Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Yes....the fun backgrounds can be neat to see.  But. I guess it is more for your own picture files and perhaps a site photo or whatnot...

   For mags or challenges/contests...they require plain background so that all of the detail is visible.   For sale situations,   it is good to keep it quite plain so the prospective buyer can make out all detail as well I would think.  Toss in a cutesy one if you like... but most of them should be plain background..  and if you prefer that anyway, so much the better.  Personal preference probably plays a huge part in what each person does with their pics.

you all snuck in while I too was being a WINDBAG!!  hahahahhah

Gaby.... Grandma Moses did a lot of that.... :)
yeh...this is a toughy Shelli....  maybe the answer/question thingy will sort out some of the unhappiness pervading the site the past few days...actually a couple of weeks now... a shame really.  Here is what I have...

1.  No I have not participated in any bear swaps after seeing what has happened in the doll world.....lots of complaing and whining over skill levels; personal positions on "art" ...etc... a shame but... .. and now this... ............  I was soooooo excited to watch the Christmas Ornament Swap and soooo wanted to participate in one as soon as possible..but now this!   ARRRGGHHHHHH

2.  AGREE wholeheartedly.  One must agree to accept the outcome...the name says it all..... random swap... and it is supposed to be for fun..not so you might "get" a certain artists bear. 

3.  NO if everyone agrees to play by the rules...but I guess if they are going to complain about what they get...it will have to be subdivided into groups to accommodate some people.

4. If you go to subdiving...I guess you will have to begin to use all 4 of those categories (and also other categories that will be tossed in just to make it more difficult than ever....sigh)

5.  Yes..how and who will decide on skill levels?... so..at this point...may I suggest...  go back to the original idea of a random swap.  If people do not wish to participate in case they get something they deem to be beneath them...so be it.  Just don't participate in the swap.   

6.  Perhaps there could be a set time at the beginning of a swap and if somebody can't make it...again.....don't participate.  Of course, there will be some unforseen circumstances...but mostly people should be able to organize their lives around a simple swap.

7.   Well, on this one I am adamant.  There seem to be no consequences any more in anything anywhere in this old world.....  certainly there should be something.   If a person doesn't hold up their end of a bargain... why should they be allowed to continue with antics like that?  I don't know how it would be possible to make sure a person has not held up their end of a bargain........but if it comes to light..they should definitely not be allowed to participate in a second swap until they fulfil the first obligation.  It is as bad as a dead beat Dad getting remarried and forgetting about his first kids isn't it?

8.  AGREE..... Indeed........ why make the poor swap co-ordinator babysit the swappers and the swapees??   C'mon people..... we are all adults here....lets behave like we truly are.  If somebody goes to all the trouble of organizing a swap...let's participate in the spirit of the thing as it was initially intended.    FOR SOME FUN

Well, there are my two cents worth.... mind your toes if I stepped on any!

Congrats Gemma.....

I happen to think weddings are over rated myself..but that is only me...I am in my 25th anniversary year of "living together"... the two of us are happily in this for ever regardless of any ceremony.

ahahahhahah too funny Marion..................................

but, seriously Penny,....this nag bag thingy could be entrepreneurial idea number 3003 dontcha know!!!!

Jennifer     ...

hard to say :"Cuter than mine" is what gets the bids.   The saying about beauty is in the eye of the beholder rings true with bears and dolls too.   Everybody is looking for something different.  There is prolly a buyer out there for each and every litle guy we make.   However, having said that...they are not all "out there" at the same time, the bozoes (is that a word? .. and sp??/ )... anyway you get my drift.....

I tried only 2 needle felts and figured if Norm (used to be Starbearies Studie) could do it ...so could I and sill me began them at $1..no reserve.  Big mistake...  ...even if I figured my little babies were very cute... (which they were) they sold for only $12 and $8 and I was devastated.  Sigh.... now I sell them locally and by word of mouth and from my picturetrail site.  Picturetrail is a good place to store pics and it is free up to a certain number.. I forget what that number is now.   I am not all that prolific anyway and my house isn't over run....yet.  Besides, I still have trouble letting most of them go..... I like my own little guys.   

If I do ebay again..I, too, would place a reserve and if it doesn't get there.... so be it.  Sell it later.  Don't give your little creations away.   Right now.. anime is pretty popular too...so... it, along with traditional, is a good way to go.

Natasha

I think one of the things you touched on all by yourself.... such tiny stitches for an impatient person!  hahahhah ...... I feel the same way which is why I like making smaller bears too.   Endless stitching for the body parts on the big bears seems to be so much stitching with not much to notice I guess.    I love the faces.... maybe I should just make heads....

BUT...... tiny perfect stitches are the key to making the shape turn out exactly as you plan it and also for making the seams look beautiful.   Don't rush anything... make sure the stitches are tiny and keep them taut (not pulled so tightly that they pucker up.....but don't let them be the least bit loose either... the tautness might take a time or two to get right)   They when you stuff your little guys they don't pull and separate.  Yes...I can see that the fabric you used might not hold that well when you do stuff...so... again ...as the others mentioned... fabric is important.  A decent piece of mohair or synthetic can handle very firm stuffing and won't separate.   However, your stitching does need to be spot on as well and it is just a lot of practice as you also mentioned.  Take your time and don't hurry any part of bringing a little cutie to life. 

