Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

That is a neat site...I found some fairy patterns I really like..with wings.
Form all my searching I have found organdy to be the choice or wide  Wrights ribbions  ( cut in shapes)for wings...the organdy ones are wired..you will find all the info. for making these on the links I gave ...This was an exhaustive but fun search.... Winney

Ya want somtin diffrent?...dye the background colbalt blue...LOL...Id just experiment with that fur...never know...Winney

Hi Bridget...keep coming back here so we can visit with you...we love new bearies...((((((group hug))))))) ....Winney

I have a gray mixed angora sweater I got at the 2nd hand store..I am going to try Dilus treatment of soaking and squishing fabric softner ( or she used hair conditioner?) thu it  and while it is still wet ....pull the thread and wind as I go onto a   ahem! Toliet paper roll...my idea there.

This may get messy but I love to dive into the mud when I am experimenting...he, he.... Winney

LOL....about 10. I have one pale blue one that I had to use white baby yarn with. The yarn is a novel sort that resembles fuzzy mohair, is comperable to sport yarn ..... its hard to pull the stitches thru when worked alone... I cant see what the heck I am doing either.

its nearly impossible to pull any stitches back out if you make a mistake...so thus I worked baby yarn with it..the .problem now is ...the holes are too big....I may take it apart and soak it in some liquid softner then re work ???....

Anyway, must start putting these little guys together. I have been sick a lot these last 2 months so crocheting is perfect , I can pick up or put down easily and dont have to run around looking for tools, materials as I usually do when making fabric bears...... Winney

I thought about inserting card or something in the soles to keep them flat...

and after ataching the limbs to do some sculpting to pull in the limbs to the body...this would NOT interfere with the limbs...this would make the body suck in on the sides to maintain its original shape...

Yup...crochet  , fiber bears could have their own forum...??? Whatever works for the advisers can re arrange if they want....LOL....Winney

Thanks Shelli for the link.......those are pretty feather wings Melane , thanks for sharing with us how you do this....
and thank you Plushkin for your link ....Winney

I am still lookimg around for that tutorial on the tattered wings....man I dont give up easy, he, he....You know I think I copied it out and it is stashed in my Barbie./Gene makeover stuff ...oh no, GROAN.....gotta go look for it ???  Tomorrow.you know it is 1:36 in the morn....I never know when to stop when I am onto something.....Winney

Pluskin....I think I repeated some of yours.....and mine twice..oh well... thank you plushkin...at least we have it covered...LOL....

Oh Shelli...what is the link for thqat one doll site you gave a few pages ago? Or have we got that covered too?.... Winney

I hope to tell it may be everything on the net.....LOL  .Winney

Great Sandy...I do a practice run on the hook too...as I want small enough holes but still need to pull those stitches thru too.
It would be fun to try that silky looking em. thread...you kmnow the kind that is used for satin emb. bullion roses...mmmm.pretty...would make pretty little hats...thanks for sharing ...

I must have your bear,,,he keeps staring at me asking me " I can come over IF you have some gingerbread cookies lying around..... Winney

Thanks gals....Yes...I am going to order some of the Magic thread and colored fiberfill Dilu , love to see those tiny fuzzy bears.

My main question on how hard do you stuff these chrochet and knit bears... I thought if you stuff them hard...then the stitches will stretch out just like knit backed synthetics...???? then the filling will show ??? I have not stuffed any yet.....Winney

I don't know where I can get Kapok here in the USA but I live in Oregon ( the great northwest) where there are tons of sheep and llamas on farms...
I should think that wool would be quite springy...is it?

Lots of spinning goes on here and sales of wooly fibers...I once had a bag full that a sheep raising a  friend  gave to me......it was still " in the grease" soiled.. I carded then  spun some using her spinning wheel ...that was fun.
Then it has to be washed...I have info. on how to do that and dying it too..but for stuffing for these bears that would be a lot of work....but fun .

I have some " uncoated" polyester...it packs dowm more firmly than  the regular polyfill and of course there is that real springy polyfill, I only use that to stuff mainly  for unjointed soft stuffed critters..........Winney

Hook size 0.1 ...dunno, I think that is an european size number..??? I also think they are steel chrochet hooks.I got a bunch of older hooks at the second hand store real cheap. like >245 cents each...what a steal. I also pick up all sorts of yarn at the local Goodwill...
Hmmm, I saw somewhere on the net a chart for interchagable yarns and hook sizes, it had the european. canadioan. USA ...Winney

What a great group we have....I dont have a mag. to share but Shelli...have you thought..

