Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Wow! Nancy really IS superwoman! A huge CONGRATS to you Nancy!!!

*Quick Tangent* Aleta- your blog is fantastic! What a sweet, fun read! Thanks!

Oh! She is sooo lovely and delicate. An ultra fem for sure! How sweet! Enjoy her!

Shelli- Now THAT is funny! I am working on creating a new eye for my bears too. I STINK at working with clay but I am trying.   

Kim- Thanks for the congrats! We are very excited! :hug:

Wilma- Think you can teach me to knit socks??? Those darn heels get me everytime  :doh:  :crackup:

To everyone- This is so great to hear about all these crafty things you each do! How fun! Thanks for sharing!

Kim-  WOW! That little newborn baby is precious! AMAZING! I am similar to you in that I have a list of crafts that I would LOVE to learn but just dont have the time. With a toddler at home and a bean on the way my day usually comes down to a shower or knitting...I must admit...sometimes the knitting does sound better!  :redface:  :crackup:  :crackup:

Denise- I love to garden but sadly I have a brown thumb. I can't grow anything!  :crackup:

Donna- Lovely! Just Lovely! That is my biggest weakness besides gardening.  :crackup: I cannot paint to save my life! Your painting talent is beautiful!

7pawz- I love soapmaking too! Its so fun!

I am sure we have talked about it before but I think that there are lots of new people since it was last discussed and I was curious. I knit/crochet, spin, dye wool of all kinds, sew, bead, do some paper crafts (like scrapbooking and make some cards) and airbrush. There are other things I like to do like play with clay and such but I dont do it often enough to be a craft that I DO...if that makes sense !  :crackup:  So what do each of you craft besides bears?

WOW! I didnt even think about what your creatures looked like before all the airbrushing. It's amazing to see the character come alive with the airbrushing! You are fantastic! What great work!

I just love him! He is fantastic! Good work!

Wow!  :clap: Who knew you could use Koolaid for that. When I first started dyeing wool yarn and roving I used Koolaid and food coloring. Didn't know it would work for ultrasuede! Thanks for the tip!

I haven't used wool felt to do trapunto toes but I use wool felt often to do other soft sculpture and think it would work fantastically! You can get the felt in different thicknesses which will hold up to tough stuffing if that is what you do.  ( I am a tough stuffer...especially in the paws). If you knit and have wool yarn, you can also make your own felt with the washing machine. Knit up your pads at least 50 percent larger than you need and throw in the washing machine with a few clean towels. Pull out during cycles to mold it and throw it back in. Dry to felt more or air dry to keep as is. They come out beautiful and you can make some stunning things! HTH!

WOW! I have never seen anything like it!   That is supposed to be mock MOHAIR!  :crackup:  Doesnt look like any sorta hair...uhm, maybe alien hair...hahaha! Can you return it? I dont think you should even bother trying to experiment. I think you might have a bear of a time trying to sew it just for your creation to look icky. It would look nothing like what your baby would like like in plush or real mohair anyway. My thoughts...return it or trash it!!!

Very nice site! I love it! I love that bear peeking in the window on the home page! So cute!

I would love to try my hand at this challenge...if I could

YAY! A new pattern to try! Thank you! What a sweet little bear too! Sweet enough to eat! 

I have a badger also and LOVE it! I started with a single action because I am a clutz,  and then taught myself how to use the dual action which is fantastic. When I first started I wanted to make sure that I would like airbrushing before I bought an expensive one and I just used Propel before upgrading to a compressor. So that can be an option too before you jump right in. Good luck, hope you get what you want and I cant wait to see pics of your newly airbrushed babies!!!!!

Also for your bears, try a overcast stitch around the edge first to keep the backing from fraying. I am with Michelle on the polyester thread too! Polyester is MUCH stronger IMO and you can also use beeswax to make it EVEN stronger with tiny stitches. HTH!

Thanks soo much everyone! That picture is fantastic. I am so visual and I needed that to help me get it right! Thank you so much!

I have been using cotter pins for my bears but I am trying to use nuts and bolts to get a tighter fit. I have no idea what sizes I need and then how to put them in...   I am suffering from "mommy brain" I think! My bear making has been a mess and slow going lately and I hate it! Help me figure this out, please!!!!!

I do the same as Krista...I finish the ladder stitch and the bring the needls close to one of the joints. I mke a knot right next to the joint. Even if you move the arms/legs you wont see it. Hth!

Perfect Krista! Thank you!  :hug:

Do each of you do an overcast stitch too? I usually just sew twice  :redface:  Ooopsss!

OMG!!!!!!!! You are all the best!!!!!!!!! Thank you!  :dance: That helps sooo much!  :hug:

Hi everyone, I have an issue...My son who is 7 mo has been crawling ALOT for about 2 months and now he is trying to WALK. I know, I know...growing too fast!  Well the issue I have is that I used to use pins to hold my bear together while I sew but yesterday he grabbed my container of pins and threw them on the floor. Searching for pins on my hands and knees is NOT fun, although I wanted to make sure that there were none in the rug and on the couch. I worry about his poor little feet and knees. So, now I am wondering if I should just baste first and then sew since the only needle that I would need would be in my hand. If I should baste, how do I do this and then do I take these stitches out before I turn or just leave them. I assume you cant see them anyway. So any help would be greatly appreciated!