Next up in my DIY Hacks: 2015 Fall Fashion Trends series Detachable Faux Fur Cuffs.
I actually used to make and sell these in the ’90s… I’d usually sell a combo of a faux fur scarf with the cuffs to match so you can kind of mix and match and add them to sweaters, dresses, coats, or whatever you like. They also work well for Halloween Costumes, if by chance, you’re going as a lion, or cat, or any animal.
I tend to use this same fur for all {or most} of my faux fur DIYs because I have so much of it and it works on many different levels. However, so many different styles and piles of faux fur would work for this project. These detachable faux fur cuffs are actually pretty fun to have because you can upgrade any outfit and make it look entirely different AND stay a little warm for winter while doing so.
Inspo: A Touch of Fur
The monster furs that percolated on the street style blogosphere this winter were chopped and screwed for fall, and pieces of mink, fox, and Mongolian lamb fur were collaged onto everything from prim double-breasted coats at Prada to evening dresses at Proenza Schouler.
Cuffin’ season refers to that time in late October/early November when the days start to get short and cold and you need to lock down a steady hookup so that you don’t have to wander around in the frigid winter looking for love. The cuffin’ season trend is sorta like that…except with sleeves! The commitment is minimal: You don’t actually need fur on the whole coat, just the sleeves, and really, you only need it for the winter.
Cuffin’ Season at elle.com and A Touch of Fur via Gucci at Vogue.com
Flip through the Full Fashion Trend Reports: The Fall 2015 Fashion Report at Style.com and The Top 12 Trends of Fall 2015: The Ultimate Fashion Week Cheat Sheet at Vogue.com
Here’s What You’ll Need…
- Faux Fur
- Matching thread & needle
- Wide elastic for various sizes
Steps…
Decide how WIDE you’d like your cuffs to be, double it, add about an inch or so for seam allowance, then cut your faux fur accordingly.
I wanted mine somewhere between 4-5inches for this particular style, though in the past I made them much shorter {think white fur cuffs on Mrs. Claus or a Christmas Elf costume} I wanted these a bit larger based on current trends {see above}… So I cut my fur about 10-1/2 inches wide.
Fold your fur in half, then hold it up to your wrist to decide how long to make them… and add an inch for seam allowance.
NOTE: if you want to wear them OVER jacket sleeves, make SURE to make them a bit large/loose so they will slide easily over your jacket sleeves. Mine are a BIT tight for my jacket, but still work alright. I wanted to make sure I could wear them with long sleeve dresses and sweaters as well.
Once you get your sizing down, cut a second fur panel in the same size and FOLD WITH THE FUR ON THE INSIDE.
With your back side up, line up your edges and hand-stitch your edges together tightly in matching thread.
Once you have both done, flip them FUR SIDE OUT…
Then cut your elastic to fit your wrists… but smaller than the cuffs so that it fits snugly around your wrists, KEEPING your fur cuffs from sliding off your hands.
NOTE ABOUT ELASTIC: Again… if you want your cuffs to fit over the sleeves of a jacket, cut your elastic larger than your wrists, but make sure it still fits snugly enough to stay put
Slide your elastic THROUGH your CUFFS and stitch the ends together.
DO this to both cuffs…
NOW THIS PART’S A LITTLE TRICKY…
From the inside of the cuff, line up your already-sewn-up seams, LINE UP the edges of the cuff and then hand-stitch them together as far as you can from the inside out.
Once you can’t stitch from the underside any longer, straighten your fur edges, then carefully hand-stitch the rest in plain sight… as you would finish a pillow seam, for lack of better words, hiding the stitches as well as possible.
It will look something like this… close up your seam and knot your thread, then make sure the top seam is hidden somewhere in the center of the cuffs where you can’t see it… AND line up this side seam with the seam of your jacket OR if you don’t have a jacket seam, face your seams toward your body when you’re wearing them so they’re the least visible, though they shouldn’t look too bad if they turn.
Your cuffs will look something like this.
And… Voila!
Wear em with a sweater… wear em over your jacket… wear em however you like!
Have Fun!
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