You could take the one you have and have your stuff color copied.. the slip into plastic top loaders...put into a nice pretty notebook of sorts...give them to your family .Then wherever you get recognition later on...mail them new stuff ...You are not selling anything here so I dont see how it could  be against any copyright...they are gifts....Winney

Roostering...I gotch there ! Thats what those little hairs do if you dont trim off the seams , I even use to get it around the sole pads,paw pads, on the face...dont like it so I trim, trim , trim or pluck it out ...er not cluck , he, he,
The other problem of the sem showing thru the fabric like a step...or looking " bendy " use to drive me nuts...yes trim or pluck the hairs out then stuff really firm. I found the problem to be worse on English mohair as the weave on the backing is looser and appears to be a tiny bit thinner...also worse on thicker furs.......Winney

There is one site I forgot to mention and that is Sisters and Daughters doll site, google it.. they usually have lots of good info. maybe they have the wings I am looking for   ?..will go take a look now ...Winney

Hi I spent a lot of time ,looking for wings info. then forwarded it to one of my art doll friends..and thought it would be just great to post it here too for us...
Below I think there a rew links for all kinds of wings except the silk burnt ones I need?..however I read somewhere to use a smokldering incense stick to burn the edges and the holes..that is after you have painted the wings and cute them out...
I am wondering if after all that if I could spray or paint on a sealant and to also give them some firmness with out being stiff...will have to experiment, thats the fun in creating !

OK here the letters to my friend....

Well I scoured the net again..I am relentless at trying to find silk wings with holes in them !  In the process.,I have found so much more...like all kinds of ways to make wings, he, he
Oh, and lots of other neat stuff. There is a LOT of free tutorials on the net IF you can find the time ...but I think I am thru with wing searching...here are some more links....

http://www.hanniesarris.nl  beautiful fairy dolls to die for.. also she does offer a sculpting book on Faries with all kinds of wings for $16.

http://www.globalfantasydolls.com  ther is a wing tutorial on here, a sheer wired one.

http://www.dolls-n-daggers.com   Watercolored wings how to's...also click on the link she gives for where she learned how to do this.

http://www.dollmakersjourney.com Here you could spend a month of Sundays reading about all the free stuff,.tutorials, books...lots of free stuff and links for just about any kind of supply you may need.. I signed up for the free newsletter and...there are archived ones to read on site... OOPs...I saw one project like for paper clay, cold procelian ( cel paste) ,and a  grab bag for silk remenanats ( probably gone by now?)

http://www.elvenwork.com/workbook.html   Scroll down for making Fairy wings book and free designs....

ON one of the sites I saw a book by Virginia Robertson & Friends called The Fairy Book . I saw this also some time ago so perhaps it can be bought off Ebay by now...I would love to have it.

MORE....

http://www.stampendous.com/projects/projTshirt.html

WOW !!!! Her is site full of links for just about any kind of thing  you may be looking for for your sculpting and dolls, etc...Loretta

http://www.stampendous.com/projects/projTshirt.html

Yeah....heres that last one..it is a Tshirt site they use some paint to make wings??/... Loretta

i Linda I just came accross several links for making those wings we have been talking about;

polymer  http://www.pcpolyzine.com/0206june/wings.html

skeletonized   http://www.answers.google.com/answers/>id=531093

bonded fibers  http://www.elvenwork.com/wings.html

fibers ?  http://www.evolving-images.com/gossamerfibermagic.htm

( forgot what kind of wing  )...http://www.stampendous.com/projects/projTshirt.html

hmmm, that last one did not turn blue . must look that one up again...

I still have ot found my directions for the silk wings with holes burnt into them ..sort of a tattered look but looks very fairytailish...will keep looking...I remember I got them off the internet in connection with "making over" repaints of Barbie dolls...the person loved fairys ..I loved the way she use her materials...... HUgs, LOretta

Hi Linda...I misplaced my tattered wing how to"s...but I can't believe I found more how to's so soon on another site !

oneandonlydolls.com    wonderful dolls . click on thchniques, she has 2 different instructions on wings..My tattered wings I remember was.burning the edges and making holes in the wings .I believe they may have used a soldering iron..whatever works ! ( no, they use an incense stick )

gerdesign.com/baby.htm     great instructions on  making a tiny baby fairy with wings.

fairywingsandthings.com/pages/links.htm    lots of fairy and fantasy links . Also check out their Wing Directory , lots of sites there too.

