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Well your little fella just wanted to play. From a dogs perspective, he had loads of fun! Bless his little heart. 
you are welcome. Post a picture of you bear when you finish him.
If you can get a Pfaff, that is what I would do. I have a Viking which is good but I wish I spent the money on a Pfaff.
Hi Anthony. Are you hand sewing a smaller mink bear or using the machine for a larger one? If you are using the machine, make sure you swap out your normal needle for leather needed compatible to your machine. I hand sew my smaller mink bears with leather needles I buy in a pack at the fabric store. I think they have various sizes in them. I never really though about the size of needle I use for hand stitching. I just use which ever one I grab from the package.
Use heavier threat when sewing them like upholstery thread. Because the fur is so long, you don't have to take real tiny stitches but be sure to pull the stitches tight though. I do a back stitch with my hand sewing.
For facial sculpting, you could use upholstery thread or artificial sinew. If you use the sinew, there is less slipping and it is easier for the sculpted areas to remain in place.
I do have to say, make sure you line each of your fur pieces with good quality muslin. Never glue to the leather. Hand baste the muslin to the bear piece. Glue can erode the leather in time and the integrity of the seams will be compromised. You want your beautiful bear to be around for a long time don't you? Just my two cents.
I love Nancy Tillberg’s book. That will give you a lot of guidance with your real fur bears.
Hope this helps.
Ev: I posted a while back that I had my ophthalmologist make me a pair of glasses so that I could watch tv through the upper part of the lens and on the lower half, look down to magnify my hand stitching. I was not concerned about style so I got a bigger eyeglass frame so there was plenty of room for both. I found that my bifocals (the reading part) was awful to see my tiny stitches, so I wanted magnification on the lower half. I hated having to take my glasses off and on to watch tv while I was sewing. I will PM you for more details.
Michelle
Fabulous article! What a nice honor. :clap:
I love Ted Menten's book as well. Very easy to read and follow.
Darling bear!! 
That is darn tootin good for a first try! :clap:
My friend sent this to me and thought some of you would get a good giggle from it:
Proof it's better to leave them home!
TIRED/BORED HUSBAND
After I retired, my wife insisted that I accompany her on her trips to Target.
Unfortunately, like most men, I found shopping boring and preferred to get in and get out. Equally unfortunate, my wife is like most women - she loves to browse.
Yesterday my dear wife received the following letter from the local Target:
Dear Mrs. Harris,
Over the past six months, your husband has caused quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behaviour and have been forced to ban both of you from the store. Our complaints against your husband, Mr. Harris, are listed below and are documented by our video surveillance cameras:
1. June 15: He took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in other people's carts when they weren't looking.
2. July 2: Set all the alarm clocks in Housewares to go off at 5-minute intervals.
3. July 7: He made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the women's restroom.
4. July 19: Walked up to an employee and told her in an official voice, 'Code 3 in Housewares. Get on it right away'. This caused the employee to leave her assigned station and receive a reprimand from her Supervisor that in turn resulted with a union grievance, causing management to lose time and costing the company money.
5. August 4: Went to the Service Desk and tried to put a bag of M&Ms on layaway
6. August 14: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.
7. August 15: Set up a tent in the camping department and told the children shoppers he'd invite them in if they would bring pillows and blankets from the bedding department to which twenty children obliged.
8. August 23: When a clerk asked if they could help him he began crying and screamed, 'Why can't you people just leave me alone?' EMTs were called.
9.. September 4: Looked right into the security camera and used it as a mirror while he picked his nose.
10. September 10: While handling guns in the hunting department, he asked the clerk where the antidepressants were.
11. October 3: Darted around the Store suspiciously while loudly humming the ' Mission Impossible' theme.
12. October 6: In the auto department, he practiced his 'Madonna look' by using different sizes of funnels on his chest.
13. October 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed through, he yelled 'PICK ME! PICK ME!'
14. October 22: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed a
fetal position and screamed 'OH NO! IT'S THOSE VOICES AGAIN!'
15. Took a box of condoms to the check out clerk and asked where the fitting room was?
And last, but not least:
16. October 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile, and then yelled very loudly, 'Hey! There's no toilet paper in here.'
One of the clerks passed out.
So Sweet.
I love making Minkies. If want to learn about sewing with real fur, Nancy Tillberg has written a book on it. Here is the link:
That is so sweet!
what a cutie pie.
Oh my goodness, how cute is your little fox!
Welcome back! I am sorry you had a rough patch but glad things are better. :hug:
such a little cutie pie.
I love little "mesies" (my nickname for siamese).
thank you so much for the tip. I bought alligator clips and felt they were too harsh for my mini fur bears. I think I'll pay a visit to walmart tomorrow.
I love your blog!!! Thank you for sharing it with us. I love the tutorial on how to make vintage style boxes. I love it when people share how they make things. Your little bears are adorable.
I know some artists use silk thread on mini bears. I have not tried it myself though.
You lucky duck! That is a real find. enjoy....
Shannon: Prisma colored pens are great and they don't fade. I would stay away from Copic markers for I understand they fade with time. Get a blender for the Prisma pens for it helps with blending the color into the fur.
also, besides Prisma, a fabulous brand to use for shading is Faber Castell artist pens. They have beautiful colors and of course they don't fade. They are made with India ink.
You can get Prisma and Faber Castell at any art supply store or on line. Some craft supply stores have them but they don't have the range of colors one would get at an art supply store.
Hope this helps.
Oh I just love Siamese Cats. I have three little "measies". I have two seals and one blue point. Your babies are darling!
Abby is darling. the world needs more people like you to adopt homeless animals and give them god homes. :hug:
