YAY! fursuit is done (minus handpaws, doing those tomorrow).
This picture was taken earlier today before I finished sewing up the arms/legs. Feetpaws are being made by Fursonalities (pickup at AC), head was made by  Midori8 a few years ago, but I am finally thrilled to say IT WILL BE USED! Look for Kettle, the maned wolf, at AC! I won't be gallavanting around in her much--I tend to overheat pretty badly.

On a more serious note, I've seen so many comments about how fursuit artists are "robbing" people because of the prices. To make this as short as possible, to just do this body suit, I've had to purchase/borrow:
1) a pretty heavy duty sewing machine (from my mother thank God)
2) replacement needles
3) velcrow
4) zipper
5) fur and I purchased an extra yard of each color because knowing me i'd mess up)
6) correct colored, heavy duty thread
7) a lot of little odds and ends for the friggen sewing machine
8) box cutter
9) DTD. That was a MESS good god, DTDs are my least favorite. Not to mention, a lot of duct tape for this thick girl was a teensie expensive
10_ posterboard
11) sharpies
12) I have enough foam to fill the bed of a truck

I bought a lot of other things too, and right now I can't think of the list. I've gone to multiple stores multiple times. I just made the body (and carved feed and lost patience with that so those may go up for sale, foam carving is pretty decently done if I do say so myself), but even just to make a body requires skills. It requires patience, it requires a LOT of research, and understanding sewing doesn't mean just one type of stitch. Cutting the fur is easy (until you get super complacent and then slice right through something you were cutting out), but the sewing...my god the SEWING. I CANT.
This body suit was hand sewn once, and then machine sewn overtop. Machine sewing fur is the hardest effing thing I've ever done. It was poorly done, I had to redo a lot of it, and I AM satisfied. Frustrated. Tired. It took hours of work and research, and it takes immense skill beyond what I have and beyond what I will ever have. I do not have the patience to do what fursuit makers do, and nor would I EVER want to be held responsible for making someone's fursona come to life.

I have always appreciated the talent of fursuit artists. I have even MORE of an appreciation now. I made a suit of three colors--THREE--with such a basic design, and there are artists out there who have such skill and talent to make intricate designs. But complaining about how they're thousands of dollars...They are WORTH thousands of dollars. you are paying for someone's skill, and those materials don't come cheap. It's not easy. When you think "well, all it is is sewing a bunch of pieces together." you try it. You try finding the best way to hide a zipper. You try realizing that, shit, your measurements on your DTD were YOUR OWN BODY and yet you can still somehow manage to mess up an armpit (dont ask me to raise my hands too high), and sewing a tail to the back of a suit is, by far, the worst experience of my life. This suit is not professionally made but it sure as shit is sturdy.

For Calico, I wouldn't dare mess up my 'sona like that. I will be paying someone who ENJOYS doing this, because this was NOT fun lol. I much prefer drawing and messy paints!