Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I just shared this to my facebook page.  Lol lol lol.

Well I know I haven't been here in a while and I appologize for that.  There's just been a lot of weird things happening in my life, and also for the past few weeks I haven't had access to the internet.  BTW, call me, Becky.  Bearlove.

Usually people have a positive reaction, but I've also gotten some meh.  I've figured out that most everyone has a basic appreciation for teddy bears unless they're complete straightie heads, or arctophobes as I call them.  What bugs me is when people give me meh reactions to my collection of bears.  I hate when people say they're just bears.  No they're not and go to a cave is what I'd like to say.

I mostly do boys, too.  For some reason they're easier to name because I can give them unusual names, but I couldn't do that to a girl.  I do tend to think of dolls as girls and plushies as boys, I don't know why.

Oh yes he is.  I absolutely adore him.  No glass cases for this ol' boy, just bear squuzzes.

When I was visiting Lenora, known as lovenshire here, she gave me the most gorgious antique teddy bear that she named Johan.  He's 12 inches tall.  His body is stuffed with woodwool and I think his head probably originally was, too, but someone did surgery on him and gave him a new nose and new plastic eyeballs.  I assume they were probably originally glass.  The head is now stuffed firm, but it feels like polyfill, just packed hard in there.  The thing that fascinates me is that he's got leather pawpads with cardboard lining.  It kind of feels like he has boots on.  I love the fact that he's been very loved.  He's got several bald spots where someone played with him.

Lenora, can you post the pic for me?  I know I'm horrible at posting pics.

Glad you got some teddies.  I know they'll give you lots of hugs.  I hope to get lots of squuzzy teddies for Christmas.

You've got a bear from 1915?  Sweeeeeeeet!!!

I would love to have a Charlie Bear one of these days.

I think the next bear I make is going to be my braille bear.  I've got to get somebody to cut out the pattern for me and then I'll be ready.  It's going to be my first own pattern and jointed of course.  I've done another jointed bear, but I had a lot of assistance with him.

I'm glad to know this.  For me, I really don't think about the tags.  I take them off and I keep them if they came off of an artist bear because I know the artist put a lot of work into that part, but I really don't care about the tags or whatever that much.  I just care about the bear, but I also can't see, so that probably makes a difference.

Hey, cool, you finally got your pics here.  Now we just need some descriptions, lol.

I wish my hubbie fell in love with my bears like that.

That would be cheating, C-sharp *throws a bear at Lenora*.

You can definitely use a thimble.

Thanks.  I'm glad you love her.  I was pretty attached to her.

What I do with seam allowance is just do it by feel.  If you put the edge of your finger there and just have a little space, not right on the edge, you'll get it.  Of course you will stab yourself, but hey, all for the love of bears, right? 

There are no rules about size or style or anything, just that you have to sew only be feel.  If you think you'll have trouble with a regular pattern, I would highly recommend a flattie to start out with.

Aw, I don't like the texture of the dress.  I wish I could get it off her.  BTW, I don't think I've ever seen a bear at craft stores.

Confound it!!!  I did it again.

Try this again.

Here's another thrift store find.  Apparently he was made in 1979, which really got me excited.  I was there to get a doll and I wasn't even going to get a bear because their selection wasn't that great, but then I saw this dude.  I kept calling him Retrobear the whole time I was there, but I have a bear named Retro, so I couldn't keep calling him that.  The lady at the store jokingly suggested I call him RB, and it stuck.

This is Desiree.  She came from my favorite place to adopt bears, the thrift store.  She definitely looks different and I'm kind of curious.  Unfortunately someone glued her dress on her and I wish I could take it off.  We both hate it, but I love my bear.

I found this dude at a thrift store.  To me he looks really old.  He's made of a weird type of cloth and his clothes are made on his body.  I think he's very cool.  I named him Peterbear after a certain very cool guy on here.  I think the picture may be weird, so let me know if it is.  I'm curious about who this guy is.

At last, here's Rochester.

Okay, the pics have been cropped now, so here are the bears.