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HvalsøHello everyone 
I'm currently working on my very first teddy and since then when I pull out the pieces to sew I get pinkish eyes and they itch a bit.
It's not horrible, but it does get annoying. I've never had any kind of allergy before, had animals my whole life etc. but I assume it must be some kind of allergy.
My boyfriend is allergic to all kinds of animals, but has absolutely no problem when the fur isn't ON the animal.
So my question is, anyone here allergic to mohair? Still sewing teddies made of it - what do you do?
Any tips
Past Time BearsI had a friend who made bears for a few years, enduring a very annoying and ongoing rash until she determined she was allergic to the fur. Unfortunately, she no longer makes furry things. 
FenBeary FolkHi there, you don't say if it's mohair or faux fur, I am allergic to all soft furred animals -short haired cats, rabbits and greyhounds.
I have found that I am ok with mohair but have a problem with the luxury faux fur because it is so dense, my solution when trimming is to do it outside, if thats not possible then have a plastic bag on my knee and only do a few pieces a night.
An old knitter trick for mohair is to put it in the fridge over night (or freezer for a short while) it stops the mohair from shedding.
Much luck it may be just the actual fabric you are using so an excuse for more buying of different types-short, sparse etc 
as if we need an excuse for buying
HvalsøHey
Thanks for the replies and this one is mohair
Posts: 186We have 4 dogs, 1 cat and 1 rabbit and I don't react (much! 
) to them - but when I sew mohair bears, I sneeze all the time, my eyes water and get all red and I cough all the time...so yes, I'm very allergic to mohair! 
The bear I'm working on right now is made from very dense faux fur and I don't seem to have a problem with that.
My allergy to mohair has been a bit of a problem when I have been in bear making classes with mohair lying all around. I have to go outside from time to time - and leave my contacts at home and wear glasses instead. If I wear contacts around mohair, I look as if I have been out drinking all night! 
Its annoying but I can live with it - I just have to keep all the mohair bear parts I'm not working on in small boxes with a lid on and just work on a few parts at a time.
I usually work on my bears with a towel in my lap - the towel "catches" most of the flying mohair. I also use a towel this time of year when I can't go outside to scissor sculpt. Its not 100% effective but it does help a lot.
Jane Perala Designs Ltd.It is quite possible that it isn't the mohair, but the treatment that is put on the backing that you are allergic to. Have you tried rinsing one of your pieces in warm water and then hanging it to dry. This will however effect any style the mohair had - distressed, etc. It will all relax, and the pile will be a bit straighter, but you may not be allergic anymore - it is worth a try.
Matilda Huggington-beareIt is quite possible that it isn't the mohair,
Just what I thought Jane.
My eyes used to get very red and sore at first when using the mohair and the wool fibre for needle felting.
Now that I wash the mohair and have changed woolfibre suppler I nolonger have the problem.
I gather it was all spray with something inorder to keep the insects at bay.
Wendy
Earlier this year I developed a problem with tight chestedness which in the end turned out to be due to anxiety...but in the event I did think it was an allergy and got an air filtration unit which removes allergens from the air and does make the air cleaner. It's good for asthma and other allergies and think this could help you. ...apparently a damp towel placed on a a radiator acts as a humidifier which in turn reduces dust particles...it also apparently helps reduce static in you hair...that's an extra benefit!!
I am pleased with my air cleaner which cost about £100 but when you weigh up the benefits is well worth it..!
HvalsøThanks for all the answers I'll try it out.
Posts: 3,540I typically work with real fur (vintage coats) and have no problems whatsoever. I'm also not allergic to animals...thank goodness because I'm an animal nut! 
However when I've had to use synthetics or mohair for my bears, my hands cannot stand them! It doesn't matter if its an older piece (recycled faux coat), freshly washed mohair, or either straight from the box....all cause my hands to dry out something fierce and to crack. The only solution I've found is to sew for a day, and rest them for two days, and use moisturizer like mad on my hands overnight.
Luckily for me real fur is my first love, so its not like the end of my bear making. But I do hope you can find a solution for your bear making :hug:
BlondheartI break out in hives all the time from mohair. It's not that I have an allergy to animals, because that usually involves the dander and there isn't any on mohair because it's no longer attached to the animal. It's that I have an allergy to wool. Mohair is a type of wool in it's purest form. So maybe that's the problem you're having? I would reccomend taking an antihistamine, and that should clear ya right up.
