Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Hi,
Ontario is a really big province, and there aren't many supply shops. However, Disco Joints and Teddies is located just north of Toronto, so maybe about 1.5-2 hours drive from Guelph?  (Not totally sure as I'm about a 15 hour drive from Toronto.)     Here are the numbers:
PHONE:  519-699-5762
FAX:      519-699-4525

I had excellent success with items ordered from them. They also do shows and would likely have a handle on who is doing workshops in the Guelph/Toronto area.  You can also check with the McKays (teddy bears on vacation.    http://www.teddybearsonvacation.com/   I'm sure they'll have a line on some workshops as well.

nancy t

Hi,
The bear you are referring to in the book is called "What Fun, Four Heads in One" by Edie Barlishen.   I'm not sure what technique she used to create her bear, but I used to teach an online class called Fabulous Faces which had 3 heads and one body. We made a bear head, bunny head and puppy head. The body is built with a neck 'stump' and the heads have a liner that ties securely around the stump.  Planning to release it as an ebook this year.  It's scheduled to be book 4. Currently Elf, and Belle are released, and the next one will be 'Smile- open mouth bears.'     The Belle ebook is bonus material on the 101 Bears to Make ebook CD which is available on my website.

hugs,
nancy t

Hi! Mine have started arriving also!   I'm a bit late sending mine out, as they went to the post this morning....so some overseas may get a New Years greeting rather than a Christmas card!  And yes...thank you to Gail for organizing this again this year! 

hugs
nancy t

A copyright exists automatically on artistic works, so if the author of the email actually created the artwork, then she does in fact own the copyright. Copyright lasts for 50 years. After that, the rights are transferred to the person's estate. An extension can be granted. If none exists and the estate is disbanded, the copyright will then go into the public domain.   

Simply because something exists on the internet does not mean that it's free to use.   When an artist does give permission to use their art, it's called licensing.  This usually means that some form of royalty (payment) is paid to the artist upon the sale of each item.   This can range from a few cents to a percentage and is laid out in a licensing agreement.   

Some websites will allow the royalty free use of their images. You'll need to read their user terms to ensure you are complying with their free licensing agreement.  Online libraries of images however... you must be careful here as many of these images are themselves just used from the internet. You might find something about copyright in their user terms as well, and you may find that some of these sites are not well policed. As a result many copyrighted images may appear in them.

Stock photo houses often have many free images available, and others that you can purchase for a very minimal fee (less than a dollar.)  Again read the user terms...you can't use the images for [INVALID] and other restrictions may apply.  istock,  shutterstock and dreamstime are some of the best known stock sites.

Your email demands all your profits. That she cannot do. She can ask you to remove the infringing items from your site. She can pursue a genuine copyright infringement by law suit, but this is expensive to do. 

Hope this helps!
hugs,
nancy t

Hi,
I got a message this morning from one of the members here.   I remember messages like this as being a scam about 2 years ago.  Looks like Eileen's email may have been hacked.  Be sure not to send money!

I'd email her personally, but if her email's been jacked, that won't do much good.  If anyone else has a way of contacting Baird's Bears please let Eileen know!
Here's the email:

"I'm writing this with tears in my eyes,my family and i came down here to London,England for a short vacation to visit a resort and got mugged at gun point last night at the park of the hotel where we lodged.All cash,credit cards and cell were stolen off.I've been to the embassy and the Police here but they're not helping issues at all,our flight leaves today and I'm having problems settling the hotel bills.

The hotel manager won't let us leave until i settle the hotel bills(1,550GBP)now am freaked out.Please reply and let me if can you have the money wire to me through western union i promise to pay back as soon as i get back home.We are freaked out at the moment

Thanks

Eileen"

I'm hoping someone here will be able to contact her and let her know about this (probable) hijack.
hugs,
nancy t

Hi,
check the new online class at www.ebearz.com   Audio, video, text, chat, photos and written. Something for every type of learner. The new classes combine all the traditional online techniques with a 'live' lecture hall online.    This past weekend was the Designing Teddy Workshop.  October is a Master Bear class. I'll be posting the info page on that shortly.

hugs,
nt

Thank you for the link jorge!  I've contacted them as well and asked them to remove the file. The original file in the first link of this thread has been removed, as well as a few others that I found while doing a Google search.

I've been diligently working on the book!  Should be done soon.  Oct 1st will be my 18th anniversary making bears, so that's also my goal for the re-release.
bear hugs,
nt

Well AMEN to that!  Glad to hear that you're blogging. BTW...it's time to test! R U Ready?

Awww...thank you!   I'm glad that you liked it!

Wubbie .... If you can come to see me, which would be an awfully  long journey ... then I would absolutely cut some out for you.  In the meantime, I haven't forgotten our emails and have been mulling over your circumstances.  I may be able to help you out in a few weeks.  I'll keep you posted.
hugs,
nt

Hi,
Filing the appropriate copyright forms takes a bit of time, but I've now sent them to the filehost as well as a number of sites linking to the infringing files. Thanks for the heads up on this!
bear hugs,
nancy t

ps... the book (updated version) will be available on my newly overhauled website this fall. Look for the new website in 7 -10 days. www.kranbearys.com

Hi,
Glad you liked the book!   It is currently out of print, which is why it is so expensive on other sites. I will be re-releasing it personally at a modest price in the very near future from my website.

hugs,
nt

Unfortunately, this is a blatant infringement upon my copyright as the author of this book, and the owner of the copyright.  I have requested that they remove it from their site immediately.
nancy tillberg

Yes, mink is the actual animal skin, as are all real furs.  There are different ways to get them, including pelts (directly from a trapper) this is generally a single animal skin.  Plates are animal skins sewn together in either a square or an oval shape, or those pelts which have been made into a coat.

