Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

:clap: I gotta agree with Daphne  :clap:   And Heather!   :clap:   Seems to be just another way to promote yet another diet book 

:dance: I've finally gotten my first mohair bear finished!!!   :dance:  And now I can share one of my new design ideas....Little Sally sports painted claws. 

Inspired by all the sparkly nail polishes I bought to paint on the back of eyes....I just had a vision of a little girlie bear painting her nails with the sparkly stuffs.  When I'd finished, "Little Sally" had sprung to life...looking like she'd gotten into her mummy's press on nails, and nail polish.  While she was at it, she grabbed Mummy's pearls to play 'dress up' as well. 

"Little Sally" doesn't know half how hard it was to paint those nails either!    I remembered why I don't paint my own!!    But her's came out beautifully....bubblegum pink, of course.  And I've got her up for adoption under the For sale section.

Oh dear! 

Too coool!!!  Something or Someone was moving you to take in Parkin!      Yep, synchronicity at its finest 

Hmmmmm.... Maybe some of the Norton's lovely mohair will survive afterall?   

Ahhhhhhh!!!  He's scary!    But I guess that's the whole point....I think you did a great job with him 

Really?  I just shove the bolt through the hole, then turn the whole upper leg inside out around it.  Even on my real fur bears, I can slide the bolt sideways through the hole.   I wonder if the bolts you are using are longer than the ones I've got?

No matter... You've got a technique that works for you, and that's what counts! 

  I just wanted to post to mention the epoxied locknut joints.  I've used them for at least 3 years now, and absolutely adore the locknut joints.  I must admit to be lazy however,    and more than a little clutzy when it comes to my own epoxying.  So I've ordered mine from Out of Hand https://www.out-of-hand.com/joints.php for years. 

Now I've found Mo Beary on TT has these epoxied locknut joints too  http://members.shaw.ca/paws2sew/shopping/joints.htm  I think I'll be giving them a try the next time I need new joints     Never hurts to spread business around, and they're just coming up to their first year's anniversary  :bday:

Oh yes, just wanted to mention, when I use the epoxied locknut joints, I don't need the second screwdriver to hold the bolt in place...just slip the wrench over the end and away I go!  Easy peasy 

Well who could pass on a baby that cute?!      Glad to hear his adoption fee will be going to make more teds and friends 

Oh dear, I do hope she's all right, but I've noticed too that she's gone missing.     :hug: I hope you're okay Dilu :hug:

Jane, another thing you can do is mild stretching.  You'll want to do take the stretch just to where you feel the pull, and then hold it there, breathing into the stretch, and consciously trying to get that muscle to relax.  Sometimes you can stretch a bit further, but other times not.  Just go with what your body will allow.  Overtime, you will be able to stretch further. 

A lot of people think stretching is useless, because its nothing drastic, but it elongates the muscles, and still increases the circulation to the muscling...all of which will help with the weight loss.  Many of the stretches can be done from a chair and you can modify, modify, modify to suit your needs. 

For myself, I've done *okay* with my goals this week.  I've added my Bowflex on alternate days to my daily balance ball routine, and thrown in some stretching with my breathing exercises.  It sounds like a lot, but really only 1/2 daily, 1 hour every other day.  I've got one of those bodies that takes a beating and hangs onto the fat forever....pooh.   

Gail he's adorable!!!   :hug:

SueAnn...I know you can do it!  You've got such a worthy cause to be reaching for, so I'm sure the end bear will be gorgeous.  If you get stumped, give a holler...I'm sure one of us can help  :hug:

Daphne..when using the #40 blade, always be sure you've got that extension snuggly in place.  You *really* don't want to use it without the extension.  I only used it for touchups on poodle feet around the nails, but its used by the vet's for surgery shaves.....so extra close. 

I know exactly what you mean about the professional touchups, as I used to have people bring in their dogs wanting the same...and in reality, they were doing a good job, just a different angle here or there, or a different tool.   As for the detangling....I have a lovely weapon for you.  Simply called THE Stuff  its the BEST detangler for dogs I have ever found!!!  (do not use it on cats however) http://www.petedge.com/shopping/product … uctID=1761  I used to order from these people when they were New England Serum Company, and have never adapted to the new name, but they sell THE Stuff.  They also sell Bio Groom's shampoos and conditioners.  If you've never used them...they are phenomenal!!!  I adored the finishes on my dogs and cats and it always left their skin wonderful, and the Silk conditioner...oh my, it feels just like silk!  But for your pups, you'd probably be better off with the terrier texturizing conditioners. 

Back to THE Stuff...you will need to dilute it, and be sure to follow the directions as the stuff is super slick!  No pun intended...  :doh: 

One thing that was fun with this detangler...we used to spray it on matted dogs, hit with the force dryer and watch the mats literally blow apart and off the dog    Great fun 

Cats do seem to have a way of landing on their feet....well, except for my last Birman girl, Kitty.  She didn't have the reflex to land on her feet ~ at all!  (Literally.  But figuratively she landed well on her feet by getting adopted by us after she'd strayed)

Yep, Maine Coon cat....and they're not kidding, they are HUGE, much larger than an ordinary housecat.  Cannot tell you how many times I had customers tell me on the phone they were bringing in a Maine Coon to be groomed, and I'd get excited because these guys are simply amazing...very snuggly as well as stunning, and very laid back about the whole grooming thing.  Then in walks the usual....obesed housecat, that the proud owner is sure is a Maine Coon    Ummm, no, but how are you supposed to gently tell someone their cat needs to go on a diet? 

