Banner Sponsors
For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
Well with the confirmed death of a preteen with no underlying medical conditions I think we will most likely get the shot. Most other deaths had underlying medical conditions that made the flu that much worse, now it seems to have started affecting healthy people. I never get the regular flu shot, but this one I likely will. Now that said it will not be available to us until Dec or Jan. So hopefully I don't come down it before we get inoculated.
Hey Nan, I'd be interested in knowing what program you used to draw out your pattern.
I think everything looks good as well, but I agree the head will likely need to be made bigger.
hugs
Shane
So nice to hear from you Louise. I am sure you will enjoy your new home, it will take some getting use to but as you say a lot less work and you can come and go as you please. Look forward to seeing some new bears when you find some extra time.
big hugs
Shane
I use to attach the arms and legs to the body first and then stuff them and sew up the openings. I found this very awkward and frustrating. I now stuff the limbs and sew up the openings prior to attaching them to the bear. Whichever you prefer , there is no right or wrong way.
hugs
Shane
I have also found adding a heel to the foot, so at the back of the foot when you design the pattern, kind of create a a heel at the back, this will allow some weight to be on the back of the foot and not having to worry about all the weight going to the front. Also some people have used a heave cardboard in the foot of the bear, nice flat surface and makes the bear stand very nicely. When I do a standing bear I put weight in the toes, in my 18" standing bears there is likely a pound of shot in each foot, but then I don't put very much shot in the tummy. I find it's not needed as I only put steel shot in the tummy when I want to make the bear heavier, well with so much weight in the feet there is usually no need for extra in the tummy. So your hubby could be right and perhaps you are over feeding them 
. Hope this helps
hugs
Shane
I think in time ebay will be gone, their sales are down and they are unable to attract new new people to the site. They reported this in their last quarterly report. They are treating everyone like crap, oh of course unless you are a big seller who wants to resell something. At one time you could get bargains on ebay, now I find them more expensive and I can find what I want elsewhere (like Etsy). I understand for selling bears and dolls people do well, but their fee's keep going up and up and they have no customer service. I understand that some collectors will only buy from ebay that's fine, but I think that's just silly if you ask me. As long as the site is reputable and payments are secure, then why would one not bother to buy from another site. Nothing like NOT helping the industry by just sticking to ebay. People have tried as you mentioned Laura to open other sites but if you can't get collectors to try out another site then it's not going to work. Bear artist did support the other sites to a degree, but the collectors didn't move. Ebay or nothing else, and I think those collectors are missing out on fantastic prices and bears on other sites.
Just my two cents worth, but trust me I will do a happy dance the day that ebay goes bust. They treat people like crap but people keep flocking back to it. As I said before I realize people have to make a living but I know lots of other teddy bear artist who are making a living and not using ebay.
Ok off my soap box and back to making bears for Chicagoland next weekend wooohooooo.
I hear ya Karen, I wasn't meaning to put anyone down who uses ebay. I glad I don't own shares in them, as they are having a really hard to get people on board, give them a few more yrs and people will be saying "remember that great auction site, what was it called again hmmm oh ebay" . I know it's a great tool for getting recognized and people do make great money on it (including ebay) and everyone is correct that ebay is a great tool for business.
big hugs
Shane
I agree Karen it will turn away the collectors. When I look I don't want to buy from a reseller I want to buy from the artist. Ebay does not want artist on their site but people still continue to list there. I hardly ever go on there anymore as they have made it so awlful for people, sellers and buyers. I know people need to make a living and such but why do people continue to support an auction site that does not give a toot about you or your product.
I'm also very tired of finding non artist work in the artist area. Far to many John R Wright stuff showing up in there. John R Wright might be an artist but the bears and dolls being listed in the artist area are not by by him, they are mass produced and as such should be in the manufactured listings. I understand that they are his designs but he did not make them, I'm tired of searching through page after page of non artist bears and dolls.
