Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I love his expression so much!! He is just great, wonderful job.

Yes, I had given up on the picture after several attempts to post this as I could not get one in an acceptable file size....
Thank you both for the tips, I will give them a try.  I am very new at this pattern designing so I will check on the paw pad size first as this may be my error .

Hello, I tried searching the library first but only found topics involving the pulled toes. I am having buckling of the fabric around the perimeter of the paw pad. I hand sew all the paws including the trapunto pads. Is it an inconsistency with my stitches or maybe the type of footpad fabric (it is rather thin)? Adding more stuffing isn't completely taking it away but I will keep at it with my stuffing tool unless anyone has some suggestions for me.

Hope it shows up well in the photo....

Thanks, jessi

Thank you so much for the tips! I will have to give them a try with the next bear.
Jessi

Okay, so working with black fur and any faux fur with a black backing has been a pet peeve of mine for a while now. Was wondering if anyone would be willing to share what works best for them when trying to mark out the pattern. I cannot seem to find anything that will mark the fabric easily. My current marking tool does an okay job, but I definitely cannot get a precise line out of it and it ends up distorting the pattern pieces.

Any advice would be helpful, thanks!
Jessi

Hello,
I couldn't find exactly what I needed in the library as the answer to this topic is currently unavailable, so I thought I would come directly to the experts. I am just starting out in the teddy world, and have mainly stuck to bears, but a friend requested I try and make her bear look more like a dog. I have been having fun with this request and made some terrier like ears for it, and added wire in them so I could achieve a 'one ear up/one ear down' look. Now I am having trouble deciding how to attach them correctly to the head.

Do I bury or attach the wire inside the head, or just sew it into the base of the ear and then attach them? I have left a length of wire extending from each side of the base of the ears to keep my options open, and have not sewn the bottom of the ears closed yet.  I am just winging it so far as these are my first attempt at wired ears. Hope I am explaining it well enough.

Thank you,
Jessi

This guy and his brother were both made from Jennifer Laing's bear cub pattern. They were anxiously waiting for my nieces under the tree this past Christmas.

Thanks for looking!

Oh good, I was just looking at '101 bears' today. Even used on amazon it is still quite expensive so I decided to hold off for now. Please let me know what you think of it. The description and all the reviews look great.

Hello,
I have just started out with bear making myself and have been gathering up some books. I also wanted to get into designing my own patterns so I was trying to find ones that focused on that, and have found 'teddy bear art-how to design and make great teddy bears' by Jennifer Laing very helpful. It is easy to understand and has a lot of diagrams to follow, as well as proper ratios and techniques. I did not have a sewing background at all before I began with bears so it has been a good 'bear basics' for me.

I have a few more on the way and will let you know if I find them helpful as well. I'm sure you will get some more great suggestions from people here. I also found that the library on this site has answered any bear related questions I have come up with as well.

He is beautiful!! What a perfect face.

Omg... he is gorgeous! I love his face.