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Pat Klein

Hi Nancy,

I am lucky to have the book, but am looking forward to the updates.  I have gone back to it many times, as I have our class notes.  Looking forward to news of your master class.

Pat

Pat Klein

Our loss, Singapore's gain.   bear_noexpression

They are magnificent.

Pat

Pat Klein

You can buy Morning Glory Direct,  I received the following e-mail in regards to my inquiry, as follows:

call toll free 888-744-8277 for Morning Glory pricing and shipping.

This is how I plan to purchase the stuffing....this is what WAL MART USED TO CARRY.

Pat

Pat Klein

Sandra,

Absolutely right!  I'm so glad you made that point. 

I use fashion synthetics with knitted backings...So I have to line my heads.  Currently I use a strong felt...no warp or weft to worry about...so that I can prevent stretching and distortion.  I pretreat the backing on my synthetic before I sew too ...that way while I am working with it I minimize stretching the shape of the pattern.  I sew the head together first, then piece by piece attach the backing felt to each section of the head along and over the seam lines by hand...

Tedius as it is, this system works for me and has overcome my problems with 'wonky' muzzels and off center nose seams. 

Pat

Pat Klein

Lisa,

just take your side piece and flip it over at the center seam without moving that center seam on the fabric...trace the second side...you have a single piece which looks like butterfly wings in my case...remember I have an additional lower jaw piece because I make open mouthed bears....

I sew my gussett down from either side eye points and up from the nose by hand...then reinforce with the machine (I can do that because my bears are so big.) 

013.JPG

Pat Klein

Hi Lisa,

Boy can I sympathize.  Getting the bear nose straight has been the biggest challenge for me.  I have particular difficulty with this.  It seems I am destined to struggle everytime I make a bear head.  I've tried about every technique suggested but still haven't found 'my' solution.  The latest fix I've come up with is to eliminate the darn center seam beneathe the nose altogether and have combined both sides of the face into a single pattern piece.  I've only made one bear head this way but it worked well and not having the bulk of the seam beneathe the nose allowed me to place the separation line exactly center with needle sculpting after the head was sewn and stuffed.  For some reason, this worked well for me.

I also resorted to open mouth design to help me keep the muzzles straight and centered on the faces and use an inset muzzle design to concentrate my adjustments to the face rather than the entire head.

I guess you could say, the final design of the head was to compensate for my 'weaknesses'...

Pat

Pat Klein

Kimi,

I emailed Marshalls and got the following reply:

Please call toll free 888-744-8277 for Morning Glory pricing and shipping.

Thank you,

April Cannon
Marshall Dry Goods Co., Inc.

Pat Klein

I tried ordering it through Marshalls Dry Goods but their search engine will not bring the product up for me to place and order on line.  Anyone else able to 'get through?'

Marshall Dry Goods Co. is now a distributor for Morning Glory Products.
www.marshalldrygoods.com

Pat

Pat Klein

Joanne,

As ever, gorgeous work.

Pat

Pat Klein

Since my orginal post, I've discovered that it is really easy to start the first eye cord by going backwards...that is threading the cording UP through the catheter and pulling it out of the corner of the eye and then DOWN into the corner on the other side.  This works so much faster and easier.

Still perfecting the technique...
but thought this was an important addition to the above.

Pat

Pat Klein

I got sucked into the Pallas cat trilogy!  Mom cat sure has her work cut out for her with 7 week old kits!

All I can say is AWWWWWWWWWW! 

Pat

Pat Klein

Paula,

I just love your 'peachy' and 'brown' bears...and this one is especially lovely.  I can see from visiting your blog where the inspiration came from.

Lovely, lovely,

Pat

Pat Klein

Thanks Sue Ann, read them all...in fact, several time since I started working with this stuff.  I went ahead and wrapped the armature in polyester quilting, secured with vet wrap as is my method....doubling over the paw pad ends and stuffing the paws securely with poly...this seems to work much better and they were secure enough to pull toes.  The loc line is still moveable, and quieter with the batting around it....so I will say this,....it BENEFITS from being wrapped.

Pat

Pat Klein

I'm using 1/4 inch loc-line in appendages and the instructions on Edinburgh state simply to drop it in the appendage and  add stuffing around the armature. 

I am not finding this a 'happy' solution on my attempts...I still get the 'lumpy-bumpys' and I am concerned about  a tendency for stuffing migration with repeated movement of the limb over time. 

I am thinking that wraping the the loc-line in batting as we do cabling would not be amiss here. 

In addition, the 'free floating' end of the lock line in the paw seems to be more unstable than the cable end ever was.  What's with that?  The instructions for its use nowhere state the need to secure it, but I am thinking it will need to be attached securely in the end of the paw as well. 

Any thoughts or experience?

Pat

Pat Klein

Does anyone know what the backing is on the fabric...this is alpaca...but the backing on the fabric allows for all the body parts to be 'molded'....we use needle sculpting...

