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kbonsall Jun 7, 2006

I have a piece of fabric that I have been itching to use as paw pads, only problem is, it frays.  What do I do to stop it from fraying?  It is kind of like a canvas-y material.  Do I just fray check the edges? Fray check the whole piece?  Use fusible facing schtuff?

I am sure someone has done fabric paws before

Thanks! 

rkr4cds Jun 7, 2006

Do you have Aleene's products in your craft shops? Their Stop Fraying & OK To Wash It are superior products to Fray Check.

Fray Check:
Alcohol based or something that gives of great fumes!
Dries stiff.
Harder to control application unless you transger it to a tiny nozzled applicator.

Other 'white' glue products: how I use.
Either cut a tiny hole in the top or transfer to an applicator.  My arthritic fingers found it hard to hold the larger bottle (cheaper by the ounce!) so I purchased the curved tip Monoject 401 applicators. I drew on mty pattern, ran the glue over the cutting lines in a very narrow bead, immediately pressed the part with paper toweling. This drove the bond into the backing, while removing all of the residue.

The hardest part is waiting for them to completely dry BEFORE cutting out. When a new bear is drawn you want to start sewing immediately!!!

Voila! My bear parts often went through the washer & dryer in pockets and came out beautifully: no fraying and you could not even feel any edge coating.

Cleathero Creations Jun 7, 2006

i do similar to bobbie but if i worry about the fabric as it is really bad I would 50/50 the white glue with water and paint the whole area only lightly son't want to saturate it though!  I found white glue tends to still be flexible

rkr4cds Jun 7, 2006

TY, Bronwyn, I forgot to add this! I went through a period of time thinking thatr I'd save myself a LOT of time by coving the whole back. I used straight product & diluted. What amistake - it took all of the flexibility (biasing/molding/etc) out of it, and in minis you don't have a lot of area to work with anyway in say, stuffing a muzzle.

I'd been cutting out the body parts, mounting them on a pin and trying to draw the bead on the very edge. Sooo fiddly & made a mess. Then I hit on applying & drying before cutting - Bingo. Worked like a charm.

So if you have a thinner or flimsier fabric to use anywhere, you could coat the back first to give it stability.

rkr4cds Jun 7, 2006

Make that: Bronwen - sorry! I'd just jotted off an e to another Bronwyn in OZ....

Cleathero Creations Jun 7, 2006

Thanks for clarifying that Bobbie.
And believe me I get it all the time with my name lol

jenny Jun 7, 2006

I line all my paw pads with fusible cotton interlining....you can then pretty much use anything and it won't fray. If you use a fabric that doesn't like being ironed ..use a spray tack to hold  cotton fabric in place. It's also great for marking out on....

kbonsall Jun 7, 2006

Thank you girls!!!!  :hug:  :hug: I'll post a pic when I am done!