Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Has anyonme heard of the eBay group - TBAS? I saw a link on a bear website and went to the Home page to join. It's a moderated/by-approval group. Ok. That's cool. Artisan = Guild...
A few weeks went by and tonight I've received this e from the owner/moderator:
__________

Hello and Thank you for your interest in Teddy Bear Artisan Society, TBAS, this is a brand new Teddy Bear Artist group and we are in the forming stage of the group, at this time we are no longer nominating new members. We will be opening nominations 2 times during the year and nominations come from existing members.
Some of the requirements for being nominated are as follows:
Must do original work
Must be a professional bear artist (bears are your main source of income)
Must be respectful of fellow artists
Monthly Bear sells of 700-1000 dollars
Toby or Golden Teddy nomination helpful but not required for membership
____________________
Now, this stikes me as exclusivity; sorority and all of that. Still cool.
But - requiring a minimum monthly income? That makes an Artisan?
I don't get it. Is anyone here a member who can explain this to me?

This was my Reply - not sure I'll receive a response.
___________________
I 'think' I'd qualify for membership - - except for the income
part. I've been in the miniature teddy bear world since 1990,
exhibited and taught from Singapore, across the States and
Canada and into Germany, was a feature writer for over a decade for a British-based bear
newsletter, am now writing for 3 bear/fiber ezines, have TOBY,
TITA, A.C.E. & URSA wins and Golden Teddy nominations, but
having knee replacements in the past 2 years has stopped my
income from shows and have online sales that begin at $100
auctions but the surgeries have made it clumped together through the year rather
than monthly.

I hope I still qualify. If I do not know the member list - how would
I get an invitation?

Some of my background can be seen here:
http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl … id=rkr4cds

Thank you for your email and for your consideration.

Having an ex-pat BIL - he and my Sis & have dual citizenship - we've been treated to all sorts of goodies like this. I'll pass on the all of the 'mites but Bovril is like our bouillon cubes.
And Ovaltine!! Our folks wouldn't allow chocolate milk either, but an Ovaltine jar didn't last long w/7 kids... The original factory here in the States (the other is/was in Switzerland) is 2 miles away (Villa Park IL) from me!
I was impressed as a kid - looks like something out of Dickens. After selling the company it sat unused for 2 decades and has now been rehabbed into upscale condos.
This different foodie thing makes me think of a pkg we sent off to Germany last week. During the 6 yrs we  exhibited at Teddybar Total, Hennef/Munster, we met very distant cousins sharing our surname. They live quite close to where DH's family has been traced back to in 1620s. They are always sending us huge pkgs of German/European goods//clothes/foods/etc. We were trying to think of things they'd like and hit upon Junk Food last week! Their 10 yo son Kevin will either love them or hate them.
Hazelnuts (noisettes) are big in Europe but it's hard to find a walnut much less a peanut. So among the variety packs of Kellogg cereals and Oreos, Twinkies, Skittles, etc... are Snickers bars and Nutter Butter cookies.
I said to share with his mates at school/neighborhood and if they don't like the peanut items, put them out for the birds! Andreas, DH's cousin/Kevin's Dad, is a dental technician so I cautioned Kevin to eat these slowly (there was enough to last to year's end) and brush his teeth extra well!!!!

Thk You one and all!  When I answered her I asked if she meant she was allowing for the $ difference in our 2 currencies or to explain herself a little more fully. She had found the one same US online retailer that  does carry this brand of lace pillow, but the round bolster is the only one availble now.

The flat one makes it 10x more adaptable. So I listed it with my adjusted purchase price as my Reserve (first time & a little scary... but I have 2 other outlets in case it didn't work out.) She bid to the current retail price of $275 as currently available, with the one round bolster, and stopped bidding.

The reserve price was reached this afternoon in a funny way:
someone else wrote to say she'd put in a 310 bid but it stays listed at 295. She didn't know how to make it show her true bid and was afraid it would get away from her. Her main question was - Could I tell her my Reserve price or is that unethical?

Well, I don't know the ethics of this but I laid out what the individual parts had cost me and cut about 30% off that for a Reserve.

I also explained how proxy bidding works, that she stays top bidder and the price shows only what it takes to top the next highest bidder until it reaches her upper limit. I'm not sure she quite got that, as within a few hours there were several more of her bids, raising her to the Reserve cost, where it stayed until the end. Best of all, she lives about 6 miles from me - I'll deliver and save her the Insurance & Shipping and me the trouble of packing up this very large tool.   

