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When my studio looks like this....
Post fair chaos by jen_fripperee, on Flickr
I too am suffering from post-fair chaos.
You All sound like you've made wonderful starts! I'll be working on mine after the bear fair! on the weekend
Congratulations Bry!
oh they are adorable!!! Congratulations!
Ah karen you jogged my memory.
here are some links
http://www.visionaware.org/sewing_for_t … low_vision
Peter, they are so lovely! you are very luck to have them as part of your hug!
You have a very beautiful garden as well!
Warm regards,
jen
(ps i added you on facebook i'm under jen hook!)
Hi Wubbie,
I second the thread magic.
I wonder have you tried to use an old fashion needle threader? it is a little disc of aluminum with a fine piece of wire in a diamond shape attached. You thread the diamond through the eye of the needle and then the thread goes through the large hole in the diamond and then you pull the diamond and the thread back through the eye of the needle.
I know my mother used to use these when she began to lose her sight. I suspect you could achieve this by feel as the wire is stiffer and you would be able to feel when it went though the eye of the needle.
i don't know if this is useful.
Warm regards
janice
I agree with Joanne, If you are even thinking about it, do it!
You don't need to be making beautifully realistic bears on your first try. It's in the inches not the miles that we should measure progress.
Thanks Snookums, thanks Katy!!!
Dark bears are so hard to photograph but he looks like he has lots of personality!!
What a lovely job you've done! I adore his heartshaped appliqué.
I’d like to introduce you to Brody. His name means “muddy place and that is certainly appropriate because Brody likes to place outside & dig in the dirt. He makes the most amazing mud pies and if he goes home with you he may just hare his recipe with you! (Ps. I wouldn’t eat them if I were you!)
Brody is 17cm (6.5″) tall made from dark honey coloured antique felted mohair. He has a leather nose, pulled & shaded toes, english glass eyes and has been aged with acrylics & prisma markers. He has needle sculpting & an upward turned wobbly head joint.
His fat tummy is stuffed with glass beads for extra weight. Brody has small parts & is not suitable for children.
Brody will be looking for a new home at the Melbourne Teddy Bear Fair on the 1st May 2011.
brody_2 by jen_fripperee, on Flickr
brody_1 by jen_fripperee, on Flickr
All ok for lyn & I!!
Slightly OT but those of you who use the earth palette dyes did you purchase the wool or cotton dyes?
Karon, you are doing a wonderful job! Thank you!!!
I'm so excited!!
Thanks Everyone for your great replies.
I hope I haven't missed replying to anyone below!
I guess when it comes to magazine subscriptions, I have them because I enjoy reading the magazines and I want to support the companies that publish them.
When I think of professional organizations, I assume that my membership dues cover the costs of things like maintaining a useful website, organizing conferences, preparing professional position statements, or providing things like group insurance to the members (in a nutshell, all the administrative costs of the organization).
So to me they're different things, and I'm willing to support both, but I personally don't know of any teddy-bear-artist professional organizations that do all of the things I mentioned, and do them on a non-profit basis. (I'm not sure I answered your question, but I had fun thinking about it. :hug: )
Becky
Thanks Becky, I understand where you are coming from, I think what I'm getting at is a few magazines seem to be offering professional memberships that seem to be another name for paid advertising. I just wanted to know if people found they got traffic from these sites?
Sorry to divert the conversation, but I do like your avator bear. He is CUTE!!!!
Thanks Karon!
There are plenty of bear maker groups online to join and you might find a club near you that meets on a regular basis. This would give you the opportunity to meet with like-minded people, network, etc. Such online groups as the Guild of Master Bearcrafters would help you network internationally, learn about suppliers, events, contests, etc. Teddy Talk does much the same thing but the Guild if for artists only, not collectors. You'll find many of the same artists are members of many online forums/groups. There are many places to network online!
Magazine subscriptions are a totally seperate thing in my mind too. There are at least two paper magazines that you can get the digital ezine or iMag subscription to for a very affordable price. Teddy Bear Review (US) and Teddy Bear Times (UK)They are great reading and give you insight as to what's going on in the bear world. You can advertise in the mags for a cost or you can submit photos for possible print at no charge.
