




I’ve been making costumes for years, but this is my first time doing anything with fur fabric or a tail, so I’m a bit new to fur sewing. I’m making a Lord Sesshomaru costume, which is not a fur-suit per say, but does have some fur on it, namely he’s got an 8 foot long tail, called a mokomoko, which I have to make.
Well, I had a few questions about how to go about making the mokomoko, and I figured, I’d ask you guys in case someone reading this knows anything about working with fur and tails and such.
First off, I’m making the manga version of Sesshomaru. The anime version has him wearing a 4 foot fur boa, but in the manga it was a 8 foot furry tail, and it looks quite a bit different in the manga from the amine. Here’s a photo reference, of the version I’m making:
As you can see, it’s HUGE. Because the tail is so long, he’s got it pulled up through his kimono and than slung over his shoulder, and it still drags on the ground quite a ways. I need a lot of fabric.
I was wondering, if anyone could recommend where I can get the fur to use for this? I’m looking for something that looks like real fur, possibly an arctic fox tail look or a mongolian sheepskin look or alpaca wool or possibly yak hair . The pile is quite long and very fluffy and the color is a ecru or cream color.
I would prefer real fur, but only if it’s sheared and not skinned. I tried Googeling for this, but all I could find was either skins (ICK!) or bags of sheared wool. I had heard that yak hair, mongolain sheep wool, and alpaca wool are sometimes sold knitted or woven into a fur fabric, used for making fur costumes in movies (the Grinch was said to be made like this, using yak hair dyed green). I would really like to find a place that sells this type of fur fabric, but so far none of my searches have turned up anything. Does anyone here know where this type of fur can be bought?
If I can’t find it, I’ll settle for fake, but I want it to look real, and so far all the fake fur I’ve looked at, looks too “shinny” and well, fake. Do you know of a good source for fur that looks real?
Here is an anime shot, for color reference:
Okay, moving on. I have a question about actually making the tail, once I finally find the fabric. I’ve heard people say that Sesshomaru’s tail should be stuffed, to make it stand out more, like it does in the pictures. Looking at the two pictures above (these being the ones I’m using as my guide to make this tail), would you say I should do that or not? If so, what would I use to stuff it, and how would I keep the stuffing from shifting and bunching all into one end?
Secondly, I’ve been told that I should put a wire in the tail. On the other hand I’ve been told not to use a wire in it. I’m not sure wither I should use a wire or not. What would you recommend? Also, why would one want to put a wire in a tail? I’m not sure what the reason for doing this is. And if I should use a wire in it, what type of wire do I use? How do I put it in the tail? And how do I stop it from poking through the fabric?
Thanks!
What’s your take on this? I’d love to hear what you have to say about this post. Leave a comment and share your views!





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If you liked reading this blog and want to read more stuff written by me, I have lots of websites, where you can read other things I write, here are a few of the ones I like the best:
- All about Lord Sesshomaru’s garb & Making a Lord Sesshomaru Costume. Plus, Sesshomaru & Rin and making Rin’s Costume; and this is for anyone who needs help Creating Character Profiles for their stories or for their SCA persona.



























































