It was Win/Win and I thank you all for giving me your opinions! I should say win/win/win, as I just gained a little bit more room and a clearer conscience (divesting myself of these items that I'm not likely to use again and putting them into the hands of others that will use them!

In Canada we expect about 1/3 to 2/3 new price. is it the same in UK

Can a few of our northern neighbors weigh in on something? I have a rather expensive Fiber Art tool on auction and received this question from a viewer. She thought I lived in UK - I'm in surburban Chicago - but her rather cryptic note leads me to believe that she expects to purchase auctions between 1/3 to 2/3 of original price. Her bid reflected that amount.

The tool has not lost its value, indeed it includes an extra part that doubles its purpose that is no longer made or available from the European company. My reserve is the original price I paid.

Any opinions? THX!!

Thank You Kisa, for posting a Sample crit sheet.
When I mentioned it a week or so ago in the other thread, I forgot the most beneficial point - that the judges do mark down on the RHS what is especially good about each of the points you've accomplished in the point system, where the difference in a stitch or 2 might have made the difference in a higer point count, and what they feel might inmprove a bear according to the theme or format that the artist presented.
They do not try to rigidly bind you to their ideal of what a bear should be, but understand what you were attempting... and did you pull it off to perfection?

Ah, that's Marr Haven's  Rambo/Merino mix? Lovely stuff (the avatar STALKING - 2.25" long is used) but not the finest fiber. Breeds like Polworth, Polypay and Cormo are even more 'cloud-like'! They make great surface treatments of entire sculptures or used totally for the mini-verging-on-micro sizes, where the other breeds's fibers are just too long to work in easily.

But since you've got that particular fiber, you'll know what I mean by trying to start the work with a 32 or 36; they're just too large to start with. 38 and going to 40 & 42 is a better match of breed to needle size.

Hi Amelia,

My experience with wired or looped eyes is to be very careful if you choose to 'narrow' the loop. It can be as wide as the eye and need a honking big hole to insert them. The one thing you do not want to do is move the wire where it enters the glass! This breaks the bond between metal and glass; putting pressure on it with sculpting/pulling it into the face is likely to pop the eye off. Not always but often enough to be frustrating!

This works for me: I push the tip of a tapered awl part way into the loop and hold it up against the back of the eye. Yes, fiddly work with our minis...but your thumb placed on top of the eye works well to hold it in place against the awl. The bottom of the loop can be grasped with a pliers or similar tool and squeezed into more of an oval. It doesn't have to come to a point, just a narrower wire profile to enter the head with.  Let us know how you did with them. Their flatter dome surface is certainly more natural looking than the round onyx beads!

I didn't address this - it's as firm and smooth as it's going to get when the fuzzies are gone (though there are some breeds that just won't go smooth) and a piece will not depress when you squeeze it between your thuinb and finger. As Judi said, you don't want a piece to be changed through just handling. I work hard to get certain postures and expressions in my work and don't want them to change!

Thre are some finer breed fibers that will just not be as 'hard' as others when finished, even though they are totally smooth and firm to the touch and as compacted as they'll ever become.

I haven't heard of over felting in dry work; wet felters use the term over-felting in referring to working the surface further after the main felting was done. It was for adding details or working in certain fibers (breed, color, texture) into the surface of their wet felted piece.

It would be pretty hard to over work dry felting, i.e., breaking the fibers by needling. The first thing you'd notice is that it would be very hard to push the needle into the compacting fibers, leading you to using a smaller needle size, which have smaller barbs and even less likely to break/cut fiber.

The 3 biggest things that will cause the fibers to break are
- weak inferior fibers to begin with - there is a LOT of that being sold!!!
- using a needle brand that has 'cut' rather than 'formed' barbs.
- using a relatively large needle (with its larger barbs) like a 32 or 36 on finer fibers.
The needles used to begin a project should match the fiber micron gauge and then go down in size as the fiber is compacted. This comes with experience and the advice of a knowledable needle retailer & NFer.

Has this happened to you Kim? I'd be happy to examine a pinch of any wool if this happens to anyone.

Hurting today! 4 weeks from today I'm under the knife - Thk goodness!!
Thx for asking!

No SarahJane, we don't!!
Comps at shows are definitely a popular opinion format, with show attendees casting votes for favorites.
In the international comps TOBY & Golden Teddy, you just get the call or email if you've been nominated and if/when you've won. There's absolutely no help given as to how to improve.... Sad, isn't it?   :o(

Thx for bringing this subject back, Jared! I've gotten nominations & awards from 5 major comps; like you, it IS my advertising $$, as I cannot afford both.
But Pen said something that we glossed over at the time and I wanted to mention again:

Australian friends have shown me the crit sheets they receive on all entered bears/friends. Believe me, they're gone over with the proverbial fine-toothed comb. Every hair & stitch out of place is noted, and deducted for, but the good points are also described.
It's a great learning tool and doesn't leave one wondering, as we do, why "they didn't like our work."
It pits us against only ourselves and not each other, for the very few top places.

Literally.. hundreds. All different and for either my retail work or my (past 3, discontinued) kit lines.My quandry is, I no longer work in fabric.
Do I chuck them out?
Let them keep using precious storage space?
Let my descendents pitch them into that huge dumpster they're ordering as soon as I'm gone?

LOL - Great minds... etc..

I've got a bear peeking out over a frame's edge! Not finished, though.

Thx for your great sleuthing Eileen!

I'm in north eastern IL and had never heard of Swansea so I hit mapquest; it's east and a bit south of St Louis (MO). South/Central IL is really rural and not within easy access to any major bear shows so if she's got our contact info but not on the internet, it's got to've come from adverts in mags.

I personally don't think phone numbers should be listed until after initial contacts are made and one feels comfortable giving out this info.

Off topic but On Topic -

All calls go through the answering machine (old-fashioned here; don't fix what ain't broke and Yes I use it to screen calls) unless DH is in the house who answers cuz he can't stand an unanswered phone call. I'm basically shy & prefer to know in advance what the call is about in order to organize my thoughts.

3 weeks ago I got a call from a new contact to take my online NFing class. She had about a half hour of questions and is from the deep south so I had trouble understanding her speech patterns. After agreeing to take her on, I said I'd email the information.

It's presented in an interactive, private yahoo group with password protected lessons. Group classes are given the passwords once a week for about 7 weeks, to keep the class focused on the same thing; individuals have access to the whole list as soon as they join and they-self-pace. There are many informational posts to read in advance covering all aspects of NFing, to fill the reading and experimenting time while awaiting the mailed materials.

I asked how she got my number as I never give it out - I've always been a writer and a phone-avoidance person as I like to prepare what I say in advance - only our kids get through instantly!
A former, out-of-state student gave it to her though I don't know how she obtained it either.

I got 2 phone calls the next day because she hadn't received my email yet. 
After Paypal processed the fee, I got daily calls - 
"What postal service did I use for mailing the materials?" (I paid shipping)
"Does the kit contain the foam?" (Reading the 50+ posts on the group list gives this info)
"I'm at the pet store; which type of grooming brushes should I buy?"
"The kit hasn't arrived yet."
"I'm at the craft shop. Should I buy Prismacolor or Copic markers?"
"Which are your favorite shades" (listed in the 50+ posts)
etc..... Daily for 10 days.

During this time she'd sent about 4 dozen thumbnail pix of her previous work.
Less than 48 hours after receiving her kit, I received several dozen thumbnails of her finished project. 
Nothing had changed in her NFing style, so I knew that she'd rushed through it, using her previous methods and not applying my techniques, that she'd paid to learn.

I wrote that "I was glad to see that she'd had the available time to devote to just this project, but the images are too small to be able to 'draw' on to show my suggestions; could she send a few larger images?"

Since then - nothing. I'm glad in a way as I don't dread the ringing phone, but concerned that her representation of my class is not accurate. 

I still prefer to transact all business in a written form: to have records of what the promises, responsiblities and transactions are. 

Please don't stone me for not wanting to meet the clients "in person"! I know my strengths and weaknesses and I'm just not at my best that way!

LOL - forgot about that one! Thx Tracy!
My one experience with that one was with several bushels of apples - - over 30 years ago - and the subject came up again just yesterday...

You know how some of the dental anesthetics are clove flavored? Guess what's in apple butter... ???

Continually stirring batch after batch, my taste buds went numb. Suffice to say that it took us years to finish the pints, as we had to dilute most of the batches with up to two or three parts applesauce and one part applebutter...

Family memories that the kids love to drag out at harvest time!

I've followed the photography threads since I joined. Of interest to me as a miniaturist are the discussions on sharp, in-focus, great depth-of-field conversations.   
 
