Hi Mamas!
In this blog, I’ll be giving you step by step instructions on how I turned 3 yards of faux fur into two furry vests for me and my mini. Stay tuned, two furry vests coming right up!
The Supplies You’ll Need:
- 2-3 Yards of faux-fur material
- Scissors
- Any color Sharpie
- THICK needle and Thread
- A short sleeve shirt of yours and your mini’s
- Hair Spray
ETA: About 4 hours.
Step 1: Select your material girl! My store of choice is Hobby Lobby because they’re always affordable, and they also have an ongoing 40% off any one item coupon. If you 
live in a big city like me and pass three on your way home you can also visit a few different locations (frugal moment-don’t judge me).
Step 2: Decide on the amount of material. The amount of material you’ll need will depend on your clothes size, and the clothing size of your mini. I am on the “fluffy and cuddly” size, so I always get 3 yards (to be safe, and because I almost always mess up on something, and appreciate that I have a little wiggle room). Fur-like material can usually run anywhere from $9.99 all the way up to $49.99 per yard, so keep that in mind when you’re shopping. Luckily, for this project the material was $14.99 a yard, so three yards came to about $45, but then I used my handy dandy 40% off coupon! You do the math, ma’am.
Sidebar Rant: Once you have your material, the only other thing that will need to buy is your needle and thread. Now, this is probably going to sound really weird or rachet, but for all my homemade outfits and projects, I use weaving thread from Sally’s. Yes, the black or 
brown weaving thread that you buy when you’re about to have hair extensions sewn into your hair. The thickness of this type of thread allows for a tight hold and helps ensure a quality finish. The only thing I don’t like about using this particular type of thread is the color choices. The only colors that I am usually able to find (cheap) are black and brown, so if you are ever making something that’s white, I would recommend asking if they have any other colors in stock, or available for purchase. I even love the curved needle that comes with it. It helps guide me, and it’s easier to pull through especially thick materials. This set can be found at Sally’s, or at any local beauty supply store. If you can’t find it there you can always go back to Hobby Lobby and purchase a thread that is similar in thickness in the color that you need, it will likely be a bit more pricey than my Sally’s trick.
Step 3: Time to head home! Once you are home, and comfy, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND doing this project either outside, in your office, spare bedroom, craft room, or garage. I was so excited to do this project that I actually did it in my bedroom (despite having an office and guest room where I could have easily done this), and when I started cutting the fur was everywhere!!!!
Once you are in your safe space, you’ll need to lay out your material and then lay your shirts on top to measure how much material you will actually need to use. Now, I chose to use a shirt that fits a little big on me because I wanted my vest to have a loose fit. And if you want an over-sized vest (like mine) I even left a little more space around the shirt when tracing. Remember you will have to sew the vest together and you want to make sure you allow some space for your seams.
Step 4: Trace. Trace around your shirt, until you are okay with the shape of your future vest. Don’t be afraid to free hand some of the details if the shape is not exactly what you want from the initial trace. It does NOT have to be perfect. The fur covers up a lot of imperfections. Trust me.
Step 5: Cut it. Cut it. Once you have your shirt traced on your material, cut it up! Make sure your scissors are sharp! Dull scissors will not win the battle with the fur. CUT, CUT, CUT! Cut like you’re in kindergarten and your teacher is telling you to cut on the dotted line!
Step 6: Repeat. After you have your first piece cut, you will use that as your guide to cutting the second piece for your vest, so it’s exactly the same. So, get to tracing, sista! And of course, after your trace the second half of your vest, you’ll need to cut it out. And they should be exactly the same (give or take a little margin for human error).
Step 7: Sew On and Sew Fourth. Once you have your two pieces cut out, now it’s time to sew! See photo to the left to see exactly where to sew, but essentially you are going to sew the long sides, and the shoulder. **Please make sure your fur is facing inward. The vest should be inside out while sewing, to ensure quality and perfection. So right now you should have a big, cut out, and sewn together vest. The last step is to cut right down the middle to open the vest. Once this is done, and you flip it around, it’s good to go!
Step 8: Finishing touches. Now that you are just about done with your vest, the only other thing to do is spray it with hairspray to ensure the vest will not shed. Make sure you stand at least 2 feet from the vest before spraying the hairspray. I sprayed for about 6 seconds, and let it dry undisturbed for about 2 hours before shaking it out.
Here is the finished product! This is really easy to make! I even cut a 4″ wide strip to make a hat for my mini. I don’t think she likes it very well, but I think it’s darling. Check out our pictures below!
Whenever I am in need of some inspiration, I ALWAYS refer to Pinterest before starting a project. Sometimes that app is literally my life saver. A lot of my ideas are inspired by things that I’ve seen on Pinterest! If you try my step by step tutorial, please tag me in your final product, so I can see your beautiful creation! Happy crafting!!
Welp, that’s all I have! Bye loves!
Xoxo,
