Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Sarah,
I have just found out something else that has put all my reservations behind me. I thought when they commisioned a magazine exclusive, it meant that we relinquish all rights to the pattern...end of story. But apparently, the deal is that the magazine gets the copyright from you for two months only and after that time we can sell the pattern ourselves, make up kits, and still make bears to sell from it too. The only thing we CAN"T do, is sell the pattern to another magazine. I see this as an everybody wins scenario.
I was afraid that if my pattern was super fabulous, that I would regret handing over the full rights forever more.
I'm a happy girl now! :dance:
Also...I bought a copy of the mag, and unless they change the format, every person who has a project submitted in the mag gets a full page or half page mini profile too. Cool!

Heather said

Gina replied:

Solution.... Gina may have some undies going cheap Heather!

Oh Dilu..you beat me!

Fran,
There is a very good one available called "Needlefelting Magic-making beautiful teddy bears" by Barbara Allen of Cobweb cottage in New Zealand.
You can either buy it direct from her along with any supplies you may need or you can also get it in kit form from Beary Cheap.
If you go for the one from Beary Cheap, ask them what kind of wool it is because I bought my kit from them and they put Australian Merino in it which is slippery and hard to felt for a beginner. A wool that is great is Corriedale  and that's what you'd get from NZ.
Here is a direct link to Barbara's beginners kits ..they are great value for money.
http://www.cobwebcottage.co.nz/Kitsets. … rs_Kitsets
and Beary Cheap is www.bearycheap.com

Actually Melissa...you explained 'Daggy" far better that I ever could have! I don't tend to analyse what words mean...I just use them, and when someone questions it...I really have to think hard! The hardest ones are ones that don't even make sense to US, and yet we use them all the time!

Eileen....we Aussies don't realise just how much 'slang' is a part of our eveyday language until a foreigner puts up a question mark! :lol:
A sticky beak is similar to a 'nosey parker'.....or someone who can't help but look at something! :)
Check ya later!

I use a graduated Graduated Awl and have heard many bear artists say it's their favourite tool. The tapered shaft allows you to open holes up to 1/4 inch in diameter for inserting eyes and joints without breaking or cutting the fabric backing. It just gradually pushes the fibres apart and you just keep pushing the awl in until the hole is the right diametre.
The down side of the one pictured in Claire's post is that it's the same size down the whole shaft, and most often, the hole it makes is too narrow for medium sized screws, but the are about right for cotter pins. I was taught that when you insert a screw through a hole on a joint, the joint hole should move freely around the screw without grabbing the screw thread, so you need a decent sized hole to start with.
Have included a pic of the graduated awls I have on my www.bearcupboard.comsite for anyone who may go off to look for one.

Wonderful..WONDERFUL...we now have an official Golly Help Adviser! This board just keeps getting better and better!
Well done Dilu! xx :clap:

Sarah,
I've decided to go ahead and do it anyway.I asked advice from a few more well known friends who have been published before and the answer was a resounding "Go for it". Most of them pointed out that you would pay up to $1000 for a full page add in these mags so really we are getting cheap advertising at the very least. It is also a highly respected magazine and one friend who had a pattern featured in this particular magazine 7 years ago, says she still has people contacting her about that project. I guess tjhat's the thing with magazines...people read them and keep them to look through over and over.
I didn't want to appear at all ungrateful..just wanted to try to look at the whole picture before jumping in. I tend to be an impetuos person by nature and am trying hard to break the habit!
Gotta tell you though..I'm very envious of that profile your are getting with ABC! Way to go! :clap:

He's GORGEOUS Marie!!!! The child that get's him will feel so privileged! Well done! :clap:

Sarah! That is SOOOO fantastic! WoW and double WOW! Not only a pattern submission but a profile too! That is such great news and I am thrilled to bits for you! No more dreamin'.....you ain't got time for sleepin'!
And Danni too...wow this is so great! I would love to do a profile in a bears only mag like Australian Bear Creations!

Matilda...would love to see a close up of your new avatar bear...love it!

Sue Ann says a float is called 'change' in the USA. Sounds logical..in fact it's rather more logical that 'float'.

Thanks for sharing those pics Fran! What a huge amount of work! I wouldn't mind having a little old play in them myself! :dance:

It's such a cute accent though Melissa! We had a young NZ exchange student stay with us last year and it was such a laugh sometimes..her trying to understand us and vice versa. Of course we had to have the discussion on who has the correct pronunciation of sex/six. :lol:
I still remember when you were over here, Tracey commenting on wishing she was a 'full time beer maker". What a hoot! :lol:
We love that show 'Motorway Patrol" that is from NZ. Hearing police talk with such a cute accent.

Denise, you have every right to be furious! I have never heard of anything more ridiculous! Next thing we won't be able to use the word 'Bear'! Hmmm...maybe somebody has copyrighted the words 'Old style Bear'...I know it sounds impossible, but remember all the fuss a while back with the thread teds?? What's the world coming to?
Gina, I can understand your frustration too....heck, we don't even know what circumventing fees means, so how you are supposed to not do it is beyond me. There are too many people out there with little or no life!
Hope it works out for you both.
Sue Ann..ready to jump into ebay yet?? :doh:

That's great Lynne! BUT...I don't get this newsletter with Weekly Web Specials". I do get a regular one from Edinburgh. I must see about getting the Intercal one too.

Thanks Sue Ann..that was my next question. 'What do you call it then?"
Certainly adds spice to international conversation huh!

Claire..what dates are your show??

Hi Deb,
Sorry you are feeling a bit ignored here. :hug: I think the trouble is, that more and more people are joining TT and lots only post a few times and then disappear. If someone doesn't answer your question...start the question as a new thread, then people will know that you really want that answer. Sometimes questions get lost in the middle of an irrelevant thread and get overlooked..it's not because people don't care.
Having said that, sometimes people ask questions and you kind of get the feeling it's half hearted and you wonder if it's something they just wonder about or if they REALLY want to know....makes you wonder if it's worth the effort to answer. (I'm not referring to you by the way).
I think more often than not it's the fact that the question gets lost in the thread. I know if I don't get onto TT for a day or two, I just pick out the most important threads to read and skip the rest..it's the only way not to get left behind. In doing this you inevitably miss stuff.
Deb is from beautiful Vermont girls...near Daphne! Deb was my very first swap partner and is the owner of my second ever bear made from my own pattern. In return, I received the sweetest little white mohair bear called 'Hayley', dressed in a vintage dollies dress and sitting on a wooden chair. So cute!
Deb...jump on in and try to make yourself at home. You have lots of experience to share too so don't be afraid to answer questions....there are no right or wrong answers in teddy making remember! :hug: Don't forget sharing of info is a two way thing. ;)
And don't shrink off into a corner if you feel your question has been overlooked...be assertive! :D

Amanda...it's not until you do Judi's course that you realise just HOW talented this woman is! My bear looks like something from "fright night 2"! If this was my first go and I was the pioneer..I would have tossed it ten times over...but Judi must have incredible foresight, and she perservered and came up with her current work. She's amazing!

Looks great Heather! What do you say when you are talking to a customer and you connect with the felting needle???

Awww Dilu! That is so cool!I can't think of a better person to teach Golly making!  And I'm sure the whole thing will be a huge hit..after all, Gollies and Teddies go toghather don't they! Shantell, thanks for letting us know she was okay...as it turns out, your little 'slip' probably saved Dilu a computer headache seeing as though Judi was able to come to the rescue! :dance:

Winney, I found your experience most helpful..and I thank you wholeheartedly for taking the time to write it all down for me to ponder. Firstly..congratulations to you. What an amazing notch to have in your belt... knowing that 1500 people wanted your pattern! Wow!
While I am still very chuffed at the offer...I am really having my doubts now. I hope you all don't think I need my head read, but some of the things I need to consider are quite different to the things Sarah needs to consider.