My personal policy for the past 17 years is that I work with recycled garments/items only.  I do not use new pelts nor will I work with endangered species.

I believe that working with the coat gives the animal a second chance at life, especially if the coat belonged to a loved one, and the bear creates a treasured heirloom.  I don't work with new pelts, ranched or otherwise, as I don't believe in perpetuating the killing of animals for the sake of luxury. ( My exception over the years would be Alpaca rugs made from animals that have died a natural death, as these animals are normally raised to have their fur shorn.)   I have yet to run into someone who will buy a fur coat just to have it made into a bear.  The coats are always used, and generally are 30 years or older.

Having said all that, this can be quite a touchy subject and you'll find many opinions out there on what is and is not ethical.  I would advise that you think the issue through thoroughly, and then devise your own policy, and then stick to it.

Working with real fur is a whole other ballgame, and there are all kinds of techniques involved and extra steps that are not present in working with mohair. (taking apart the coats, layout, cutting, lining, trimming etc.)   After sewing real fur, mohair is easy like a hot knife through butter.

hugs,
nt

Don't eliminate any source for good quality, inexpensive coats.  I've found some on ebay, some from furriers, but many have also come from donations, thrift shops and garage sales.  Mind you, there's also a lot of junk to be found out there in all of these places, but it's a great feeling when you happen across a beautiful $20.00 coat at a yard sale.  Once upon a time I even ran a classified ad in the newspaper "Seeking old fur coats."  I got about a dozen from that ad alone.  You can ask for them on Kijiji also.  You'll be surprised how many people will donate their old coats to you once they know you are looking for them. Many people would rather see the coat used by someone than have it go to the landfil or thrift shop.

nancy tillberg

I've used long strands of straight or curly raw mohair and needle felted the individual bits into place.

Love the scrapbook bear!  How clever!     

Most of the hairless bears that I've made have been commissions made from garments like wedding dresses etc.  I've also done a number of bears from military uniforms, leather jackets and old blue jeans.  What I discovered is that my hairless  bears need to be a little larger in the pattern than a fur bear would be. The fur gives bulk that just isn't there with fabric. I like to make 'wet cats' when I'm designing. That is ... a bear made from my pattern in muslin. This tells me if the pattern is the correct shape and size. Then I make the bear in the fur or in this case in the commissioned cloth.  I call them wet cats because they remind me of how a big fluffy cat in the bath can look very thin.  Here are a few pics of past commissions.

hugs,
nancy t

I'm hosting an Easter Egg hunt on my website and Facebook page.
The person who collects the most eggs wins a free online workshop.

All the details are posted at http://www.kranbearys.com/Ebearz/easteregg.htm

Happy Hunting!
and Happy Easter,
nancy t

Awesome Goat!  I see he's already sold!   Love the face and the detail with the clockwork parts.

hugs,
nt

Here's the Wikipedia definition of steampunk.

Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s.[1] Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and often Victorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; in other words, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology may include such fictional machines as those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne or real technologies like the computer but developed earlier in an alternate history.

So in a nutshell, steampunk is a style, rather than a person.  It's a combination of old fashioned sci fi meets the Victorian era. Think Captain Nemo sort of.  I personally love this style.  (I've purchased jewelry that incorporates velvet and chiffon ribbon and pearls with old watch parts.)   I think it would make an awesome cat Karen!

Hi again,
If you're comfy with layers and like to use keyboard shortcuts, you can also select the item you want for your new layer and then press CTRL and J at the same time.  (Command and J on a MAC.)  This will promote the selection to a new layer. To work on that layer, you must have it highlighted in the layers pane on the right.

hugs,
nancy t

Here's how I would do it:

Assuming that you already have a background created for your new creation:
Select the item you want for your new layer as you've done with the magnetic lasso tool.
EDIT>COPY
Next,
Create a layer by going to LAYERS> NEW>LAYER.
Rename this new layer whatever you want so that you can keep track of multiple layers. Click OK.
Select the new layer in the Layers panel on the right.
EDIT> Paste your selection into the new layer. 

You should now be able to  drag, move around the selection.  You can adjust opacity in the Layers panel at the right.

Hope this helps you out!
hugs,
nancy t

Hi,
All the bears on the cover of my book have scissor or razor sculpted cheeks. No extra pieces were used in the muzzle.  I have a video on my class site that shows how to do it. The video is free.  http://www.ebearz.com/Agora/tiki-list_f … alleryId=1   Visit this link and click on Scissor and Razor Sculpting Video.   Hope to see you in one of the classes.
bear hugs,
nancy tillberg

I've received 7 lovely cards ... that are all proudly displayed on my window sill. Thank you so much everyone! And thank you Gail for organizing this swap.
Fingers crossed that the cards I sent overseas get there before Christmas!