What faux leather would you recommend for custom clothes?

[MeltedCaramel]

Okay, it seems I have run into the problem of doing a lot of customs that have armour of different types, which I notice on 1/6 scale dolls is usually mimicked with faux leather of some kind. But....I have no idea if it's okay to just buy the "upholstery faux leather" on Ebay of if that's wayyyy too thick to work with properly, especially for small pieces like arm and leg armour. So...is there a certain thickness to look for? A certain online store that sells these? Preferably I'd like to be able to find faux leather in a variety of colours, but the most important are silver/grey and black.

Please, if anyone has information on this, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you all as always!! <3

[zirconmermaid]

So, this is for 12 inch dolls? It actually depends on the fake leather. Unless you need shiny leather I recommend a faux suede garment quality fabric. Upholstery leather will probably be too thick. Look under vinyl garment weight fabric for the shiny type. Joann Fabric has it lister under Pleather.
http://www.joann.com/pleather/xprd757783.html#prefn1=isProject&q=Fashion+fabric&prefv1=false&start=2

For the suede, look for microsuede or Alova.
http://www.joann.com/fabric/apparel-fabric-and-trims/?prefn1=isProject&q=Suede&prefv1=false

I have used both on 8inch action figures and 27cm dolls.

[SetsunaKou]

Yes, you wouldn't want to buy upholstery vinyl for dolls, except as a last resort. (For some reason, some colors only come in the thick non stretch upholstery stuff! But for 1/6, it's pretty bad to use on almost anything. Maybe armlets or epaulettes, but that's about it. ^^)

You want to look for pleather and PVC vinyl. Pleather is matte and pvc is mostly shiny, though some varieties are semi matte. The thinner the better and unfortunately, finding the thin grade pleather online is near impossible! Sometimes, JoAnn fabrics carry some blacks and browns and reptile textures in the thin stuff.

Here are some shops we buy the pleather/pvc from:

Pleather:
http://www.spandexhouse.com/products.ph ... e=Pleather
http://spandexworld.com/c3/catalog/browse/19

PVC:
http://www.spandexhouse.com/products.ph ... Name=Vinyl
http://spandexworld.com/c3/catalog/browse/22

All kinds:
http://www.syfabrics.com/Browse.aspx/PV ... eather/222


PVC is generally thinner than pleather, and there are 2way and 4way pvcs. Four way is best, particularly for small dolls,but the 2way can also get the job done decently if you're careful which way you put it together.

Hope it helps!

PS If you only need small amounts of nearly any color pvc and most colors of pleather, let me know and I can just sell you what you need. We keep much of the stuff in stock for our commission work and it'll be much less costly for you to just get what you need rather than whole yards. Just a thought!

[MeltedCaramel]

Thank you both!! Setsuna, I'm not positive what "2way" and "4way" is. If you don't mind me asking, what is the type of pleather/PVC you used on these dolls? I need something around this thickness, that looks like armour on a 1/6 doll, but isn't ridiculously thick.

http://www.setsunakou.com/customdolls/m ... ksfull.jpg <---Obviously the vest/holster for his 'gourd'.

http://www.setsunakou.com/customdolls/m ... LKSMID.JPG <---The shoulder guard on the left and his brown belt.

I'm so sorry everyone! I fail at this, and I don't have the money to buy something that's too thick or too thin. I bought a square of brown vinyl on Ebay and it turned out to be paper thin.

Edit: Also, Setsunakou, thank you so much for the kind offer. I will DEFINITELY keep that in mind. <333 If I end up needing an off-colour (I'm thinking the black and silver/grey it would be safe to buy a yard of. Too much armour, too many customs.) I will definitely ask you. You are too sweet as always!!

