Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Welcome to the world of bear making Kraken!  I have looked on eBay for mohair also, sometimes you can find some fantastic deals there on mohair.  I have been making bears now for 16 years and just bought my 1st really expensive $100 for a 1/2 yard of mohair.  I could not find any curly dense white mohair on eBay so I went to Edinburg Imports they deal in Steiff Schulte mohair.  I am making Christmas bears, yes, a very late start.  I had to wait for the mohair to arrive.  However, I let my customers know and all is fine.  I am getting ready to draw the patterns onto the mohair today. Try eBay and Etsy both have great prices from bearmakers selling their stash of mohair.  Just a thought, that's where I go first for the deals.  It helps the fellow bear maker and me too.

Christmas 2015

The eye whites on this bear are needle felted.  I twist and poke the roving as I work around the glass eye that I have already sewn in place

I really admire those of you who make the teeny tiny bears, I may try sometime, but my bears are usually large at 17" or so, smallest have been 7".  I would like to make a 2" bear, that would be teeny tiny for me. http://www.teddy-talk.com/img/smilies/bear_wub.gif

Absolutely beautiful!!

You did a fantastic job on that horse!!  It is truly a work of art!!!!

I would like to give a panda a try too!  I am off of work with a broken foot and am working on quilts, and you know how that is.  I'd rather make a bear, so I guess its off to the drawing board!!  I cant say its going to be a black and white Panda tho' I have lots of mohair in different shades but black is not in there....I am not up to dyeing right now. 

I do this method too except at the ends in the paws I use needle nose pliers to bend the wire in a semi-tight loop then tape with electrical tape.  This way if you like you can prewrap polyfill or wool around it before you stuff it down the arm or leg of your bear because sometimes it seems no matter how much you stuff the wire can be felt from the outside and I personally dont like to feel the wire, it kind of takes away the magic of the bear being able to bend and stand so sturdy.  I also use the electrical tape at the joint site just where the wire terminal and wire are crimped together, because nothing is as frustrating as when your bear suddenly has an arm or leg that doesnt respond due to a joint that is not hooked to the wire anymore.  Sometimes the crimper lets go because they are really not made to be moved around like we want a joint to move.  Just a few notes from experience....    When I prewrap the paw part I just do a little enough to cover
the wire so it cannot be felt from the outside, then stuff it inside the paw or foot.

Right now all I have is a facebook page for my bears it is under CherylsBears, which is kind of a side page of my name I guess Cheryl Teague Getzinger, if you would like friend request me or I could friend request you and you could see all of them or maybe you could see them anyway, I dont know.  :lol:
But I would love to have the magazines, I love seeing the other bears from other places.  I have made quite a few and probably will never stop I have 5 grandkids and they are just little.  So they need lots of bears too!!

I always needle felt an eyelid and push the mohair lashes up under then carefully glue it with felt glue, since you felted the eyelid the glue holds very well and if it gets on the glass eye it will wash off with a damp cotton swab.  (super glue will sometimes cloud the glass eye where ever it touches) from experience I speaketh!!!  This is how I do it, there are pics on my face book page cherylsbears on facebook.

do you still have these items in this post?  I live in Hope, MIchigan up by Midland, MI so I am in the same state!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I use fiber board disks bolts washer and locknuts with wire armatures so I put the limbs on then I stuff since I have to make sure the wire is in the right place and not detectible from the outside of the limb

I have been making bears for a little over ten years now, I wish I could do it full time, but I too have to go back to work tomorrow

I know that is an old post Alison but HOBBY LOBBY has it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! at least here in Michigan 19.99 5# box but there is always a 40% off coupon floating around in their ads

Hi Everyone, I need to design a pattern for an English Bulldog....is it impossible?   Teddy bears seem easy most anymore, but then this is out of my comfort zone.   A friend wants me to do one for her husband...HELP!!!!! :redface:

Hi everyone, I havent been here in a while, here are some pics for you to see of my last few bears I have doneThe first bunch were featured in the web magazine called Bears and Buds, I was so excited, the first time any body ever wanted to do that for my bears!!  I hope you like them.  I did enter the blue and pink (Faith and Hope) in the URSA 2010 contest but they did not place.  But they were winners in my heart and now are in new homes with new Moms!!  Hugs Cheryl  :)

Hey all, how do I get photos ofmy bears below my avatar on the left like you all have yours???  Help!

I have been making bears since 2000.  Wow does time fly! :photo: