Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Aren't the folks here inspiring? & have been so kind about helping.
It's a great community here.

I'd love to see some of your stuff!

thank you jenny! That's what I thought, so I might just use it for
the muzzle if I want to do deep eyesockets for instance.

Is needle sculpting compatible with using excelsior to stuff
a head, or does excelsior make the head too firm?

thanks 

I would think old leather gloves, coats, etc - anything that is a source
of nice, soft not-too-thick leather. I have seen some gorgeous & unique
bears sewn from old wool coats found in charity shops so I would expect
leather goods can be found in such places too. I have been known to look
in thrift stores for unusual colors of velvet, silk, etc. in the form of clothing
which I can cut up. (New velvet in fabric stores is almost always black,
burgundy, dark green, dark blue.)

Good luck, it can be a fun hunt! 

shantell think of the football-shaped pattern piece you'd use to make a 4 piece ball -
that's how the tops of the 4 piece body comes together. So it comes out rounded with
nothing to gather.

Here's the one I used just now. It has a hump but same idea.

!!!!!!!!! a delurk!  woohoo!    

Chrissi have you ever tried to make ices & sorbets? we got our ice cream machine
for ~$15 a couple summers ago, & have made all sorts of stuff including soy vanilla chai
(with splenda, even) & it's wicked cheap!

What kinda doggies?

I have been making 4 piece bodies just so I have more to play with for
trying different effects & changing the patterns. Once I have more of a connection
between what I am TRYING to do & what I actually END UP with, I will see if I
can adapt my pieces back to 2-piece patterns.

As for the neck hole, I just slip the cotter pin through the seam.

Have any of you golly makers gotten comments by people who were offended?
I see both sides of things too often. I see they are made with love & the original
storybook golly was a hero. Later on the Blyton books made gollies into more
offensive characters. I appreciate keeping the good spirit in spite of the bad bits.
But I also would not have the cheek to tell someone their emotions were 'wrong'
if they felt that gollies were reminding them of, or being nostalgic for, what were
bad times for their families & people. I don't have that background - & I don't have the
background of growing up in England where Golly was a nursery character either! So I
find it all interesting, because they are pretty to look at, AND the history & direction is
fascinating, & I wonder what Golly's future looks like. It's not as if the current gollies are
inspired by minstrel shows, ya know?

My background is English, French, Scotch, Dutch. I am genetic wonder-bread (nonUS-ians,
that's the cheapest spongiest chemical-preservative-filled white bread there is). No exotic
surprises lurking in the branches of my family tree, sadly. Related to Ralph Waldo Emerson
on my mom's side. Apparently there's a Prison with my surname on the Isle of Wight. I do
wonder about that!

I kept my name. I LIKE my name! & I didn't want to deal with
messing up endorsing & signing checks etc. The artist reasons Renae
mentioned are relevant also.

But then again we did a lot of stuff with little thought to tradition: no wedding,
sterling rings from a street fair vendor, no fancy dress or shower or cake
(but churros at Disneyland!) Being married is the important wonderful thing 

I think whatever you decide to do, you'll be in good company!

awwwww! Skoonk looks much better dry & fluffed!
I'm impressed s/he managed to drive off the bigger one!

Kassie.
Your skunk has food on its head. roflmao

ooooh appreciate your lovely baths, I haven't had a 'bathable' tub since I moved
out of the parental nest.

Dreaming of a clawfoot....I will have one someday!   

TTers, what are your peculiar comfort foods? Not the ordinary ice cream or mac 'n' cheese,
but the really weird stuff? My dad eats peanut butter & pickle sandwiches. I love him anyway!

Mine:
creamed salmon with peas. I'd surely think this was putrid if I hadn't grown up eating it 
canned brown bread, toasted, with cream cheese. I can hear you non-New England people gagging  :crackup:
but yes, canned bread can be a very fine thing!
peanut butter & bacon sandwich - on toast, of course. Andy introduced me to this. it is way better than it should be.
Cupcakes baked in little flat-bottomed kiddie ice cream cones are awesome.
When I was little I used to eat powdered iced tea mix by the spoonful out of the canister.