Just for definition's sake, I'd like to add that close-up and macro are quite different. All cameras have close-up capabilities, some additionally have macro settings or the ability to add additional lens(es) to get in even closer.   
 
Two of the biggest differences are   
1 - that in Macro mode, the depth of field is reduced (less back-to-front of the object) is in focus   
Note of interest  - Penny has a soft pink slubbed fabric behind her bear.  The linen-weave like slubs are hardly noticeable. Due to the size of the bear, the camera is at least as far away from the backdrop as the bear is tall. 
Jodi also used a slubbed blue fabric backdrop, but because her bear is small, the fabric rises up right where the wagon wheels end and she moved in closer to 'fill the frame' with a smaller bear, the slubs are more prominent.   
To counteract the sharp focus of the fabric features, bringing the bear forward away from the backdrop or by allowing the backdrop behind a small bear to fall away farther away from the bear before rising up, the slubs would also diffuse more and be more subtle. 
 
And second, that with a close-up setting you can bring the object closer to you by turning the focusing/distance ring while with macro you move the camera physically closer.   
 
Here are some sites to visit: 
http://www.pbase.com/merriwolf/close_up_lens_test 
 
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read. … e=19540362 
 
>>>>>>I was always told that macro was where there was actual 1:1 ration, i.e. the thing you were photographing was the same size on your sensor / film as it is in real life. 
Everything else is close up photography, but for convenience, everyone uses macro to refer to 'true macro' aa well as to 'close up' photography<<<<<   
 
 
For those that really like the technical angle: 
http://www.nikonians.org/html/resources … cro_1.html

I am SOOoo glad I'm among compatriates here!!! 
Don and I were raised in families that would put up most of our garden produce and other fruit & veg that we bought from the farmers locally.
There are some things that we just won't give up; our own chili sauce (condiment in the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook) corn, green beans, jams/jellies, plums, peaches, etc..
Aug and Sept are pretty much given up to freezing/canning instead of bearmaking, but your hands get too grubby what with the heat and humidity anyway to be working with wool & needles!
Give me October any day!!!

Does this person have a double first name, with M B being the initials? I was hounded for years and she finally gave up.
She was definitely developmentally challenged. The rest of her profile fits, too.

Hi Barbs,

As Sandi wrote, knitting for each individual bear couldn't be simpler. You must always knit a gauge swatch, approx 4" x 4" in the sts (stockinette, cabled, color-changing across the row, etc) in the yarn you intend to use. LIGHTLY steam the swatch and allow to dry flat.
Never let the iron touch the fabric or steam too much - better to do it in 2 sessions for front & back, if needed to get it uncurled.

Measure in a few places to average out the number of sts and rows in an inch.
Use these as your measurements. Multiply this number (for sts and for rows) times the number of inches your bear is around and long, remembering to add some for ease. No Stuffed Sausages look here!

Measure your finished bear: around middle, neckline opening thickness of arms/wrists, total length needed. Remember that most patts for dolls, toys and even bears don't make wide enough necklines and sleeve width and bears are usually out-of-proportion that way. The finished sweater is likely to look rather stubby in length vs width but if done to each bear's own measurements it'll fit like the custom sweater/dress/pants that it is, rather than struggling to force a head & limbs through too-narrow openings & sleeves.

Allow at least 1" additional # of sts for minis and 2" - 4" for larger bears, for ease in WIDTH - more if your bear has long pile/nap. It's not necessary to add ease in length.

You can transfer your patt directions ('X' number of sts across times 'X' number of rows) to graph paper: use the special knitter's graph paper (knit sts are wider than they are tall so square graphs aren't proportional) or write the directions out longhand.
Many free instructions to create your own:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=kn … gle+Search

Easiest shaping is a T shape, knit all in one piece, front hem up the front to sleeves, increase each side for sleeve length, take off (BO or place on holders if ribbed later) neckline, continue knitting down the back the same # of rows to complete the sleeves, BO sleeve length sts back to body sts and knit to bottom edge. Like 2 Ts put together across the top of the T's crossbar but no shoulder seam there.

Be sure to use a soft or loose cast on & bind off!

And when measuring the bear, allow the arms to be in its seated position - if the arms swing forward, position them like that. Then take the measurement of wrist-to-wrist: along the arm, over the back near the neckline to the other wrist. This gives a better fir.

