In search for that smooth sewn nose - My findings

Decided to create a pattern from one of my printed casts and create a cover over the foam base nose. The results were actually better than I had planned. Here are a few things I found while doing this.

Vinyl:

Not all materials are made the same and vinyl is one of them. Most of the time vinyl is too thick and will not play nice when sewn. Usually getting weird puckering and never quite getting the nose to look clean enough. If you are like me these things will bother you on a completed head. I found soft vinyl at a local fabric store and decided to try it with that and it worked out much better. The soft vinyl has a bit of stretch to it making it a lot easier to work with and sew. There is no blacking to the vinyl, and the material itself is very easy to sew. The inner nostril was tested with soft felt which worked well and create a nice color transition and texture. Since it is felt I can glue it in without any puckering which the vinyl might create inside the nostril.

Overall a relatively easy material to work with.

Minky:

Usually a material I hate working with but found a way to work with it that will not make you want to cry. I bought some foam backing that has a sticky side, meaning you can iron on the minky to the foam backer. This is a total game changer, making the material extremely easy to work with. The inner nostril I combined it with spandex that was also backed to foam but overall it was a bit too thick creating puckering issues when putting it into the nostril. If I do this method again I would not use backed spandex and stick to felt or fleece for the nostril. 

Overall the material is tough to work with un backed, but once it is backed it is relatively easy. Machine still likes to slip here and there because the material can be picky but the noses come out real cute this way.

Spandex:

Probably my favorite method next to the vinyl. Spandex can be a royal pain to work with but once you attach an iron on for backer/stabilizer everything is a breeze. Without the backer stretching a nose over the foam can bring up any slight imperfections in the foam so doing it this way the nose has a really clean look. Best part of it all it is actually pretty quick to sew this type of nose and keep the overall look extremely clean. I like that spandex comes in a variety of colors, has a bit of shine, is durable, soft and easy to find. The nostril walls were done out of black Lux fleece since I like the thickness and the end of the nostril is a piece of hard felt sewn on.

Overall my favorite way of doing nostril noses.

Will I sell these patterns? 

The simple answer is yes. But for them to work and look this nice they need a foam backer. Meaning you will need to buy the pattern that goes with the casted foam nose. I plan on making a few foam nose types which will come with patterns and materials ready to work with. Plan to get the patterns cut out in plastic so they are easy to use over and over.

Video/photo tutorials?

Plan to work on one so people can see how the noses are put together.

Fusible one sided foam:

https://www.joann.com/pellon-flex-foam-1-sided-fusible-stabilizer-20-wide-white/14896781.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4ImEBhDFARIsAGOTMj-ggx4NUIrXT1gBmzE9cb4Gc_X235WF9Lu0O03mWXhrnW8nyuUwbQsaAhi_EALw_wcB