Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

He's so cute Lynn, I hope Jingles1 is appreciated wherever he is......   

Well my cute little penguin finally made it........in time for Easter       
Thanks Lynn

I don't use a cotter pin turner as it's no good for turing a crown joint and I don't like the spiral turn a cotter pin turner makes. I feel a crown joint is more secure and you get a better "spring" against the washer. I use a pair of long nosed pliers, a small pair for mini pins and a larger pair for bigger pins. Anything above about 10" gets locnuts and bolts, for the limbs and a grub screw for the head (unless it's a wobble).

He's so cute Gijzette! Hopefully he'll make it onto the tree
I'll pop out now and get a pic too, and then we'll have a choice

YAY!!!!!! Third time lucky! My ornament has arrived at last and he's just gorgeous! Thankyou Gijzette. It took three attempts to get here but he is well worth the wait  I'll get a pic of him tomorrow, (it's the end of the day here now and the light isn't good), so that we can hang him on the tree at last......in time for EASTER! YES!

Does that include the airfare Maria????? (I wish!)

Why would you want to go and see animals being abused in the name of  human "entertainment" anyway?  Especially when we have such wonderful acts as Circus Oz and Cirque du Soleil for our entertainment. the talent displayed by these people is amazing, there is absolutely no need for the inclusion of animals (in particular wild ones)

The leather adhesive I use comes from Bear Essence in Victoria. It is PVA based so doesn't have a strong smell, I think it must have some sort of retarder added to it which keeps it flexible longer, it does eventually dry crisp. The only other way to stop seams fraying is to oversew them very carefully, but of course this is no good in areas where you want to open the seam allowance unless you oversew them separately. Also double sewing the seam helps, once from one side and then again from the other side.

It sounds like Lynn has found some old stock, the backing on Alpaca furs hasn't been like that for years! When it first became available to bear makers it was awful to work with and you had to be really careful and persistent, but these days it is fantastic! It's my favourite fur to work with, I like natural fibres not the synthetics. So yes, use the PVA or water based leather adhesive, but steer clear of the "fraystop" which has a strong smell and dries really crispy, and also may eat you fabric over time since it  seems to have some nasty chemical base. And also Katy's suggestion of using it before cutting out is perfect (though obviously you can't do that with this bear since it's already cut out) I would run a thin bead of glue around all your edges and then use your finger to work it into the backing, it will dry more quickly and also spreads it thin so it's very easy to sew through.

I hope that everyone will get behind this. We have seen too many comps get canned lately. (Aaaand of course the judges are just loveeeerly    )

I guess it's either taking the scenic route or it has become lost in the post, then. Oh well 

I get a lot of my supplies from Bear Essence in Victoria, also Teddy's Bits in Sydney. And of course the lovely Jenni at the Teddy Tree   

Well here we are, well into February and still no christmas ornament for me 
I'd have to say I feel very disappointed......

I've PMed you my addresss again Karon.......maybe I'll get it in time for Easter! 

STILL waiting, I hope it's not lost!

I'm still waiting.........

Ah Francy, I'm so pleased that your ornament arrived in time for you to enjoy it over Christmas. I must admit that I was  little worried when you said that you were leaving for Italy.
Now I am waiting for mine to arrive.......
Maybe tomorrow..........

And make sure that when you stuff the head that your seam allowances are finger pressed so that they lay facing the nose, this will ensure that the fur will lie in the right direction so that the seam blends well into the rest of the fur. If you find that the fur isn't laying back after you have stuffed the head, a little seam manipulation with a strong needle from the outside will help.

Here in Tasmania we have had some beautiful Spring days but Winter keeps reminding us that it's still hanging around! I worked in the garden at the weekend and caught the sun on my shoulders and then on Monday we were treated to a very cold return to Winter. In a few weeks our weather will hopefully be more Summery 

Thanks for that Lynn

Something with a bear theme to hang on the tree usually, Francy. It's a fun little project for the lead in to Christmas. You might like to go through and find the previous years, I haven't time to find the link but if you trawl your way back through the general pages you will find them......unless someone else wants to find the link? 

Definitely one of Esther's bears!

If you design the bottom edge of the foot with a curve instead of straight across you will be able to incorporate a wider foot pad.

I think that's the best Meerkat I've seen, it absolutely captures the character of these animals! Superb!