In ease of construction, after the all-in-one T shape comes the same thing but knitting the sleeves separate from the body and sewing in place before sewing the side seams wrist to bottom hem.This can be a pullover or cardigan.

Raglans fit best though because they eliminate all of that extra fabric in the arm pit from the previous style.

Hope that's sparked some ideas for proceeding. patterns are expensive and not likely to give any one bear a good fit. It's always better to knit the exact # of sts & rows for each bear.

Lightly steam before and after sewing the seams.

If you have trouble figuring this out, I'll be happy to write out the directions after you measure your bear and finish the swatch.

What a good-looking Artist site that is, Kelly!

Unfortunately it has committed one of the cardinal sins of omission - after looking at half a dozen pages, I have yet to learn the artist's name or an address (location) other than an email window opening...
Our names should be one of the easiet things to find on our sites.

I was in hospital last Dec when Laura died so I totally missed that - just learned of it this AM. I was given the links to the Dec posts and found several from Loretta; what a kind, thoughtful person she was:

Laura's husband John was their original computerwizard/stockperson/fabric seller. He wrote some very nice notes to customers too. We didn't use email as much 7 or 8 years ago like we do now. I once ran a Messiest Workroom competition: Laura sent in pictures and it hardly qualified! At least all of her supplies were in cardboard boxes, though it's difficult to see what's inside.

2 beautiful women we're already missing....

I just discovered a large difference that I don't remember having been mentioned in the last discussion on this.

An Email goes right to one's email program Inbox, to be read the next time you logon.

A PM stays on the TT list and you have to notice the message at the top of the page - "You have _ new Messages."

I just found Marion's PM from Sat - quite by accident - as I happened to glance up there to the upper left corner to check the text detailing when I last was online.
I don't always do that and I think I'll stay with the Email choice now as others might also not check for PMs here on the website.

Saddened to hear about Loretta, after having met and worked with her in person 2 or 3 Octobers ago in Lincoln City OR. A multi-talented artist in many fields; her cheerful input will be missed.
And Laura P? None of my 4 doz bear lists mentioned this, or I've not seen it.

I do think it's important to update my list of People To Be Called as soon as I check out - my family will have no idea of what to do with my roomsful of supplies and inventory. I think I'd come back to haunt them if they just pitch it all. I know there are friends who would be happy to come get the goodies, but I must keep the list updated every few years as some leave the field and others join.

Yes, the prices are much better from the source! Not to cut out our suppliers here, but if you're anywhere near Duisburg you should call ahead for hours.

I visited every April for 6 or 7 years, in connection with exhibiting at Teddy Bar Total, as part of the Artists for Artists Tour. We had a personal tour inside - FABulous! We saw the whole first floor production line: weaving the nap between 2 backings about 4 - 5" apart, cutting the nap into the selected length(s), dyeing and a room full of hugh piles of bundled string mohair. Before dying it's all white and is rolled up into bundles 4 - 6' wide, depending upon how much nap was rolled to the inside. 

I thought I took pics but DH says no, we weren't allowed to do that. Perhaps it was at the Lesch eye 'factory' Iamb remembering. Both of these are in residential areas. It's an awesome thing to watch the coach drivers maneuver a long, tall coach for 60 ppl into place through the narrow streets and into parking lots like this one behind the apartment buildings & businesses.

We were not allowed to view the second & third floors at Schulte- that's where the various finishes are applied to the yardage, the processes that open up the strings and create matted/feather/swirly/etc finishes. 

The outlet part of the sales is in this 'garage' building in front of the white car. It's like you would see in any US area of townhomes or condos/apartments - a row of single garages for each dwelling. Schulte's is double wide and entered just around the cormner to the left of the car. The rest of them are just out of sight along the right side of the picture. Those double doors facing you on the left with the poster on one is a smaller storage space in which they put out a selection of sandwiches and pop for us. There are also boxes of scraps and end pcs in that area that were free for the taking, though we were careful to not look like The Ugly American and take too many.  Obviously with the limited space, only a very small percent of their extensive lines were there for sale, but no one went out empty handed! we would visit on Friday afternoon, on the way to set up at the show and usually saw other Teddybar Total attendees there too, like the Norberry's from England, who'd driven over (or is that under??!!).

We all went through the outlet and marked down which bolts we wanted and then waited our turn until one of the employees could follow us around and tear off the amounts oin meters that we wanted of each fabric. I'm very happy to have seen the production line, though as a miniaturist I must say that I didn't purchase very much there.