Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Whoopie...TRY EVERYTHING, that's the spirit of exploring teddy bear making !....Winney

Any white glue will probably work , mix 50/ 50 water and glue.... Winney

Wanda Those colors you used for  your avatar are really pretty and especially goes very well with the gray colors of your cute bear.........Winney

So for us pudgy people does that mean a diabetic diet will take the weight off?  ....Winney

Wanda..I started using the zipper foot years ago because I had problems with my maching keeping to a 1/4" seam...now I know for sure that all the seams are the same...

Hmmm, Funny....I sew so the foot rides along the  fabric raw edge ( on the right) ..... so my needle stitches on the LEFT of the foot.......OH NO ! Not another opposite from you thing I do !!!! Watch out for Shelli..she's gonna come along with a big stick to whack me with...LOL..

OOPs...I just went and looked at my machine, I'm wrong.......my needle sews right thru the middle of that foot
( there is a slot cut out there ) so...the edge of the foot runs about 1/8 " away for the raw edge of the fabric. WHEW ! Now, I won't get whacked.....but that foot works really well...especially around curves ....Winney

I   got cookies up the ying yang for that little bear, LOL.

Prisma Color pencils on real fur I don't think would work.
I searched around for how to dye  or tint real fur and did get some info.....You cannot submerge real fur in anything wet..it will get mushy and fall apart.I believe silk dyes hand applied will work , check with Deharma?

Nancy Tilburg was going to experiment with a doggie product I think  called " Pet Silk "? It's a  fun spray dye for showy dogs like poodles. I did find it on the internet..I will have to look up my notes on that.
I have a feeling it shampoos out...I mean what if you want pink one week then want lavender the next, LOL.

Nancy did a list in he recent  book 101 Bears on what works to color you bears depending on the bears  fur fiber content  is....... Winney

Me too. I like them better..wherchagetem ? .......Winney

Oh I saw the acrylic paint remover and brush conditioner tonight at Michaels ..yikes ! is it ever expensive for a teeney weeney bottle.

You know I wonder if " hand cleaner " for removing paints and yuck from your hands would do the same thing?

OK....I will confess...I just bought a bunch of Prisma Color pencils....1.49 ea. at Michaels...belive me they are way cheaper if you buy a box of them. ( figures about .75 ea. that way ) .
I almost got some spray Fixative for pastels and color pencils but then noooo, I don't remember us discussing this
( it's not allowed unless researched , he, he ).
I don't want to use a spray on the fur...maybe a clear coat of acrylic fabric liquid sealer stuff  would be better IF I need it...heck I don't even know what I need ....Go look over all the notes on the board about it ,he !
                                                                                              ........Winney

WE need to start a bear dictionary of words that are specifically allowed in bear talk, he,, he... Winney

Thanks Dilu for explaining how you made your teddy pin.  I think it would be fun to wear one to the bear shows and even give them away to teddy friends  like you did. That would be neat, especially new teddy makers...what fun !
                                                                                                .........Winney

Dilu...so glad it helped you ,I got the idea from  Shelli...Thank's Shelli !She calls it a " hardened nose ".

I have tried it several times for the floss and it works neato. One coat looks sort of matt finish, if you do more coats it will have a shiner look. If you want really glossy ...somebody said you can do gloss nail polish , however that is a solvent based product I think .....soooo I don't know about that maybe  being a problem...
I found some " shiny"  acrylic deco paint at Michael's ,you know the acrylic paints in the little bottles used for lots of projects. I got black, I plan to try that on a black floss or perle cotton nose.They have other colors too..let's see, a clowns nose ? ............. Winney

Maybe we should wear  " Teddy Talk " name tags....Yes that's a great idea!

Who make teddy pins ? ........Winney

Oh hey ...have you noticed  recently we have been inventing some new bear words ?

"bearfect"..what were the others ? ........Winney

LOL,LOL,LOL....you all make me laugh, keep it up, it's good for the soul.

Being super perceptive, aware, how all the parts fit together I think comes from my many past years ( I am terribly old ? ) of artist painting ( composition , balance) , designing crafts , sewing,stain glass , etc.

You all have this skill too, anyone who designs things, creates " art"  makes those kind of choices....how does it look ? hmmmmm...no I think I'll put it over here...no, better put it back, hmmmm, maybe just move it a tad to the right...oh darn...maye I should use a different color...and so on...
Call it art appreciation...I think her bow looks just "bearfect "where it is...te, he. I really am drawn to her mouth for some reason, she just looks so cute ....  Winney

Dilu..It sure would be nice if I could run the thread thru wax to straighten it  but I don't think that would work either.Need to give this more thought....perhaps some other product may work ?

