Sewing holes?

B

beaver22

New member
I just finished tanning a beaver pelt. The tan came out great, I now have a nice, soft pelt. I tanned this one because he was not only my first beaver, but also he's the first fur that I've ever put up myself, I have always sold pelts in the green before.
Anyway I have a few holes in the pelt that I made when skinning and fleshing (remember it was my first one!).
How do I sew these holes up? The holes are about the size of a quarter. I know people use either floss or fishing line, but won't sewing these up create a crease in the pelt? Also the holes from the front legs will make the pelt out of round if I sew them up. What do I do about that? I want to put the pelt on a hoop to display on the wall. It was a 45# beaver, not gigantic, but plenty large with nice fully prime deep dark chocolate color. Please don't tell me I can't do my hoop, I already have a "wife-approved" spot on the wall for it. If I can't make this work it will still look nice laying on our spare bed (the holes won't show so well).
Thanks a lot for any help.
 
Congrats on the tan job. Holes in the hide are generally sewed while green (before stretching and tanning) You will have a "seam" which will correspond to how well the stitch job is done, but should not be very noticeable from the fur side.
 
Cut a football shaped hole around the existing hole. This helps minmize or eliminate the creases. The legs holes would have had to have been fixed before drying to prevent an odd shape, however sewing before tanning doesn't make much sense since you'll likely rip out the stitches while shaving and breaking the hide. Depending on the tan and how soft you were able to get it, you may be able to stretch it back in shape after sewing.
 
I figured a way out. I was able to sew the rear legs no problem, the rest I simply got some faux fur and cut a piece and put it behind the hole. It blended really well, the color is so close you can't see it unless you know right where to look. Plus once I am done and brush the fur the guard hairs should cover up and blend in perfectly.
Magis: that's why I didn't sew them before drying, I figured they would rip out when I worked the pelt to break it. I know you're supposed to sew when it's still green, but since I was tanning rather than selling it I thought it might be different. Oh well, lessons learned and it all worked out!
 
Now here`s a question to go with this post, What type of stick do you use to sew the hole up? I`ve never sewn anything in my life.
 
If by "stick" you mean needle, I used a larger heavy needle. I figured it would be easier for me since it was leather. One probably could use a small, regular needle if you use a thimble so you don't kill your finger. If you sew it when it's still green (like you're supposed to and I didn't) you can use just a regular needle and waxed dental floss.
 
Holes are only sewn green for the fur trade so they look better. When tanning, holes need to be sewn after the tanning is complete. They make knife edged needles that work great, but you can just sharpen any needle with a stone when sewing a tanned skin.
 
if you are looking for a good needle, stop by a veternarian supply or a good animal supply store and they usually will have a selection of needles to pick through that are good quality and won't have to be replaced, i prefer one with a curve in it seems to make it a little easier to pick up the hide when its on a stretcher.
 
Sorry for the confusion, I was typing too fast for my two fingers again. I wanted to know if the was any special "stitch" used to sew up the holes.
 


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