Nancy, I got truly excited when I followed your link.....you will love this girl if you get to adopt her!!!!     Ragdolls are the sweetest, and I mean, absolute sweetest breed of cat on the face of the planet.  The smidgen of Siamese will possibly make her a tad more active (most rags are marshmellows with a capital M), and possibly give her a bit more common sense.  You see, most Ragdolls think the entire world loves them....even fast moving cars, and cat eating dogs.  They simply have no sense of self preservation because they firmly believe whatever's coming at them will love them.      Hence, the need to keep them indoors.

I miss having Kitty Kitcat about....  We lost our Bir girl several years ago, but I never got over the loss.  Unfortunately its hard to find a 'new' kitty because Hubby has allergies to cats.  We only got by with Kitty because she was fab to wash, and adored the force dryer (yes! she really did!).  I was able to keep her bathed and fluffed, so the allergens (cat dander, saliva and excess fur) was kept at bay for Eldon.  Most of you with cats will realize what an absolute oddity this was with Kitty.....so no new cat on the horizon for me    I'll go hug Kitty's bear instead, now....

:clap:  :clap: How wonderful!!!  :clap:  :clap:  And very much deserved  :hug:

Anne, thank you *very* much for posting this so we can all see 

I dunno, I've been making the real fur bears since 2001, and I've just made my first few mohair bears....personally I think the real fur is easier! 

Seriously, you've done a nice job on this little girly, and floppy joints should be considered part of her character.  I've always used the epoxied locknut joints from Out of Hand.  https://www.out-of-hand.com/joints.php They're out of Canada, and have wonderful service, and great joints 'n eyes. 

As for the bumpy bits on her back seam, it sounds as though you might have been making the ladder stitches too large, or possibly too tight....either of which will cause the bumps. 

Give your adorable muskrat baby bear a hug from me 

I tried too, and didn't come up with this Lockergnome at all...except when I used your direct link to it.  And their site looks like some sort of computer techno stuffs.      Some really odd things happening with computers lately....

Daphne you've got me giggling here!  ....wheatens, if I remember correctly are primarly handscissor anyway.  You use clippers for the ears, eye corners, neaten tummy/under tail, and scoop the pads...the rest is completely handscissored.  Now if you're going for a utility, or puppy type pet clip (which I think is adorable!), you can use your Andis clippers....get a #40 blade, with a one inch extension.  Make sure the extension's edges are rounded, I had some longer extensions that had really sharp ends that I took my nail file too.  Also, with an extension, you will quickly discover just how good you are at combing out your dog!  Its amazing how many snags and snarls an extension will find. 

I'm the same way, looking at shorthaired breeds for any dogs that come into our future 

Roxanne, do yourself a HUGE favor, and get schedualed with your Doc if you want to go down the surgery route.  It only takes maybe two weeks or so of complete resting for it to heal.  Yes, I know its the end of the world, but if you keep going like you are...you'll end up just like I did back in 2000...with a hand that won't work period. 

I don't mean to be a doomsayer, but your symptoms are exactly like mine were just before I hit a brick wall.  It wasn't permanent damage, but I did have to completely rest my hand...and do absolutely nothing with it.  I HATED  it with a passion, so I understand your frustration.  Get thee to your Doctor so you can get this sorted pronto  :hug:  Besides, you don't want to be in pain when you can get this corrected  :hug:

Awwwwwhhhhhh!!!  What a sweetie to make up for it!     Have fun on your weekend!!!  :bday:

:dance: Oooh, I just loved getting my prepak from Intercal!!!!  :dance: I've had a lot of fun creating all sorts of teds with mine.  Its a bit like Christmas...complete with the wait 

KimI handsew (as God help me when the sewing machine and I get together    :twisted: ), and I've found it makes a world of difference!  Your hands won't get as tired pushing and holding the hair away, and you get a much tighter seam having that excess hair gone.  Just be sure to shave a little less than the seam allowance, so you don't end up with a bald spot....even then, you could just go back over that spot, and sew a greater seam allowance to make it fuzzier    I think experimenting is most of the fun!

Daphne I was actually afraid of that!     So I was thinking of just getting my own trimmer.  Actually, I might break down and buy my Andis clippers all over again with some decent blades.  My old ones were sold with the grooming shop years ago, as I couldn't hold them anyway     And I miss them ever so....

Nancy, I just wanted to say that I think you did absolutely nothing wrong by naming your little bear Kassie with a "K".  She's named after a very specific Kassie.....not just a name flung out there. 

Kassity I understand you want to use your name as a bear company name but you need a reality check!  I mean, I plunked down Debbie's Bears as a company name, but I'm certainly not going to get all 'copywrite' huffy about it if someone decides to name their bear "Debbie"...or even if they decide to name their company Debi's Bears or Debby's Bears.  You need to learn to relax a little, as this little bear is not threatening you, nor your business. 

Anyway, I just wanted to give my two cents.   I do hope this little bear girl goes to her new home with the proper spelling.

Hmmmmm....now there's an idea!  Hubby's got a mustache trimmer..... I wonder if he'd notice if I 'borrowed' it to trim my seam allowances??     It takes ages with the scissors.

I've got so many ideas running around right now, my hands can't keep up    But I'm working on a new claw idea that I'll hopefully have posted soon, and I have my first center seam bear awaiting his eyeballs.    Other than that...I have a backburner idea for a little girlie bear to fit into the cutest little blue fleecey coat I bought, so that will take some designing.  And even further on the backburner is yet another design, very exaggerated muzzle and feet, with bent legs.     So all in good time