I never thought about ironing my floss..... I do untwist the floss as I go...it makes it look flatter and smoother, perhaps I should try shading the nose with something other than acrylic paints . maybe water color pencils would work better ..... use a delicate touch with the sides of the pencil .... maye try pre dampening the nose....  then to finish I'll heat set it with a hair dryer then apply the 50 / 50 water and white glue to harden the nose ...

Hey, everyone thank's for brainstorming with me , maybe we all found some new things to try! Yeahhhh....Winney

Dilu...Thank's so much for the results of your testing, I will try that out too..

Oh, somebody finally found something to mark dark fabrics with..yahooooo !

I accidently found something that works ...you know everywhere I go I look at anything with teddy bear making eyes , LOL. Well, I was with my son,we went into a welding supply shop, while he is looking at his stuff to buy I am wandering around and found a funny looking white pointed stick thing...a  " pencil" ? , looked like it was made out of soapstone ? I found out that it's used as a marking device for welders. It was only .30 cents...so I thought maybe it will mark on black fabric.....well, it does ! It sharpens up the same as a pencil . ......Winney

Owchie ! Yes, I need to get some of those as I do a lot of real fur bears and I don't use pins, I baste everything....so that would definatly save me a lot of time and holes in the fingers .... I have to let my fingers and hands rest up and heal  between bears ............. Winney
P.S....check the dollar or 99 cent store for those ....Here ,Stapels beats the other stores on prices.

LOL. ....Pshew can be a word, it's like Whew ..LOL.

Reason I asked is looking at your avatar you put the bow on her left ear which ends up being on our right side when we look at her....I always seem to tie a bow on so the viewer sees it on the left side of the bear... Trivial ???
Then I thought maybe left handed people " feel " the balance of things the opposite of what right handed people do...of course all that goes out the window if you are ambidexterous ! LOL....Winney

Thank's for sharing that info. Shelli. So glad you found what you needed .
My research thru some doll making  books and magazines gave me some surprising results.
Here's is a list of paints and pens  used in doll making;

Delta Brush-on Fabric Dyes ...use a paint brush.

Y & C Fabric Mate ...brush tip pens.

Micron Pigma Pens...can be rubbed to soften .

Sakura Pigma Fabric Pens ...
Sakura Pigma Brush Pens...

Most often I found used on cloth dolls was... Berol Prisma Color Pencils
                                                                Berol Fabric Paints

What really surprised me was a well know artist used  Crayons...yes, they are permanant ( I did not know that ).
No specific brand, she said she loved the 64 color Crayon box.

Another unusual media used was Gel Pens to make exotic make up and brows ! Wonder how we could use this on teddies...perhaps some Halloween teds ? Oh...how about the eye lids ?

I did pick up this too....Detail unpainted Fimo with Pigma Pens.
I did not check with the quilt sites...I think this is enough to tell me I will buy Berol Prisma Color pencils and maybe try the fabric paints for fun....Winney

Judi, What is that bears  name on your avater?......he keeps looking at me...probably because he knows I make chocolate chip and raisin oatmeal cookies all the time and  he wants to play with Muffy, my doggie. Hey little one, you can come to grammy Rock's house any time you want !

I don't get that either Judi....I have ruined several good brushes because I didn't get allll the paint out, especially in the ferul, furel ...you know, where the brush hairs are crimped into,,,but I did find  some acrylic paint remover and a bar of brush cleaning soap  that saved some of my other brushes . I have a favorite old tee  shirt I used to wipe paint on...it's pretty interesting , maybe I should frame it. LOL.............Winney

Shelli.. I love  sharing with you and the other artists here with what I have learned  over the years.  I painted pictures for years , using oils  and acrylics., pastels . all kind of mixed media. You are  right, stick with the oils, they do give the bears a marvelous look so why change? I haven't tried oils from the tube using the dry brush technique. must try that too.
Right now... I am really interested in the use of colored pencils for they would offer a lot of control and be especially useful on doing details. All these different materials are fun to try just to see what they do on bear fabric....Winney

Danni..I dunno...haven't tried the pencils on the wool yet. I am in the process of trying a lot of things...on various areas of my bears, just have to experiment and see what works best for you and the effect you are trying to acheive... Winney

Can anyone tell me ; The pencils work on the fabric backing  but what about on the fur ?

Danni said; "Prisma Color" shows up on dark fabric...that is a plus. Are they permanant ?

Dilu uses "Creatacolor " by B.F.Hirm of Austria....on quilt fabric and it is washable ( permanant).Can we buy them in the USA ?

Shelli, what brand did you end up getting ? ................... Winney

3/4" clips...are they metal  or plastic ?....Winney

Hi Sue, glad you found us , welcome !  Your avater bear is sooo cute . he looks like he's alive speaking to us....
I am curious, are you left handed ?................. Winney