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Barebears by "Jai"I am making a mink 28" bear and want it to stand up by itself without using any props. I have stuffed it with polyfill and also used bb's for weight in the legs and in the fanny but it still does not want to stand. Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated!! Thanks. Jai
"a bear by kim"i must be lucky because i do the same and mine stand! i also fill the legs and body tightly and make sure the joints are tight too, that way theyre esier to balance if theres no movement in the legs.
(te-he-he.."fanny" 
in england that doesnt mean bottom!! hehehehe girly giggles!!)
Sunnie BearsI usually use locline armatures in the legs if I want a big one to stand. It helps because you can then bend it at the knees slightly to help it balance.
Also if it is falling forward, you need to move the lags a bit to the rear and if it is falling backwards, you need to move them forward. And last, but not least, SHOES REALLY HELP!
Sonya
Burlison BearsI made a big bear once, and how I got it to stand was lining the footpads with cardboard. To avoid the stiff feeling on the outside put felt down first into the footpad, and then the lining of cardboard. You have to cut the cardboard into the same footpad shape, but much smaller all the way around or it will stick out the sides of the feet and look awful. It's a trial and error sort of thing. I also had put steel shot in the feet/ankles...but what really made it stand was the cardboard. Good luck.
-Eliza
Back Road BearsBig feet help, or at least a good amount of FLAT surface space on the soles of the feet. I find that the feet shaped like eggs - meaning the toe is smaller than the heel - have a more dificult time standing up as there isn't much to keep them from falling forwards.
When I stuff my legs I weight the FEET heavily and put the footpad on a flat surface when stuffing. This helps keep the foot flat, giving the bear a good foundation to stand on. You might be able to manipulate the stuffing the foot enough now though to still get a flat foot.
Body stuffing is tricky.... I do fill up the lower 1/3 of the body cavity with weight but am very careful to distribute it evenly so there isn't more in the belly than the butt, behind, buttocks, seat, arse or whatever you call it in the country you live in! 
Ankles need to be very very strong. Think of an ice skater.... those ankles have to be solid. No loosey goosey ankles or it won't be able to hold itself up... especially a bear the size of Jai's!
Flying Fur StudiosMy bears stand up by themselves and I also do this by stuffing the feet with glass beads and like Daphne said, making sure the ankles and stuffed very firm.
I also find it helps if when my bear is standing to design the pattern so the ankles touch. I find this adds to the stability.
Let me see if I can find a picture...........
See how the legs come together?
Waggle BearsHeather, you say you stuff with glass beads in the feet so I have a question. I purchased glass beads when I first started bear making and when they arrived they were so itsy bitsy teensy that I was afraid to use them thinking they might work their way out of the mohair backing.
So do you have this problem? Do you sew them into little bags of muslin first? If so, how you you get them distributed in the foot?
I would appreciate yours and everyone's advice on how they use glass beads.
Thanks...Marlys
Flying Fur StudiosMarlys,
The glass beads dont' come out at all. Mohair backing is pretty tight and strong in my experience and it doesn't even sneak out the seams or anything. Try it and you'll never go back. I LOVE My glass beads! I don't sew them into bags if I'm putting them in the legs or arms. I just pour them right in and have never had one come out.
Let us know how it works out for you
Waggle BearsThanks so much Heather. I will try them on my next bear. The one I am making now has bent legs. I will let you know how it goes. 
Barebears by "Jai"Thanks to all of you who were kind enough to respond to my question about making a bear stand up. I will try the different techniques. You were all very helpful and I sincerely appreciate it. Jai