It is probably heat and or pressure sensitive I am thinking? 

Pat

Pat Klein

Try Wal Mart, sports section...they have an assortment...I figure I'm keeping it out of the hands of small boys and usually grab as much as I can...you can't beat it for most weight in smallest space...I like that...especially for feet as I like my bears to stand.

Pat

Pat Klein

Hi Sue,

Comparing him to Big Daddy, he is definitely a more serious bear.  You can't pull the wool over his eyes! bear_whistle

Love his bear suit!  Sorry about the blisters...but he was worth it.

Pat

Pat Klein

Julia, I'm so happy I was able to direct you on to a great artist!  I can assure you that her work is just as spectacular in the real fur.  I think it is good to have an ideal to work towards...even if I never arrive, at least I know where I'm trying to go. bear_rolleyes

But what I want to know is how Di get's a bear in a turtle shell?  bear_wub  bear_wub  bear_wub Is that not the cutest, cleverest thing ever done?  I love it!  Di, I do hope you made more 'mock bears.'  Fabulous creatures.  Where on earth do you find them? bear_wub

Since I posted, I've practiced on five more bear's heads with this technique and it does get much easier with practice...the trick seems to be to clear away as much of the stuffing between you and the eye as possible ....or ideally run the cording just below the surface of the fabric...so their is less stuffing to interfere with its passage. 


Pat

Pat Klein

Hi Kimi,

Luv, luv the fabric and the colors.  As always I just can't get over your scissoring skills.  I think you could do micro surgery if you put your mind to it ! :crackup:   What dexterity...I'm all fingers and thumbs when it comes to scissors and glue as you know.  While your bears are, as always, just perfection.   

That's a four  bear_thumb  bear_thumb  bear_thumb  bear_thumb as Siskel and Ebert used to say.

Pat

Pat Klein

When I met Michelle Lamb this year, she was generous enough to share her method of eye cording with me and told me that she  pulls the cord through the head and uses no glue. 

Since I just LOVE Michelle's bear's eyes, it reinforced my bias for the technique and so I decided to continue to use it...rather than the punch and glue method.

...I still go back to her web site and study her bear and bunny eyes... they are just AWESOME!   For you newbees who are not familiar with this artist you should visit the One and Only Bears and see what eye cording can do to make a bear come to life. 

She does double and triple corded eyes as well...now THAT's spectacular!  Maybe the catheter method will make that easier...if you pull the cords at the same time since inside diameter of the tube is large enough to accomodate a couple of cords.

Pat

Pat Klein

057.JPG053.JPG054.JPG050.JPG060.JPG049.JPGFirst photo shows my bear head ready to receive the cording...the awl is positioned at the entry point...the cording prepared with threads at both ends...the catheter...in this case copper tubing.  (this head has a blue loc line neck joint protruding from the neck).

And the tube pushed up to lock into the point of the awl is introduced through the opening in the neck which I do not close until last..you can see the tip of the tubing here...I used a six inch piece of copper tube for this bear.  Removing as much of the stuffing as you can from the neck and side of muzzle without disturbing your sculpting eases the process. 

In the second photo, the upholstery needle which has been threaded with the cording, replaced the awl at its insertion point and was inserted into the tubing opening inside the head.

The cording is encouraged to follow the needle through the opening into the catheter.

And when the catheter is pulled out of the head...the end of the cording with its tie off thread is ready to secure at the edge of the neck.

Repeat with other side across the eye...

Hope this helps,  there is no getting these photos to arrange themselves in order no matter how I try...sorry.

Pat

Pat Klein

Morning Leonora,

I pull the cord over the eye and after that is done, I use needle felting to create an eyelid on my bears.  That is currently the technique I use to create my eye lid...you don't have to do that...you can leave the cord by itself...create a lid of felt, or other ways other artists have done. 

You need to pull the cord first because the act of doing so is so energetic it would destroy any other work you did to the eye beforehand.  Once the cord is in place...you can make nice with the eyelids, eyelashes and makeup. bear_grin

Pat

Pat Klein

Karen,

You continue to amaze me.  I work with felines at the clinic daily, as they are my specialty. At home my bevy of six demanding but lovely Chartreux surround me.  However, devoted as I am to felines, I would never, never, attempt to protray one in soft sculpture.  As a groomer and technician I am very familiar with them anatomically...and so I can say without equivocation that I appreciate the  challenge your subject poses...I couldn't possibly every sew "le chat magnifique."  You are a maestro and I salute you. 

I can see in your art the amazement that the subject continues to inspire in us both.

Pat

Pat Klein

Kelly,

This pair is so lifelike, Don't be surprised if you wake and find these two have presented you with a couple of eggs !  Hmmm....that could go in a whole new direction...   bear_happy

Pat

PS: :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

Pat Klein

Nataly,

They cannot get any cuter...not possible.   bear_wub  bear_wub  bear_wub

Pat

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