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bladesparkThis is long, and rambly, and is mostly me waxing rapturous about faux fur. You can skip it if you like.
Many years ago I encountered a brand of faux fur fabric called "Tissavel," and have lusted after it ever since. A few of you may be nodding right here, knowing what I mean. Tissavel is one of those designer faux furs, that is actually meant to substitute for real fur in high-end clothing, and thus comes mostly in real animal varieties. It's nearly always pelted, though happily not always channeled. (These are related but not precisely the same. All channeled fur is pelted, as that's a form of pelting, but not all pelted fur is channeled. And I can't use channeled fur for anything I do, so I tend to ignore it when I encounter it.)
Anyhow, it is almost perfectly indistinguishable from the real thing. Honestly. It's a little too perfect and regular in markings, and if you had the real thing there to compare it with, or if you REALLY know your furs and fabrics, you can tell. But only just. It looks real, and it FEELS real, with that incredible softness that real fur has.
I've had a box of their sample cards for years. I take them out and drool over them, and pet them every so often. Then I sigh and put them away, because the cheapest Tissavel fur they carry is $124 a yard.
But at long last, I am getting some! And it's because of the Loonakits.
You see, I could never justify buying any of this stuff. I can't use it for full suits, the pelting means it's impossible to work into a full suit, really. (And though there are a few unpelted varieties, most of those are things I can get good quality, if not quite this good, elsewhere, and so it's just never been justified.) I could make tails and ears from it, of course, but given that I can get, at VERY most, 5 tails out of a yard, then I'd have to nearly double my tail prices in order to make profit, and while there are a few furries out there who might pay those prices for the increased quality, I just can't bank on it. And if I got somebody who wanted a custom order that was extra-nice quality, I'd have to get them to pay the whole $124 for just one tail, as I couldn't count on ever making profit off of the rest of the yard. Probably not going to happen.
But Loonakits, lovely wonderful Loonakits, have a higher profit margin than tails do, so I've got more wiggle room, and if I'm very careful with my cutting, I can get twenty-odd Loonakits out of a yard. This means that it's possible, juuuuuuuuuuuust barely, but it IS possible, to sell them at only a few bucks more than "normal" Loonakits, and still actually make profit worth bothering with. And okay, it's probably better business to keep using cheaper furs, and making the higher profit, rather than taking a bit of a hit, but I don't care! I have an excuse to buy Tissavel fur, and pet it and cuddle it, and then make stuff from it, and I can justify it and not lose money, so I'm going to. Take that world! And despite my bank's efforts to thwart my getting at my money, I've managed to work out how to make this work, so I am buying a whole 1.25 yards of Tissavel fur! .75 of lynx, .5 of wolf. (I wanted lynx and red fox, but they discontinued the fox. Very sad.)
Anybody want to order a REALLY nice Loonakit? $35, with real glass eyes, and fur you can't tell from the real thing. Pick lynx or wolf.
*grin*
Many years ago I encountered a brand of faux fur fabric called "Tissavel," and have lusted after it ever since. A few of you may be nodding right here, knowing what I mean. Tissavel is one of those designer faux furs, that is actually meant to substitute for real fur in high-end clothing, and thus comes mostly in real animal varieties. It's nearly always pelted, though happily not always channeled. (These are related but not precisely the same. All channeled fur is pelted, as that's a form of pelting, but not all pelted fur is channeled. And I can't use channeled fur for anything I do, so I tend to ignore it when I encounter it.)
Anyhow, it is almost perfectly indistinguishable from the real thing. Honestly. It's a little too perfect and regular in markings, and if you had the real thing there to compare it with, or if you REALLY know your furs and fabrics, you can tell. But only just. It looks real, and it FEELS real, with that incredible softness that real fur has.
I've had a box of their sample cards for years. I take them out and drool over them, and pet them every so often. Then I sigh and put them away, because the cheapest Tissavel fur they carry is $124 a yard.
But at long last, I am getting some! And it's because of the Loonakits.
You see, I could never justify buying any of this stuff. I can't use it for full suits, the pelting means it's impossible to work into a full suit, really. (And though there are a few unpelted varieties, most of those are things I can get good quality, if not quite this good, elsewhere, and so it's just never been justified.) I could make tails and ears from it, of course, but given that I can get, at VERY most, 5 tails out of a yard, then I'd have to nearly double my tail prices in order to make profit, and while there are a few furries out there who might pay those prices for the increased quality, I just can't bank on it. And if I got somebody who wanted a custom order that was extra-nice quality, I'd have to get them to pay the whole $124 for just one tail, as I couldn't count on ever making profit off of the rest of the yard. Probably not going to happen.
But Loonakits, lovely wonderful Loonakits, have a higher profit margin than tails do, so I've got more wiggle room, and if I'm very careful with my cutting, I can get twenty-odd Loonakits out of a yard. This means that it's possible, juuuuuuuuuuuust barely, but it IS possible, to sell them at only a few bucks more than "normal" Loonakits, and still actually make profit worth bothering with. And okay, it's probably better business to keep using cheaper furs, and making the higher profit, rather than taking a bit of a hit, but I don't care! I have an excuse to buy Tissavel fur, and pet it and cuddle it, and then make stuff from it, and I can justify it and not lose money, so I'm going to. Take that world! And despite my bank's efforts to thwart my getting at my money, I've managed to work out how to make this work, so I am buying a whole 1.25 yards of Tissavel fur! .75 of lynx, .5 of wolf. (I wanted lynx and red fox, but they discontinued the fox. Very sad.)
Anybody want to order a REALLY nice Loonakit? $35, with real glass eyes, and fur you can't tell from the real thing. Pick lynx or wolf.
*grin*
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no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 05:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 06:53 am (UTC)Pelted fur... is that when they print light-and-dark patches on it? Like this (http://www.distinctivefabric.com/images/products/leopardfur1-3.jpg)? I guess I thought "channeled" and "pelted" were the same thing.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 07:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 07:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 07:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 07:46 am (UTC)I want something soft and pettable around for when my cat is tired of me pestering him :P
no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 07:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 08:46 am (UTC)These ones seem about right (the photo is nice anyways). I picked out a 26mm, but you know what size will fit your critters best.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 08:59 am (UTC)I'd say it would be a taste thing, 26 could look fine, though definitely wide-eyed and big, or you could go with something smaller. The fur length on the lynx fur is about the same as on that snow leopard there, if that gives you any idea of what might look right.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 09:33 am (UTC)Oh, and he'll need a shortened, stubby tail :P Making the top of it black (assuming the tail seams are on the sides) would be cool.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 09:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-09 06:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-10 12:25 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-10 12:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-11 12:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-11 12:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-11 12:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-11 12:45 am (UTC)I'd be happy to, though I have to say that if you just want a nice husky plush, you can find plenty of them in various places on line, at much cheaper prices than custom work runs.
no subject
Date: 2006-12-11 04:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-11 11:30 pm (UTC)If you do want a husky plush, we can certainly work something out, no doubt.