We use artificial sinew for attaching our eyes. We use one long strand and double it, we have sculpted the eye sockets and done the thread sculpting. We insert the eye and we come out through the bottom of the head near where the head joint is. We bring both eye strands out near one another. I am usually the pusher and Steve the puller, I push on the eyes and Steve pulls and I hold them in place while he uses the strands and ties them off about three times. He then brings those strands up through the head near where the ear will be and this should sink the knot in the neck or close to it. Because of the position of the knot if it does not sink it won't be seen or felt anyway. but much easier to have two people do it, so enlist the help of someone when you are tying off the eyes.
Hope this helps
I find it very interesting that this is just coming up now. There is an "artist" who now is designing her own bears I think. But previously she would buy bears and rework them, some were maufactured bears. She just did a rework on them, and these bears sold on ebay for huge dollars, I don't know why anyone would buy one but collectors gobbled them up. I think it's really no different then when artist have bears made offshore, but you have to read tags closely because you as a collector would think the bear was made by the artist, but it just says "finished by ...." or whatever but the artist did not even touch the bear.
I can't say I would want it done to one of my bears, but I will bet it's going to start happening more and more. Karen not sure if we are automatically copy righted in Canada. I do believe we have have to apply for copy right.
Find a new supplier Karen, if they are going to do that then I wouldn't give them my business. The whole reason for us buying any white mohair is to dye it. I've never even heard of this being done before, so if it's something new then lets hope it doesn't spread to every supplier. Now is it the supplier doing it or the mill itself?
Thanks Cyndee, it's nice to hear the opinion of someone who knows. I know our friends had a dog and they had him clipped really short, he was embarrassed as heck and he didn't even want to play after the fact.
I know the stuff my groomer used was not harmful to animals or people , she did one little dog and gave her pink ears and a a pink tail. This little dog felt like a princess, she paraded herself around and was so proud. My dog would not have anything to do with it let me tell you, she wouldn't sit still long enough lol.
hugs
LOl Ok I'm going to be the odd ball here. I think they are fantastic, no harm is done to the dogs, they basically are all poodles who get their fur cut anyway so they are use to being trimmed. What's the difference in doing this and or people who dress their animals up ( we've seen that on here and people thought that was adorable).
This is fantastic art work, I mean I hate it when a poodle is trimmed in a poodle cut I think they look stupid, but with the amount of work that went into these I think it's spectacular. Our groomer does the dying of the fur but I have not had my dog done as she is to much of a Tom boy to be coloured.
big hugs
Shane
Yes I agree too, I should have mentioned Farrah as well, it has been a tragic day.
hugs
Shane
Well I know for sure that Steve is going to be at the Chicagoland show, if we can save up enough money I may show up as well. We are trying to save pennies as we have four shows within about a month of each other so lots of expenses with flights and hotels and such. If you give them to Steve they might make it home to me .
big hugs
Shane
I agree Kristina, I grew up with his music as well. I believe he lived a very tortured life, having no childhood and being abused by his father the way he was. I can only hope he has now found peace.
Shane
I'd like to come back for a visit Luann heehee I am in need of some BBQ. Maybe next spring we will make it back as our friends in San Antonio want us to come for Fiesta. OH gosh and I NEED Pralines yummmmmmmmmmmmy. We will certainly look you up again when we are back in your neck of the woods.
big hugs
Shane
I was going to say fishing line as well (great minds think alike Carolynn). We have used it on rabbits and it was pretty unruly but added to the character of the piece worked great on cats and lions as well.
big hugs
Shane
I'll also agree with Laura Lynn, if you can get your hands on the Jennifer Laing book it's one of the best. The Teddy Bear Encyclopedia is very good as well for learning new techniques.
One can never have enough teddy bear making books :crackup: .
big hugs
Shane
Found the video Judi, if anyone is interested in seeing it. You have done a beautiful job, very lifelike and so adorable.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjWtRYaxmWM
big hugs
Shane
Usually we take a day off or two off and then we are right back to work. We are the same as Daphne, I feel so alive and enthused after a show and so full of energy that I don't want to lose that and we start designing and sewing. Of course we usually have another show right on the horizon so we have to keep going. I think we have three shows within four weeks of one another this fall so we have been working all along getting bears and bunnies done up so we don't have a big rush at the end. We use to do that and then found it was no fun and was to stressful, so now we set a goal of x number of bears per week to be done and set aside for shows.
big hugs
Shane