I will forward anything else to you I can find. Those tattered wings tutorial I think I picked up off a Barbie doll makeover site ...
OK..there is some repeat stuff here but ..hope you all get enough info. on wings ! He, He...Winney

Need to know...how hard do you stuff these tiney bears ?

Any particular brand of stuffing ?

I read to use a firm cotton type stuffing.I have some " gray slub cotton " the kind that is scraps from upholstry of furniture, its gray with slubs in it which is little bits of other ground up fibers...woud that work well ?

Do you add any weight to these tiny bears..what kind do you use ? In a muslin bag ?....Winney

No..just use the yarn as is...one whole strand. Wow...I wonder if you split  baby yarn the bear would be dinky....I never thought to split regular worsted yarn .....like Red Heart... I think it is 3 or 4 ply .
I love the fuzzy look on these little bears ...but if you make them in non fuzy yarn and add details like hat, scarf, sweater... its like dressing a big  non furry bear that takes to wearing the clothes well........... I just love that avatar bear of yours and the way youhave used non furry yarn when it comes to the soles..looks great. ...........Winney

Very interesting...I live in Oregon, havn't seen one in the wild here.have seen otters and skunk of course. I just love all the animals...we do go to Florence a the time for the teddy bear shows...
Love you little girl altho she is a handfull...part of the family.. Winney

Hi KimC...happy you came back...boy is there a lot of helpful stuff on here....Winney

Neat idea...and you could use the lefovers to cover some boxs for your sewing area....Winney

Id like to start a list of what I have found as being sucessful in creating the bears/.gollies...etc animals...and what size it produces..This may help other artists in determining what materials to get if they want to try these cuties.... please add to the list if you want...

One tip I have is try out the hook on the yarn to make a stitch you can work without having trouble pulling the stitches thru...to make the holes between the stitches SMALLER I found using one hook size smaller best.

strand baby yarn ( sport)                           size F hook..    No size known yet, prob 3 - 4"

Baby yarn w/ strand mohair type( thickish)         size J hook       "         prob 8 - 10"

Kiss by Red Heart (very fuzzy ) yarn                  size G hook      "         "           8"

Foxy  by Red Heart yarn & Caron ( hairy)            size  I             "         "            8"

2 strands Symphony by Red Heart ( fuzzy)         Size   I             "         "       8 - 9
Brush out after the joints and finishing  of this bear....as it gets realllly fuzzy... then scissor sculpt
that fur length the way you want it ....

As a rule some fuzzy yarns are very difficult to work with, hard to pull out stitches to do over
...it may be best to use i strand of some other thin kind of  yarn along with it.)

Another tip...If I crochet the piece with fuzzy yarn I  then turn it wrong side out..its a fuzzier bear that way.

COUNT YOUR STITCHES as you go and mark each row with a piece of black emb. thread.           

These were listed in Ted & Friends magazine Pg. 52 Jan /Feb 2004 issue .

Silk sewing thread                                      size 0.1                               No sizes known yet

Perle Cotton #5                                          size  1.00                     

Perle cotton #8                                          size 0.75         

Chenille & Fantasy novel yarn                       size   ?   

OK...til later I will add sone more or you can ...Fuzzy Hugs to you all.....Winney

On Tammys site she states on one of the dogs she hand stitches then waxed ,lacqured or has done both..I did not know anything would stick over wax...but guess it does.It may be acrylic laqure as I think a solvent based one would melt the wax?
I have seen in some books where they have done a nose then stitched down the center front to make the nostrils appear. It would be good to practice...
I am sure after you emb. layers of thread you could manipulate the threads with the wax ....sort of modleing it along..
Then again I have not tried needlefelting...I do think you may have much more control over this technique as it is not dependant upon one strand messing up the whole thing.Then you can build up the whole thing til satisfied..then... model. scrap, cut off, add , do whatever then seal it with wax or acrylic then varnish it for gloss or simi gloss acrylic..
.Hmmm, I have convinced myself, he,he,.............. Winney

All are awsome doggies...beautifully done...