Firstly, I'm only going on what the editor told Sarah they would pay (maybe they have one rate for minis and one rate for full sized bears???). Sarah's bears are minis and so she sells them for less than I sell my 12 - 14 inch bears.  What the magazine will pay, is the equivalent of what I would sell the actual bear for...well okay, it's a little bit more. For what they are wanting to 'buy', I think the price tag is a bit sad. Having said that..I will speak to the editor myself on Monday and hear her out.
Things I am taking into consideration....
It takes me 14 - 20 hours to make a bear of what I consider to be artist quality.
It takes me rougly 10 hours to design a pattern..including fiddling around and resizing.
If the bear was featured in a mag..chances are I would want to keep the original..so no income from the sale of the bear.
I can't make any more of that bear to sell, so no income there for my hard work.
I can't sell the pattern.
My bear making time is so limited... and in the time it will take me to design this pattern that I can only use once, and make the bear, write up the instructions...and pay to post it to Sydney...I could have made and sold three bears for three times the price. I could never have managed what Winney did in two weeks!

So at this stage, I'm working for about $3.00 an hour. Less my materials, which I won't be reimbursed for if I don't sell the bear.
Add to this the copyright thing....which strangely enough is the least of my worries. I would do like Judi does and design a new but basic pattern for the job. Being a craft magazine, people are more likely to make the bears and give them away, or to keep. But if they do make and sell...may they get a really nasty disease that itches day and night. :twisted:

So in my mind I'm thinking...if I do this, it will be for the exposure only, because I won't make anything out of it financially. In fact for the amount of work involved and the exclusive rights to the pattern...I think what they are offering is a little off kilter.
So how much REAL exposure am I going to get from this magazine. I have to admit that most patterns I've seen in these craft mags are by people I've never heard of.
So is it worth giving away a good pattern....to have your name in print in a mag where it may not be noticed? On the other hand...somone may well go look at my website and that may be the beginning of it all for me.
Having said that, once again, if it were a bears only magazine, I would jump at the chance and hang all my reservations. A profile would bring heaps more interest, you would get paid for it, and it wouldn't cost any time.

Just an extra note on copyright. I know there are people who will always make a profit from other peoples patterns, but I really don't see where they get their satisfaction from. The pattern Judi has provided for her felted face class is the one I am using for the class as I wanted to make sure I got the face dimensions right. But...I hate using someone elses pattern and I can't wait to get finished and do another of my own. I kinda feel like I'm 'cheating' ya know? Even though this bear will stay with me (heck, at this stage it's a face only a mother could love!!)..the satisfaction is just not there knowing that it's not all mine!
That euphoric feeling that I get when I stand back and look at a bear I have made and know that I invented every little piece of it is just indescribable. :lol:
I guess no-one can make this decision for me, but I really thank you all for your thoughts and good wishes. Although I haven't commented individually on what you  all had to say, I read and thought about every single point, and there are some very valid ones to consider.Thank you! You're the best friends a girl could have. :hug:

Rikki you have probably already mentioned this elsewhere..but does the backing have a nice tight non stretch finish??

Thanks Sarah! And I'm glad you have been asked too. I tend to feel that I would have been happier had they asked to do a profile..but I guess it's a start. I have often thought that when I see a pattern by a certain artist, that it's never really the type of bear that you generally aquaint with that artist, but I guess that's why..because they don't want to use a pattern that they are currently using for their own 'look'. We have seen by all the great Charity Bears on Teddy Talk lately that it is possible for an artist to apply their own look to just about any pattern...so I guess that's not a problem. My bears all tend to look like they are from the same family tree even when the pattern is totally different. I'm not really that worried about people copying because I would design a very basic pattern and soop it up with finishing detail. Sounds like the lady knows what she wants anyway.

I guess I shouldn't dither around too much either, because chances are she has asked a few different artists and it may be that the first ones to accept will get the deal. If they only feature a bear pattern every few issues, then that's not many issues huh?
I will email you privately and ask some more if you don't mind. ;)
Thanks everyone for your input.

Karen..I think Grizz looks great! And the Amber eyes suit him really well! Did you start off with any actual muzzle underneath that you felted onto or is the whole muzzle needlefelting?

Hah! Denise..you had me goin' there for a minnie! :clap: