I especially love the orange plaid flannel or wool or whatever she made her scarf with. It looks adorably foxy and warm. I looked and looked for some orange plaid warm fabric that wasn't fleece. Fleece is super popular, and yet, I just don't like it. Finally found some fall clearance broadcloth at Joann Fabrics and decided that even though it isn't cuddly, it would do just fine. I picked up some white shaggy minky at Hobby Lobby. I think that's really all I need, aside from some black trim and embroidery thread for the snout. I'm sure I'll find something in my stash to accommodate the facial features.
When I think of this fox scarf, I hear George Clooney's voice. Thusly, I have named this scarf "Fantastic Mr. Fox Scarf". There ya go, George.
Cutting minky is best done outdoors! In mid-January we have sunshine and temps in the 70s and 80s. Perfect weather for cutting fabric out on the back deck. When I cut the minky, the edges of the fuzz fall off and float around. If you dare to cut this stuff, do not touch your nose or breath in too deeply!
I cut enough pieces to make four fox scarves. I think it will be so darn cute that I'll wish I had made more, so I'm just going to make more right off the bat. One yard of each the orange and the white minky will yield four 36" fox scarves. A little extra will help with getting all of the legs and ears cut out though. Squeezing those pieces into the layout was tricky.
After I cut each piece, I shake it to shake off the loose fuzzies before bringing it in and running it through my sewing machine. I made it snow!
Putting together the legs and ears was fun. The small pieces are adorable. . Once I had them sewn together, I flipped them around and stuffed them with polyfill. I didn't stuff the ears much, just enough to give them a bit of poof. The legs are stuffed nice and plump. I then folded the edges in just a tad and topstitched the openings before I zig-zagged it to the scarf. I enjoyed having a bin full of legs and ears. Fox parts!
I didn't have much in the way of buttons, but I found a matching set of brown buttons. I also had a brown piece of fleece that I used for the nose. Very cute. Black is a better contrast, but the brown looks great too. I prefer the soft fuzzy nose to the embroidered nose anyway. The whiskers are just a couple of strands of embroidery floss.
Once I had all of the noses, eyes, whiskers, ears and legs attached, I sewed the fox tops to the fox tummies. Putting the right sides together, I sewed around the edges making sure not to sew the legs and whiskers into the seams. I left a hole in the side of the "hide" to flip it around. Then topstitched the opening closed.
I believe that if I had used a heavier fabric for the fox top, the scarf would lay better. It doesn't have that thick and wooly feeling that really keeps a neck warm in the winter. The minky is very soft and fuzzy, it feels wonderful. It is more of a whimsical feeling scarf, which is also great!
I tried the scarf on and immediately wished it was longer. Finished length is 35". My 5 year old thought it was great, and I like the length on her as well. Next set of fox hide scarves will be longer. We both enjoyed wearing a Fantastic Mr. Fox Scarf!
And I just have to laugh at my "selfie" picture in the bathroom mirror! Notice the bandaid on my finger? That was my sewing lesson of the day: Tweezers are a great tool!