So what have you got? 

it's true - "The Big Stuff" - Family, health, living in a nice place, etc.
I guess there's some overlap between 'luxuries' & 'blessings'! After all
we may be blessed with good stuff but still need to have the wisdom to
maintain it - be that relationships with spouses, or a beautiful environment.

& I had to laugh that I overlooked internet - I am usually too busy grousing &
grumbling that we MUST be the last town in the country to not have DSL or cable -
only dial-up (Amish internet, as my friend calls it  :crackup: ) But really to have it
at all, has affected my artwork & life entirely. It's how I've sold my art, made my friends,
& learned 95% of anything useful I've learned in the past 10 years. So who knows where
I'd be without it. Sleeping under a bridge somewhere probably.

This has turned into a bit of a "thank you" thread but I think that's kind of cool 

My guess is they found a "teddy bear" picture to go along with the
article & weren't bear savvy enough to distinguish between 'real fur artist bear'
& 'stuff your own in a mall shop mass produced bear'. Probably the lady in the
article has nothing to do with the photo.

That said, my heart is warmed that her teddy bear shop is a dream come true.
I hope it brings her heaps of success 

hmmm this is like Sybil but with bears? Multiple Bear Personality Disorder??  :crackup:

I love The Stash....& The Buying Of More Fur....WHAT brain chemical are we releasing by
doing art? Cause we're obviously getting some sort of rush out of it, or we wouldn't bother.
Dopamine or Serotonin or something? Whatever it is, making art is the only way I get it &
I am addicted to it. lol & buying supplies gives a bit of the same feeling...plus anticipation...
"oh yeah this is gonna be a good one...."  :crackup:

don't get me started on the thrill of dyeing mohair....it's like you get a WHOLE NOTHER KIND
that you didn't even buy *swoon* 

I need to get out more.
:crackup:

I agree with what Renae said - for me, the bears tell me who they are once
they've been stuffed, faces put on, etc. I am finding that this discovery is a big
part of the fun of bearmaking, & it is why I only do one-of-a-kinds. I could be
wrong but I think to make good bears maybe you have to be a little silly about
personifying them - mixing them up with real creatures. Maybe not out loud but
in our heads? or am I just embarrassing myself  :redface:  lol

& I agree with others who say we gotta accept that they are art, & will be treated
as such. It is a bummer to see it get more money for someone else. But I was at
a bear show talking to a really amazing artist, & there was a bear store there as well -
& the bear store was selling some of this artist's bears for cheaper - undercutting the
original artist. So it can go wrong in the other direction, too. Once we let our bears go
we lose control of what happens to them.

Take comfort in this & think of the goose who laid golden eggs - your lovely work may
have been sold, but ultimately no one can take the greatest treasure of all, which is your
talent.

congratulations & thank goodness you've gotten past that stuff!
resting is surely healing time, listen to your body & take as much time
to snooze as you need for goodness sake. Don't feel guilty - sewing
is still work even if it's more brainwork than heavy labor; that stuff
still takes energy & focus & is NOT the same as rest! You'll be back
at it in no time.

Gladys, I winced to think of your knee :doh: Aside from the RA, being
on steroids is no walk (limp?) in the park, either. Plus if you're on antibiotics
too, that plays havoc with the digestive system, & on & on... 
I've got my fingers crossed that the new meds work & things can go ahead!

oooo I want at Nettie's shoes....we have the same taste!

I grinned to see TT & bears mentioned - they DID cross my mind but
I already have a hangup about feeling 'guilty' for buying art supplies -
EVEN THOUGH I sell my art. I feel guilty about it because it is
fun & spending $$$ on fun feels naughty. lol So I am trying to get over
that by not considering mohair etc a 'luxury' - it is a necessity!! 

who'd have guessed I'd get treated to softysoft pink bristly freckley cownose
in this thread      AND learn that DebbieD is a mushroom
grower??!?! that's just neat. & 'spawn bags' sounds like a marvelous insult..  :crackup:

I am enjoying this fascinating insight into your lives & psyches...lol  :crackup: 

I'm with yas on the natural fibers stuff! Between art mess & animals, most of
my clothes are cheapie Old Navy sort of stuff because it'll just get wrecked -
but it is, at least, all cotton.

Dilu's Land's End towels remind me that at least one chamois shirt from L.L. Bean is
essential...& mmmm....big floppy old-man style cardigan 

Shelli your jewelry rule applies to makin stuff, too, for me! I don't wear much very
often but when I do, I like it to be made out of....something....that I could name.
Fortunately I love lampwork beads far more than any gemstones!

Lattes sorts of goodies are a marvelous treat! I usually like cold ice-creamy sorts
of things instead - Baskin Robbins Frappuccino Blast thingies being the most likely
goodie, which is fortunately NOT in a convenient direction. Or at home, Thai iced
coffee or tea with a scoop of ice cream in...yummm!

millie I've found that eating real food-made-out-of-food (as opposed to junk) tends
to be more cost effective anyhow, esp. if you've got freezer space. it's more a time
investment, at least that's what we've found. But I do a lot of crock pot stuff anyhow,
so even then it's not too bad (I like eating decent stuff most of the time - this has given
my mother the impression that it's COOKING that I enjoy, which is not in fact the case!)

Andy demands good coffee - I don't drink hot stuff unless I am hypothermic, but he
grinds his beans at home & such. He is also a microbrew beers sort of guy. Me I just
think the labels are pretty 

I admit I have not got a sophisticated chocolate palate. Those waxy cheap easter & halloween
chocolates wrapped in colorful foil? With crisp rice in em? I'm not to proud to eat those. lol
which is not to say I'd turn down Godiva or See's or Cadbury!

Most of us go through periods of our life where we live lean & frugal...
we may save money by buying store brand products, fresh veg for
cheap at the farmers market, or score thrift store or ebay bargains
instead of hitting the mall shops & boutiques.

But most folks, I think, have certain things that simply HAVE to be
'the good stuff', or life is just TOO dreary to bother. For some folks
it's shoes, or the really good salon shampoo, or what have you.

Here are mine:

Cotton sheets! I can't abide sleeping on polyester blend stuff. it's
just icky.

I'll buy most everything generic except....toilet paper. It's not worth
getting bum splinters from the cheap stuff.  :redface:

I will always have a bit of money for used books, even if I am
too cheap for a pack of gum.

& of course, we can be eating beans & rice, but the critters must have
their Wellness, Innova, & Chicken Soup brand foods.

So, what are your essential luxuries? 

awwww! darlin looks a little skinny & bedraggled! But then again I am used to
looking at pictures of the plump & spoiled pet skunks  Wish they were legal
pets in New England...

Thank you for sharing your neighbor with us!

the scroll bar across the bottom shows up for me, but it only has a tiny bit of scroll.
& more important to me, I don't have to use it to see the page content. So fine by me,
& looks great!

awww darlin little girl - she is being tough!
Your photos of the 'kids' (hee) were gorgeous.
A baby goat with milk on its chin is just about the
cutest thing in the universe. Kisses on her knobbly little head! 

& Renae, Nubians are huuuuuge! Wow @ Moosie would
go after one - I thought they ate little stuff, in nature 

I think the recent surge in scrapbooking popularity provides an awesome
choice of neat papers to use. These papers are acid-free. It's the acid in
paper that makes it yellow, turn brittle, & crumble. Real newsprint is made of
the cheapest pulp & is awfully ephemeral - plus the ink would smudge your bear! 

There is a product called 'Archival Mist' that you can spray on the paper
to 'de-acidify' it - it apparently absorbs the acid. it says it prolongs the
life of acidic paper 3 times? (tho for newsprint that's still not a terribly long
time) I believe there is also a solution you can make at home to dip the paper
in that has the same effect. I am curious as to whether one could spray or brush
an acrylic medium onto the paper to seal & preserve it.

I might be making too much of this aspect, but I want my bears & their
stuff to look like I intend for as long as possible....ya know?

I have a scrapbook expert buddy who knows all things of preservation &
paper, I will ask her 

wow Bobbie that one is neat! I've never seen it before!
I immediately forwarded it to my husband, who loves origami & neat
sorts of stuff like that...
doubtless by 10pm this evening he, I, the dog, & at least one of the cats
will be each wearing them...