Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I use Ultrasuede light. I fold the edge. There is a thin wire sandwiched right at the edge. The wire is long on either side, long enough for me to use my jewelry pliers to make a loop on either end. I use and awl to make a small hole on either side of the eye. I make a half hitch knot on the wire with my thread and draw the loop down into the bears head, pulling some of the Ultrasuede with it.

These are open/sleepy eyes so what I do next does not really apply to you. The wire should be enough for you to mold the eyelid how you want it, and the stitches will hold it tight. On the bottom lid of this bear I have a thin line of Beacon's Fabri-Tac. It is good strong glue, flexible, washable and meant for fabric. It does adhere to the glass.

I have looked into these, and I believe they are very similar to what CR Crafts calls "soft pellets." I use them all the time in my bears bellies. They are clear soft pellets, that are kind of squishy. They stick together better than the hard bean bag pellets.

I use them with polyester, and bbs. I kind of line the inside of the body with polyester, then I add the pellets, layer poly, stir it all up with my hands. What happens is a soft body that holds it's shape. The pellets do now slide down the body and gather at the bottom.

I love the way the bear feels. I have used them always since the first time. Makes the bear feel real.

I do like straight mohair also. I am unsure why most like curly or wavy, but I do know that when it comes off the animals back it is wavy or curly, that may be part of the reason.

Darts is what I was going to say also. I use 4 of them in my bear heads.

When I think of the word artist I think of fine art, painting, sculpture. I consider myself an artisan, (def: a worker in a skilled trade, especially one that involves making things by hand.) There are many fine artisans out there working in all types of 3 dimensional media, I am proud to consider myself one of them.

People are going to be running for this one Helen.

Very cute, both of them.

My goodness, he is cute.

I am sorry it took me so long to get back here.

Mo, I must use 7 or 8 coats. It is the sanding in between that I think is important to not see the bumps. You need to get rid of them to not see them. I don't sand the first couple of coats. I start sanding when it is stiff enough that I can sand. As you sand you can see the unevenness, The next coats help to even that all up. Remember just like painting a room, that glossy shows imperfections more that flat. You may want to try a satin finish for just a little sheen.

Jennifer, your bear is very sweet.

Yes, like Jenny said. I do pin my pieces together after trimming. The pins are perpendicular to the cut line. I find it easier for the fabric to go under the machine if the pins are under the fabric when I stitch.

I use taxidermy eyes often. They are concave, I use epoxy putty to fill the back up and place a very small eye with a loop in the middle. Then I can sew them in. You can probably also just super glue an eye with a loop to the back of the taxidermy eye too. I have just glued them in and then felted an eyelid. But I like being able to sew them in better.

When you are done sewing go through all the seams with a large needle and pull any fur that did get caught up to the back. Becky is right, it is better too little than too much especially with synthetic.

Holy Cow Denise! You have done good. This little cub is precious. The position of his body, the shape of his head, it is all perfect.

If they are your two choices you have to go with OOAK. I would not want to be listed with any manufactured bears.

Thank you Eli for posting the link. I do use the Jeton brand of Lockline in the legs. For a 12" bear I use 1/8". In the US you can get it at CR's crafts. If your legs are long enough that size works well. Anything smaller and I wire the back legs.

He is really beautiful, and so alive Denise.

One of a kind in a series? I have seen that term used.  Do you need to use that label at all? I try to use unique and individual, rather than one of a kind, unless I am sure that there will never be one that is close.
I do not understand how an OOAK can be five or less, OOAK means one.

Yes, be careful of the spiky mess. Unless you are planning to sand I would make sure that your needle felting is very smooth a tight. Trim of any flyaways of bumps, anything you put on that is shiny will make them very noticeable.

I like mine dull, so I use Modge Podge Mat, but for shiny you can use the gloss. What I do is wet the nose first, I tap water into the felt, then I dilute the Modge Podge with water about 50/50 for the first coat and I tap it down into the felt. What that does is make it all become one with the felt, it is not just laying on the top. I do this several times, letting it dry in between. I do sand in between but you do not have to.

Someone told me once that had Modge Podge go white on a nose when used full strength in the humidity, so I do not use it straight. It has never happened to me. There are other sealers too, PVA glue can be used, but it is a little different than Modge Podge, Modge Podge is glue with a sealant in it.

I would be very careful with nail polish, it will just lay on the top and the underneath will still stay soft. When I make a nose the way I do, it is not hard, it actually feels like an animal nose, it is very firm with give.

Here is a Modge Podge nose that has been sanded and painted. To make it shiny I would finish it with a coat of acrylic gloss.

Bugs me too. I usually know who made the animal in question, most of them are Melisa Nicholas, and I make sure I leave the name of the maker in a comment.
If you see this post Melisa, or Tatiana, I would like to know how you feel about it.

Please let us know who the bear is when you get her identified Martha. She is a lovely old lady.

Wonderful Peter! I can't read, but the pictures are so good to look at. Thanks so much for posting this Berta.

I understand your frustration, I order 25 or 50 at a time.

I never use a light box to photograph. Living in California I don't know that you will need to either. I take my picture in front of a north facing sliding glass door, which for me is more that sufficient light. I use Windows Live Photo Gallery to correct lighting if the picture is not light enough, but usually it is fine. There should be an adjustment on your camera to let you go up and down on the amount of light. I have a light box, and lights, I use the lights sometimes, but not the box.

As far as shipping, you should be able to print shipping labels directly from Paypal if you choose to use the postal service. The only downfall is that you cannot insure shipments going out of the country. You need to go directly to the USPS website to do that.
You could calculate the price yourself for each item before listing and then advise them to contact you for a combined shipping invoice before completing their sale if ordering multiple items.

Very happy for you Gail. That is great news.

Thanks so much Michelle.