We all have to work hard and spend a lot of time at self-promotion in this industry. The more active you are in the bear community... online forums/social networking, doing shows, having a website or blog, meeting with a club, etc. the more exposure you'll give your work, more business you can attract and more friends you'll make. There are so many places to promote yourself.... no one place/group/guild/society can do it all for you.
Thanks for a considered reply Daphne. I definitely agree that there is no substitute for getting yourself out there and submitting to magazines, attending shows, being involved on forums etc.
I was just wondering, as i mentioned above, If the people who have professional memberships for the online magazines who offer it (bears & buds, mini teddy hugs) feel they get the value out of it?
I think it all depends what you're expecting to get out of the memberships. My other great passion is photography, although I am definitely not a pro there. I have seen many discussions about professional memberships in this arena, but that is a rather different context. For those wanting to sell their work such as landscapes or still life, they're a work of art, and you can take it or leave it, therefore it's unlikely a prospective customer is going to be swayed by qualifications. If, on the other hand, you wish to take the likes of wedding photos, portraits, product work, then professional memberships can be useful to show that you are not just a fly by night, popped up with a camera bought yesterday kind of thing. Finally there's those delivering courses - for these it can also be reassuring to the customer that if you have a professional membership you might know what you're talking about. I think, though, that for the most part teddy bear artists fall into the first category. You're not making a bear that will make or break somebody's memories of their great day, you are making works of art that people will either love and want, or they will pass on.
If it's drumming up business you're after, then I think Daphne's nailed it that it's self promotion that will pay off more. If whatever you're looking at gives you a lot of advertising for less money and/or hassle than organising it yourself, and you're sure that it will hit more people than you could target through forums etc, then great. Part of the cost, of course, is your time spent networking when you could be making bears.
Thanks Katy, I understand what you mean about the photography.
You are very right, self promotion is where it's at and I need to get on that bandwagon!
Hi, I'm not a professional, just someone who appreciates bears, collects a few and makes the odd one or four a year. But I just noticed that you are missing a huge opportunity on this site. Apart from your avator you have not really shown off your creations. You can use the showcase for sold peices (or peices going to a show) and Teddy Bears and other friends section for those on sale. You mentioned that you were attending your first show, please post piccies, we love them and its free advertising for you. I always look at the after show (pre show) photos that are shown on here looking for bears I like. I then look up the artists website and (if pennies permit) buy a bear. If its self-promotion your looking for, here's a great starting place! :thumbsup:
You are right, I'm not taking advantage of this site as much as I could. I'm currently putting together my bears for the Melbourne fair. So I'll be posting photos shortly.
Just trying one more time to see if anyone has opinions on this topic?
I know this may feel like advice for young hip designers and writers but I do think there are some solid gold words in this link.
Great Shane. Added you back!
Joanne a vanity URL means that you would be able to link to facebook.com/gresswellforestbears rather than http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gresswell … 8149360237
I think facebook have set it up so that you need 100 fans before you have the option of setting it up.
I've added your page shane! if you or anyone else wants to friend my personal page
I'm here http://www.facebook.com/janice.hook
and gresswell froest bears are here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gresswell … 8149360237
I think if we get each other up to 100 fans then we get the vanity url for our pages too!
That's really interesting SueAnn, Thanks for sharing how that works!
"hey hey! have you seen my Bruce Lee Impression?"
Hi Jody, Your 5 jointed bunny is great, such a cutey!
Lenora! oh no!!! I hope you are free of pain. look after yourself!
Hello all!
I am offering a FREE PATTERN from our archives to people who subscribe to our mailing list. I promise not to spam your inboxes or share your info. I’ll be sharing when new bears are on offer with the mailing list before anyone else! So simply sign up and 24 hours later your e-pattern will be in your inbox.
Fat bunny is a pattern with a photo tutorial included so it ideal for beginners and a fun quick Easter project for intermediate sewers.
bunnies2 by jenhook, on Flickr
Hi All,
I'd love to hear your opinions on the benefits of professional memberships/subscriptions to magazines like Bears & buds, mini teddy hugs, or in fact any other professional memberships.
I'm a member of the UK coloured pencil society& the Society of botanical illustrators Australia, and while they are lovely people and send out a nice newsletter each quarter I don't really see much more benefit than I get to mention that I'm a member on websites & such.
I'd love to subscribe but the bears & buds subscription is quite a commitment.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
warm regards,
J.
