Has anyone made a Purse/Bag before???

[Jackrabbit]

Hi all,
Has anyone ever tried to or did make a Purse/Bag from rabbit pelts??? If so please share all your tips and tricks here! I tried making one but I’m horrible at sewing, so Hopefully y’all can help me! Thanks!

 

[Starhollow]

I have not tried with pelts but I'm guessing depends on what thread will be holding it together..? Haha I dunno I was going to see if I could make thin enough strips of pelt or maybe something fancy like intestine thread but ya...haven't gotten that far yet, but I'm interested in how it all works out for ya, will you post your final product?

 

[eco2pia]

I think to get a really high quality look you would want to color match your pelts, keep the fur all going the same direction, and maybe that would mean cutting them into strips and arranging the strips into an ombre pattern that fades from light to dark, or some other pattern.

Your stitches want to be an overlock or whipstitch (regular machines can't do a whipstitch, which is the best, but you should experiment until you come up with settings that accomplish the same thing), that catches the very very edge of the pelts, and you want to be very careful to keep the fur out of the stitching as you go along.

I have looked at fancy industrial fur sewing machines and I have never wanted such a frivolous and unecessary EXPENSIVE piece of equipment so badly, lol. Maybe I will treat myself if I make 20-30 tanned, garment-quality hides.

 

[EastNeukRabbits]

I haven’t made a bag but I’ve made a cushion cover (so soft my sons fight over it) and a muff for cold weather (rabbit fur inside and red velvet out)…rabbit skin is easy to hand sew (which I prefer because it’s quieter!) so that’s an option if you don’t have/want to use a sewing machine. If you use full uncut pelts the skin is relatively hairless along most of the edges but if you cut strips you’ll have to deal with the hairs getting in the way, dampening the fur a little can help with this. There’s various seams you could use, those suggested in the post above^^ or dependent on what look you‘re going for- blanket stitch is fun (and strong). Love sewing! Let us know how you get along

 

[LatchawBriarPatch]

Do you find lining the hides with something makes it a better finished product?

 

[Zee-Man]

... overlock or whipstitch..

how do these compare with a mattress stitch?

Do you find lining the hides with something makes it a better finished product?

It depends on your customers. Some may like the novelty and texture of bare skin. I think most would prerfer a lining, though. I can't speak from experience with purses, but I do a lot of sales, and surface finish makes a huge difference in selling products.

 

[Zee-Man]

I have not tried with pelts but I'm guessing depends on what thread will be holding it together..? Haha I dunno I was going to see if I could make thin enough strips of pelt or maybe something fancy like intestine thread but ya...haven't gotten that far yet, but I'm interested in how it all works out for ya, will you post your final product?

What do folks think about waxed cotton thread?

 

[Jackrabbit]

….I gave up. It was too hard, I was terrible at sewing, and it was a mess. So I decided to give up! I will however for sure make one in the near not to distant future!

 

[EastNeukRabbits]

@Zee-Man is mattress stitch the same as blanket? If so, that’s what I use when edging a hide. And as for waxed thread, I’d think it would work very well, better than normal in terms of durability and strength. Or one could use embroidery thread which is pretty tough and comes in beautiful colours, depends on the item being made I guess.

 

[Zee-Man]

... is mattress stitch the same as blanket? ..

Blanket is a loose, manual serging. Mattress is well known to knitters, but is actually used by surgeons, hence I thought it might be good for furs/skins.

 

[eco2pia]

how do these compare with a mattress stitch?

Whip stitch is the same as matress stitch but instead of stitching back and forth, you go around and around the raw edges, always inserting the needle from the same side. It is extra sturdy, but "shows" a bit more--not an issue with a fur-on pelt.

Overlock is a machine method. It is most commonly seen on knit shirts (tshirts, sweatshirts), and is commonly done on a serger...sadly most sergers are not ideal for fur, but there is a commercial fur machine that can do it beautifully. You can sort of approximate it by zigzagging across the raw edge of fabric on a home machine with your stitch width at max and your stitch length at the minimum, but it is hard for me to do well and cleanly.