[SetsunaKou]

Those are both pleather, though the top one (Gaara) is the super stretchy type of pleather that is hard to find and they often just carry as 'one offs' or left over bolts at JoAnn's. It's similar to the four way pvc vinyls:

http://www.spandexhouse.com/products.ph ... Name=Vinyl

Though I see they now offer 2 way stretch matte pvc vinyl:
http://www.spandexhouse.com/products.ph ... Name=Vinyl

The Legolas doll's belts are just normal pleather (Not pvc vinyl) like this:
http://www.spandexhouse.com/products.ph ... e=Pleather

But in a lighter, cocoa brown. Unfortunately most online shops do NOT sell cocoa brown pleather! They always sell sepia or darkest chocolate! (Almost black!) So for that, you'd need to scout your walk-in stores, like JoAnn or local fabric shops. We are always on the lookout for decent thin pleather 'cocoa' vinyls and we usually get them at JoAnn's in their 'clearance' rack of one-offs bolts! (As in, they aren't actually 'clearance' items since they never sold them at regular price, but rather, individual bolts specifically given to them to sell as 'sale' fabrics. They vary from store to store, do not have a specific name or brand on the bolt and are in their 'clearance' racks. A lot of nice pleathers and vinyls are found there, in rare colors!

On eBay, these would probably work well for belts and such : (Though, since I haven't purchased from these sellers, I couldn't say for sure what you'd get. But from the pics/descriptions, these seem right for that type of application.)
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Faux-Leather-Fa ... 232dedd94c
http://www.ebay.com/itm/0-6mm-Thick-Ple ... 4165f15709
http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Quality-Fau ... 3a8a7c5649


For silver you have a variety of choices (and golds):

PVC Vinyl (2 way):
http://www.syfabrics.com/Browse.aspx/Fe ... yl-PVC/225

Metallic spandex:
http://www.spandexhouse.com/products.ph ... e=Metallic Spandex

Hologram Mini dot spandex:
http://www.spandexhouse.com/products.ph ... e=Hologram

The pvc vinyl is the most stiff and the shiny type wears/lasts well. The more 'matte' pvc and particularly pleather, tends to rot after a couple of years.
The metallic spandex is GORGEOUS and looks like real metal, but....it seems to lose its sheen after a while and sort of 'rots.' Not quite as bad as pleather, but it does get splotchy looking.
The Hologram mini dot is the most durable, never changes, but it's the most 'fabric like' of the three types.

[MeltedCaramel]

Thank you SO MUCH Setsuna!!! Yeah, I know what you mean about the one-off bolts of fabric. My local JoAnn's does the same thing. Until I feel better though it's gotta be online shopping all the way! That's okay though, you both have given me more information than I dreamed possible. Just...thank you so much!!! <33

[victoriavictrix]

One matte thing that will NOT rot and in the garment-weight size is Ultrasuede. Ultrasuede is very pricy, but it wears forever and looks exactly like real leather.

I've had a lot of success with scrap packs from here: THere is a LOT of ultrasuede in 8 ounces! You would be surprised!

http://www.fieldsfabricsonline.com/Ultrasuede-8-Ounce-Scrap-Bag_p_2565.html

I haven't tried here, but this looks good

http://www.fabricschicago.com/index.php/suedes/assorted-ultra-suede-pieces.html

Here is someone on Etsy selling good sized pieces at a reasonable price.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/71568299/ultrasuede-gray-package-3-9-x-12-pieces?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_promoted&utm_campaign=supplies_low&gclid=CM-pztzQrLwCFZBj7Aod43MA3Q

[MeltedCaramel]

Thank you so much for the links victoriavictrix!!! All of this is exactly the type I'm looking for!!! You're all (dollieh) lifesavers around here! <33

[maywong]

VV beat me to it, ultra suede wears like iron. If you are near a Joann go in and ask the people there.

[ShadowKat]

Thank you so much VV!!! You all just made me want to start working on my Skyrim project again! I never got started because I needed a really thin suede dark chocolate-y red material for her armor and boots and stuff. I found some really stiff stuff at Wal-Mart, but it just felt icky in my hands (and it was really far from the right color).
Is UltraSuede really soft? I hate working with icky feeling materials.

Also, does anyone know if you can give it a light wash with acrylic paint to change the color slightly? I know that I won't find the exact shade I need, so I was going to get some deep chocolate and then give it a light wash with a red to get the perfect color.