This faux fur vest is lots of fun and was quick and easy to put together!

I needed something bright and whimsical to wear on a Pride parade float and nothing in my tickle trunk quite fit the bill. Looking through my stash of fabric, I came across a remnant of fantastic yellow monster fur that would be the perfect addition to my Dr. Seuss inspired outfit.

Step 1: Materials

For this vest, I used:

Under 1.5 meters of long pile faux fur (my mom found this remnant for only $5!)
The same amount of fabric for lining - I used yellow cotton from my stash
Matching thread
Sewing machine, scissors & pins

Step 2: Tracing a Pattern

After looking at a vest I had already, I got the idea that I could make this vest out of one piece of fun fur and thereby avoid a bunch of seams (even though my sample vest was made of 4 pieces).

When making a garment without a pattern, it is a good idea to work out the design with muslin, but I was in a rush and figured this vest was too simple to screw up.

I traced half the outline of the sample vest directly onto my fun fur (making sure the direction of the fur was how I wanted it). I then folded the fur in half so I could cut out the whole vest.

Step 3: Cutting the Fur

I cut the vest piece out of the fun fur.

Faux fur is a little tricky to work with. When cutting it, you want to avoid giving your fur a bad haircut.

Carefully run your scissors along the fabric, parting the fur. You may also need to brush some of the fur out of the way.

Step 4: Adjustments

I pined together the shoulder seams and tried on the fur vest.

Unfortunately my plan to avoid side seams didn't work out because the vest looked too bulky.

With the vest inside out, I pined where I needed to take it in and marked where the darts should go. I then cut off the excess the faux fur.

Satisfied with the shape of the fur piece, I traced it onto the lining material and then cut out the lining.

Step 5: Sewing It Together

I pinned together the seams and first sewed closed the darts under the armpits in both the lining and fur.

I then sewed together the faux fur and lining (right sides in) leaving the shoulders and an opening at the bottom in order to be able to flip it right side out.

With the vest turned right side out, I sewed closed the shoulder seams.

The final step is sewing closed the opening at the bottom by hand.

Tips for making your fur look better:

Brush fur out of the way when you are sewing the seams
After it is sewed together, pull fur out of the seams (I used a plastic needle for this, but a chopstick or even just your fingers works too)
If the fur is crushed, you can fluff it back up with a hairdryer - just be careful it is not too hot or you could melt the faux fur