Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Thanks Karen!  Maybe if I had your talent it would be easier.  I will give it a shot!  Kim

Hello - I have been staring at my Boston Terrier for some time to try to figure out how I can make her jowls out of mohair.  Any ideas on how to make a pattern for this?

K . Thomas

Anyone have ideas for whisker material?  I am doing some light colored bunnies and would like a white or clear colored whisker. Also, how would you suggest inserting it into the muzzle?

Thanks for your thoughts!

Kim T

Joanne,

Thank you for sharing your method and being so helpful with the pictures and everything.  Your bear on Ebay is stunning...you are a truly gifted bear maker!  I have been trying to figure out a method for this for some time.  I love to needlefelt and hate to embroider.  You are extremely generous to share your method.  Thank you so much!

Kim T

I did not think this could be done, but I recently saw a bear with a waxed/felted nose.  It does not appear to have embroidary stitching done over the needlefelting either.  Has anyone tried it?  Any suggestions?

Kim T

I don't know if you needle felt or not, but you could do that.  Maybe felt on toe shapes to cover the hole or just felt on a cute shape.  I did the same thing a few years ago.  I sewed on a wool felt heart and then put other hearts on the bear to match.  I looked like a planned it all along.  Kim T

Hi Everyone,

I want to make a bear the same size as my daughter for her Bday.  She is about 30 inches so I want the bear to be about that size.  Anyway, I don't have a clue how to do the armature and wiring to be sure it stands up.  I have been doing the home made armatures for my 15 inch bears with copper wiring and the electrician connector things ( sorry, don't know the technical name here.)  I could do this, but am thinking that I probably need something thicker.  Anyone ever done this?  I have never used locline...would that work?  I would appreciate any input.

Kim T

I add salt to the RIT dyes to tone the color down a bit.  Not sure if it works on Kool-aid or not?  Kim T

I'd like a perl cotton nose stitching elf.  Anyone know where I can get one of those?  Kim T

Please let us know you if you are going.  You are one of my alltime favorite artists and I would want to be sure and come if you were there with all of my favorite regulars.

Kim T (Portland, OR)

Thanks everyone!  That is just the encouragement I needed to take the plunge and give it a try.

Kim - I wear pink all the time too and also collect pink bears/bunnies.  I think I am influenced a lot by my toddler daughter who is obsessed with pink as well! Of course, lately, she's been into green as well,so I can see that mohair trend coming ...

Kim T

Hello Everyone,

A few years back I went through a pink mohair fettish ( I am cured now) and have quite a bit of baby pink, medium pink, rose and magenta colored mohair laying around.  It is really good quality mohair and I would like to do some dying to get it more towards the brownish tones.  I am not good with a color wheel and was wondering if any of you have ideas on which colors to use? Is there a way to get color out completely?

Thanks for help!

Kim Thomas

Wow, are you guys painting the cording after it is already glued in the eye?  I never thought of that.  You both must have very steady hands.  Any tricks to keep the paint off the eye/fur etc?  Thanks for the input.  Kim T

Thank you for the pictures Judi.  Your daughter is a cutie pie.  I will give it a go and see what happens.  Kim

Debbie,

I will try that.  I wasn't planning on cutting the fabric at all.  I was just going to indent a bit of a "shelf" to glue a tip of a tongue on.  Have you ever tried that?  Do you think it is possible?  Thanks a bunch!  Kim

Hi - I don't post here often, but do read almost daily and love all the wonderful advice.  I am ready to give up on attaching a lower jaw and instead would like to scultp one in.  I would want it just big enough so I could have a little bit of tongue showing.  My question is...do you think this could be done on a traditional type bear pattern or would the head pattern need to altered to make more room for scultping in a mouth?  Also, any suggestions on where to anchor the sculpting stitches?    Any thoughts are appreciated.

Kim Thomas

I found it in the floral section like he said.  I was at a Walmert Super Center in Oregon.  It said American Moss Excelsior on it.  It is only a little over a dollar a package.  Kim

Hi Jared,  I found the excelsior at Walmart just like you mentioned in an earlier post.  I cannot believe how cheap it was!  Anyway, I have been wanting to try it for years and now have a chance. I was wondering just how to work with it?  I read that Jenny J. soaks hers and then lets it dry.  I don't think I have the patience for that.  Can I just mist it?  Do I stuff the nose firm or just partially stuff until it dries?  Thank you for any help.  Kim T

As someone who makes/buys bears and does not sell them, I absolutely hate it when the artists "pounce" on me and tell me to pick up the bears.  Mainly because I know the hours and hours of work that goes into making a bear and yet it still may not "call out" to me to pick it up.  I either feel bad or feel obligated to pick something up off the table even if I do not want to. I go to shows often and avoid overbearing artists when I recognize them (luckily, there are not too many.) I am kind of shy, though, and it may just be me. I think it would be good to make initial contact, but then know when to back off if the customer is not too chatty and let them look.

As far as sewing behind the table, that does not bother me and I find it fascinating. I suppose others may be put off by it.  I got into bear making some 10+ years ago when I attended a show in Lincoln City, OR and Susan Arnot was making a bear at her table.  She readily showed me how it was done and I thought she was just the nicest person ever.  She took such pride in her work and I was so impressed that I now own three of her bears.  Anyway, these are just some thoughts from the opposite side of the table.  Truly, if I really wanted a bear, I would get it one way or another regardless of how I was approached. You all do terrific work and I really enjoy reading these posts.
Kim T

Speaking of Marlene De Lorenzo... I am dying to get my hands on some of her patterns, but everything on her website comes in a "kit."  I really do not want to pay for the joints, mohair etc to be shipped to the US.  I emailed directly on the website asking to buy patterns only, but never got a reply.  Do any of you gals down under know where I might buy just the patterns?

Kim T

Maybe I missed this, but how do you put the shoe polish on the nose?  Kim T

Deb,

You have been so kind to disclose how you did your nose.  May I ask what material you used for the eyelids?  They are terrific!

Kim T

Jenny, if you don't mind me asking, how do you do the hair?  Is it just longer mohair?  I love the look!  So original!

Kim T