[About the Char]    [Making of/Docu]    [Material/Tips]    [Scribbles]    [PHOTOS - events]
Material:
Here is a list of the material I used for this fursuit. In the blue column stands from where I got it / where you might get it:
Long and short fur Zipper Stramin, elastic band Filling wool Leather for the paw pads Plastic balls for eyes Foam Ventilator, cables, recharger Rechargeable battery Belt, shoes Utensils for claws FIMO, colors Wire Felt Velcro® fastener Hot Glue (pistol) Threads and needles	Shopping center Karstadt, cloth and fur department Shop, sewing department Cloth and fur department / sewing department Cloth and fur department Shop, sewing department Toy stores, creative stores Do-it-yourself store Computer / Electric store Computer / Electric store Shopping centre (C&A) Toy store (carneval) Toy stores, creative stores Do-it-yourself store Toy stores, creative stores Shop, sewing department / Do-it-yourself store Do-it-yourself store Shop, sewing department
Tips:
Shopping centers like Karstadt don't always have (nice) fur. You will find good and various stuff there especially in winter (for warm clothes or teddys, etc.). If you're really searching for good / special fur, it would be best to go to a shop specialising in cloth. Better buy a little more stuff than you really need - if something is damaged some day you can repair it then. It is awful when something gets broken and you don't have any material for reserve and you don't get the same stuff any more in shops (especially fur, claws, etc.). It is better not to use such gymnastic shoes - better use real shoes. It is not so good/easy to walk in those light gymnastic shoes, especially when the paws are big. If you make a suit, really try to install a ventilator - it is incredibly hot in that head!! Remember - hot glue and Velcro is our friend! *g* (it's really great stuff) If you're searching for claws (plastic) try to search on Halloween or carnival (Fasching). Then you have the best chances for finding such things.
Costs:
For the short fur I payed about 10,-EUR/qm² For the long fur 20,-EUR/qm² For the ventilator 24,-EUR For the recharging battery (12V, power for 7 hours) about 20 - 30,-EUR For the recharger 50,-EUR For the claws (plastic utensils) 10,-EUR For all the creative stuff (FIMO, felt, plastic balls, color,...) about 13,-EUR For the electric stuff (cables, switch,...) about 5,-EUR For stuff from the sewing department (leather, Velcro, zipper, stramin...) about 25,-EUR For all the wire and screws about 20,-EUR For shoes, door mat, belt, etc. about 17,-EUR For all the hot glue (+ pistol) about 30,-EUR For the foam 12,-EUR Of course those are the prices for all the stuff I had to buy (for the first time), also e.g. the hot glue pistol. There is much much stuff left now (e.g. the wire, foam, fur, hot glue, etc.) I can still use for the next time. I am no expert!! Really not. Surely I made many mistakes and payed too much in some cases. All in all, I payed about 280,-EUR for this suit. But be sure you can get many things cheaper, and sometimes they just had big packings when I only needed a little part of it. I don't know if that amount is cheap, expensive or average.
Amount of time:
I started this fursuit in summer 2001, then the body was lying in our armoire until autumn/winter 2002. Inspired and motivated again by the EF8 fursuit show and by a great website Taibu showed me, I continued the fursuit. All in all I worked about 3-4 weeks on it, 1-2 weeks on the body, 1-2 weeks on the head.
Thank you:
Special thanks to the furs from the EF8 fursuit SIG who inspired and motivated me, to Timduru for maintaining such a great fursuit site, to Taibu for renewing my motivation and to my photographer and electrician Cavon, who had to stand all the mess I made at home with making the suit ;)