Animal Print Fabric Guide
I get a lot of questions about the type of fabric that I use to make my hoodies, so I hope that this page will tell you everything you need to know!
What kind of fabric is this?
The animal print fabric that I use is called velboa fur. It is 100% polyester short pile faux fur. What "short pile" means is that it is slightly furry and fuzzy, but not as thick as normal faux fur. If you look at the edge of the fabric, you can see that it is just under 1/8 of an inch thick. (About 2 or 3 millimeters.)
How warm is velboa fur?
This depends on what type of lining you purchase. If you get a hoodie with no lining or partial lining, it will be about as warm as a typical sweater or unlined cotton hoodie.
- No lining/partial lining: about as warm as a typical sweater. Good for layering but won't keep you very warm in a cold climate.
- Polyester lining: this lining is very thin, so the hoodie will only be a little warmer than the un-lined hoodie.
- Fleece lining: soft lightweight fleece lining makes the hoodie very cozy and almost twice as warm as the un-lined hoodie.
- Reversible hoodie with velboa fur on both sides: twice as warm as the un-lined hoodie, equal to wearing two thick sweaters.
How do I wash and take care of velboa fur?
Polyester fabric doesn't shrink and it is very wrinkle-resistant. Velboa fur starts out shiny but eventually loses its shine as you keep washing it. I recommend washing it with warm water and drying it on low.
Is this a stretchy fabric?
Velboa fur falls under the knit category of fabrics, so it has a little bit of stretch. This adds to the comfort level, but it cannot stretch enough to fit you if you order a size too small.
Is there anything else I should know?
This fabric is very popular in a lot of different products. Fabrics of the same print and color may differ a little in shade if they are from different fabric rolls. This means that if you buy a brown leopard hoodie from me in the beginning of the year and then buy another one six months later, the two shades of brown may be slightly different. The difference may be difficult to see unless you look very closely. I don't mix and match pieces when I get a new roll of fabric, so every part of your hoodie will be the same color shade.
Are there other color and print options?
Velboa fur is for sale all over the internet in different colors and prints. SyFabrics.com has a good selection. You can find velboa fur in solid colors, zebra, leopard, cheetah, tiger, giraffe, cow, dalmation, hearts, flames, camouflage, and more.
What does the back part of the fabric look like?
The back of the fabric (visible on the inside of the un-lined or partially lined hoodies) is the main color of the front fabric, with some animal print showing through. Sometimes the animal print shows through really well and sometimes you can only see a faint outline, depending on how the fabric was dyed.
Swatches of fabric front and back: click on swatches to see a close-up. Each fabric color has a wavy shine pattern in the front, but this pattern did not show up in all of the pictures. It is most obvious in the pictures of the red shades.
Leopard Print
Cheetah Print
