Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Thank you so much for your reply, Michelle!

I will definitely give your suggestion a try. As I’ve been researching methods for turning, I found some turning tubes for dollmaking, I’m not sure those will keep the fur intact but I’ll give those a try, too.

I have ruined several limbs of bears now, very frustrating since I’m sewing them by hand and I’m super slow at that. When I use hemostats they invariably remove hair and I end up with a mess. There must be something I’m missing, how do you turn these small parts? Pretty Pleeeeeease!!!

Hello everyone!
I'm new to sewing minis, a few years ago I made a few that didn't turn out well. But I'm really determined to give this another try! I'm making these strictly for fun and just for myself, but I want very much to make really good quality bears. After doing some reading here, I can see some of the mistakes I was making, so I'm actually excited that maybe there's hope if I don't give up! I do have a few newbie questions and would be so appreciative of some help.

~ I'm currently making a very sparse mohair 4" bear from a kit. I've used Sassy's Magic fabric fixer all over the back of the material in a thin coat and blotted excess. Here's hoping that was the correct thing to do! Now, do I trim the hair from the seam allowance (in this case it's 3mm)?

~Would someone please try to explain to me how to know when the tension in my st is correct? What do I look for? Do you pull very tight?

Thanks so much! I'm sure I'll have more questions.... This forum is so amazingly helpful and I would have quit completely if it wasn't here! I've really learned a great deal already.

gingerbear

thanks for the tips.   i've been jiggling but not rolling the ball in my hands first,   i'll have to try that one!!! 

ginnie

OOOhhhh!  I've been wanting to get one of those videos but didn't know which one was the best option.  I have trouble with gussets and feet, and my noses need some help, too. Which ones are your favorites? The Laing video?

ginnie

thanks for the tips, girls.   i don't have much to post yet, judi... i did post my mouse already, the rest of the projects are "in the works".   hopefully my computer whiz son will be home from college this weekend and help me learn to resize my photos so i can actually have an AVATAR!!! whoopee!!! :lol:

i really LOVE needlefelting, it's just wonderful.     and since i don't really know what i'm doing i'm free to make all kinds of wacky experiments and mistakes along the way.    i've already tried whacking off half an arm and re-felting it and it worked great!  that's what i need, plenty of room for mistakes.  :rolleyes:

ginnie

Hi ladies,

For some reason the first needlefelted project I did went better than this next one,     so I am wondering if someone can clarify something for me, since I can't remember what I did the first time when it worked!!! :wacko:

I like my pieces needlefelted firmly. So when adding a longer snout to a round core ball, should I be felting that ball as hard as I can get it and THEN add the snout? Or should there still be some give in the initial ball when I add on to it? It seems the snout won't felt down as firmly when I add it afterwards.

Thanks!!!!!!!!

ginnie

susan, if anyone is left without a partner i would be happy to swap with another partner in addition to marion.    :rose:

ginnie

thanks so much for letting me come in at the last second, susan!  :rose:

ginnie

jenny, he is really adorable, i love his expression!  :thumbsup:

ginnie

amanda, he is just adorable!  he has a very sweet look about him, and his nose came out great! 

ginnie

Roxanne, if I can ever figure out how to post photos to this group without dear Penny helping out, I will definitely post some of Vermont for you! We would love having you for a visit, too.   :rose:

Penny your grandbaby Joshua is the sweetest little darling, you are a lucky lady this year!!!  :dance:

ginnie

that's terrifying!  but the photos are gorgeous....

ginnie

Daphne it's a difficult recording to find, but worth it if you can. I think it's on a cd with only another song or two on it.

ginnie

Here in Vermont we take sleigh rides and feed birds and go caroling and skating on the pond and build snowmen.... I love Christmas. Everyone volunteers, I love Vermont, Christmas is not about commercialization here among the people I know.

I have to admit I'm strange though.... I secretly listen to Christmas music all year long, hiding away with my ear phones on!!! Teeheee!!!

ginnie :redface:

wow, it's really hard to choose just one... especially since my daughter is named "noelle"  lol...  :whistle:

i like tori amos' version of "have yourself a merry little christmas", which for some reason reduces me to tears no matter who sings it!!! :cry:

sinead o'connor does the most beautiful "silent night" i've ever heard...

hard to beat vince guaraldi's jazzy peanuts christmas stuff.... :)

tony bennett's "snowfall" cd is lovely  :whistle:

anything from the choral group "chanticleer"  :love:

if i had to choose just one maybe it would be louis armstrong's "zat you santa claus?"     

ginnie 

oh,  i think i'm coming in too late, now i'm reading some of the last posts... sorry to be a bother girls, i'll try for next time, didn't mean to upset the balance of things!     

ginnie

well,   i would be coming in a little late   :rose:,   but i just found this thread today...nov. 1st... where can i get information on the requirements for this swap?   would anyone be unhappy with a needlefelted creature?     what are the sizes, , materials used, etc.?    thanks everyone!    this might be very fun!!!

ginnie

loved looking at all these creations.  i guess now i'll need to try making a pin!   great idea!!!

ginnie

a beautiful bear, marion!   makes me really want to take this class!!!

ginnie

hi deb!!!

i was just going through some past posts to catch up.   somehow i missed this post until today...  i can't believe you're in fairfax!   i'm in underhill.   i just went to your website and saw that there are several other bear artists in the area.   that's so great,  i hope i get a chance to meet some of you sometime!   i didn't even know there was anyone doing bears around here (you can see how connected i am!!!  :wacko:).

ginnie

gee, sorry to be so long to reply here, but i had no power for the last four days, we had a big 18" snowstorm here in vermont...   the snow was really wet and heavy so it broke many trees and took down all the power lines!   the worst part was that after dark, i couldn't do any needlefelting, there just wasn't enough light.  :cry:

anyway, i have already started a few more creatures, and tomorrow will post a photo of mousie who is, at last, finished.   i am really slow at this!   anyway,  i read somewhere that if i make the limbs too hard, they won't be able to move with the armature.  so i think i got it just right now, it's darned hard, as hard as i could get it with the armature inside, but not rock hard.   mousie is only 4.5" tall, so the arms are small and thin.   i tried all different sizes of needles, beginning with the largest needles first.  with a little more practise maybe i'll figure this out.  i wish one of you lived next door, though!!! :rose:

ginnie

oh this will be so fun,  i've always wanted to do minis,  tried a few times but got frustrated and stopped.  maybe now i can figure it out!  :rose:

ginnie

she is a very lucky kitty to have found you. :angel:

ginnie

from the buyer's point of view,  i always remember thinking... gee,  i wish they would list their items a bit more slowly that way i can save up for the next batch and get another one i love!    :love:

good luck with your beautiful bears!

ginnie