It should come to a tapered point. If the ends come out flat you will end up with a choppy looking tail.
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I use acrylic yarn. Brand varies. I mostly use I Love this Yarn brand from hobby lobby but Bernat works fairly well and some varieties of Lionbrand and Caron.
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alright, that's interesting to hear
might have to look around in stores for this~
thank you!
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Feel free to experiment. You may have brands where you live that I don't have where I live. Just try to stay away from anything that's super cheap. You want something that is kind of mid range for texture. To rough is going to feel rough when you brush it and too soft is going to brush too easy and give your tail a choppy look because the ends won't be tapered.
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ahh! I'll keep that in mind
just wanted to try out for myself, even though from what I've seen.... it takes quite a long time to make *o*
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They are VERY time consuming and some what tedious. I work on mine while watching T.V.
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You can get a decent one for like 15$ at pretty much anyplace that sells hair products.Β
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Yeah but if i only use it for that then.... Oh well. Thanks!
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Red Heart actually works very nicely if you are using this tutorial mostly for texture on fur for larger projects, especially since I have been purposefully matting the fur. So, if you're goal is to have fur that looks dirty and snarled, Red Heart works very well!
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I made a yarn tail and it came out kinda good for the first one it was so long to sew the fluffs on but it worked pretty nice its just that when you wear it the yarn fluffs clump together and it makes it look really bad ;.; I have to carry a brush and unf knot it all the time I was wondering if I could just add more fluffs on to stop this? Also my fluffs seem to break off after a while should I just sew them tighter or use a different brand of thred?
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I would have to see the tail to tell you exactly how to fix it.Β
Yarn tails do tend to need to be brushed periodically while wearing them but they shouldn't be tangling and matting that bad unless you are being really rough with it. Β I usually carry a soft boar hair brush with me to smooth my tail when I'm wearing it.Β
What brand / kind of yarn did you use? The quality of the yarn will have an effect on the final product.Β
To sew your fluffs on you should be using a good upholstery thread (what they use to sew fabric on furniture). It's heavy duty and generally won't break just by putting pressure on it.Β
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Or button thread. Button thread is really strong as well, I've yet to have any button thread break on me.
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I've used red heart yarn for one and it turned out fine. Stop being so brand sensitive.
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People who prefer to avoid Red Heart are not just being brand sensitive. Red Heart yarn is course, and the individual fibers have poor strength, leading to early kinkage and greater matting problems, which causes the tails to have an overall reduced durability and lifespan. Also Red Heart yarn is harder to work with and just doesn't look as good overall.
Red Heart is fine for those looking for a cheap solution, and those who are starting out and need materials to practice with. I personally only use it in the cores of my tails, where it stays intact and the fibers are well protected from outside abuse.
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what brands are good to use for the tail? and do those brands have white colored yarn? I have been hoping to get a wolf tail... now that I know how to make one out of yarn I can finally try it... would you happen to have any advice for me to help me make a white wolf tail?
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Pretty much every 100% acrylic yarn will do, but I would advise you steer clear of Red Heart. I Love This Yarn and Vanna's Choice seem to be a couple of the better one's I've seen used. ILTY tails will mat faster than tails made of Vanna's Choice, but ILTY tails are silkier.
ILTY is a Hobby Lobby exclusive brand, and many people, including myself, prefer to steer clear of them because of political issues.
Also for a wolf tail you'll want to make your tail 18-20" long, or as long as will allow it's tip to reach the level of your knees.
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This is awesome! I was trying to figure out how people did this <3 Thanks!Β
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I absolutely love this! I never thought making tails this way. I've made tail pillows before but I'd to really try this method. You have WONDERFUL tail designs!
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Thankyou! It's hard work and time consuming but it's definitely worth it!
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I'm going to use this tutorial to make a fox tail for a friend. I've crochetedΒ a fox tail pillow using the loop stitch and the way your pattern looks puts mine to shame! I might even make myself one! I need to get a hair crimper and a lint brush though.....can you use use a lint roller?
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You need a hair straightner (not a crimper) a slicker brush. You can get them at petsmart for like 4$.
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Alright. I'll get those supplies one of these days. 
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Actually you can use Redheart, if ou take extra care to straighten and brush it more. I had to use Purple RedHeart on a tail I made ((I'll have a pic up soon.))
It just takes a little more time than the higher-quality brands. A LOT of straightening and brushing--moreso than normal, but you can get it almost as silky as higher-qualities. Β But great tutorial :3 and yeah, the higher-qualities are more desirable.
On the bright side: the roughness of RedHeart makes a good base since it's so rough, slick yarn is less likely to some undone if you use the tie-on method as opposed to sewing ((which is what I do because I can't sew for crap))
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I just have to say, if you're using I Love This Yarn, it's SUPER heat sensitive and will start getting warped if you straighten it too slowly.
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I've personally never had an issue with warping or melting with ILTY. But with that being said pretty much any acrylic yarn will warp if you hold the on too long.
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Well it's the only brand I ever use so I didn't want to say anything about another brand that I hadn't tried
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I have never made a yarn tail and I'm kind of confused...
You make a bunch of these little bundles, then you sew them together...?Β
Can you please expaine?
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They are sewn on to a braided yarn base.Β
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