Send us all your address..... we can each send you a small piece and then you won't have to feel obliged at all.   It is not a big deal for us to send a bit in an envelope.....and it will make us feel great to be able to help out.

awwww ... so cute...      we used to have hamsters as kids.   I love their little faces.

All told she took me about two full weeks of time...at about 6 hours per day.....I guess.  I began her in England with a fairly well known doll maker...and finished the trims back home in Canada.  It is my first effort with a lot of the techniques...so pretty slow and having her there to help was a treat....   the trims of course, were just hand sewing and I could do that okay alone.

Hahahahahha..... I want one of those too Deb.... but no... she has had major cosmetic surgery.  Tweaked all over the place!!

This is one of my first efforts with a polymer clay face and then cloth over....the facial features are then coloured on with water colour pencils.  I have never considered myself artistic at all.  I took an online class...got instructions on how to draw and colour eyes etc.. ... and just went from there.  I still look at my notes that I downloaded...

I, too, don't really sew and certainly don't want to learn to sew clothing.  This is all just pieces of fabric... stitched directly onto her body and made to look like a dress.  Trust me..I can't sew clothes!  lol    the hat is cardboard base... feathers, flowers and ribbon.   Great fun glueing and stuff..... her little boots are Apoxy Sculpt clay..     

Check out my picturetrail for some other dolls and there are no scary clowns...although one of my guys is holding a jester head...but not a scary one.....  I am really quite a rookie in the doll making world...but seeing is believing..if I can do .... I am sure you all could do it.    I have not sculpted a cloth face yet as it was easier to do the clay and put cloth over.  I got the shape I like and no stitching to try to make it look right.  I am a bit chicken to do much with my face as far as sculpting after I paint the eyes and stuff cuz it still is a lot of work for me.    I seem to think I would wreck it...but I must try it soon....
I just finished a doll for a challenge at Joggles.... they are not up on the site yet.   I probably should not show them til the results are in.  But...soon... and I have to say I pretty proud and pleased with how she turned out.

Hi all... just wanted to add one of my dolls... don't seem to be having much luck with the photo adding concept...hahahhaha     

let's see if it works this time..

Hahahahahhah ....what a cutie pie Jodi

People here drive around the city with their laptops..... find the fun spots and play away...... could be anybody that is doing it.  Once they find a fav spot... look out!  Be careful of accusing anyone... also.... good luck with charging and getting any help from the courts... if yours are like ours....they are full to overflowing and wouldn't have much time for someting like this.  It would be a huge waste of time and money.   You just need to protect your computer the best you can and move on.

You could just draw a few shapes on some cheap cottons or other fabrics..... stitch them up; turn them right side out and see what you get..... If they are not quite what you want... draw some more... start to tweak the shapes and go from there.....     when you are happy with them...go to a fabric of choice for the "pet"..       Let nothing but fear and gravity hold you back..... give a piece a try.    And one other suggestion...use fabric with no pattern on it to begin so that you can see clearly just what shape it is.

He is perfect!  Reminds me of the little eyeball guy on Monsters!  very cute......

OMG!! wonderful stuff.  Love them all....

Hahahha... if it is tricky..you are hooked Shelli.  You won't rest til you have it in the bag from what I see of you and your posts!!  I feel as though I know you well already!

Does the top of the body (at the neck area) angle down slightly at the front toward the chest?  I find that the more it angles down...when I tighten the joint...the head begins to angle upwards to get straight on the fabric.  I have even eneded up with a bit of fabric being a bit scrunched under the joint area... annoying....   ....  perhaps you could try less of an angle on the top of his body next time....see if it helps a bit...don't know for sure that it will...but... maybe....

I happen to like my bears looking up as they appear so ..uhm.... innocent looking then ... and I like that in a bear.

Working fine here in Canada too Jane!!

I am hoping my computer stays on though.... we are having a really howling wild wind and now some snow added to the mix... winter is finally coming? ... darn it... oh, well it is January after all and we have been having balmy temperatures here as well.  We so need cold and snow....

I did so little this year with bears of any kind.... but this is little Percy a needle felt that I think is pretty cute.  He has a piercing and and earring...he thinks he is so "with it"... lol

Bummer.....even I ordered from them.  I saw them at a bear show when I was in England two summers ago...... that is a shame........

Yeh,.... work and any promises to do things and people who expect anything of you.... get sooooo much in the way of having fun, don't they?

Paula,....I started making dolls just a couple of years ago.. in an online class.  I lhave to say I learned a lot from my very first class even thoughthe instructor did not give much in the forum as far as help with my particular questions.  However, she did have plenty of info that I was able to download.   I know have pages of stuff to refer to as I go along now making more dolls.  There is plenty of info on the web... just type in cloth dolls and you will find plenty to look at. 
Doll maker's Journey; Doll Street Dreamers; The Doll Net and Crafty College are just a few sites that have plenty happening all the time.  Email me if you like and perhaps I can give you some other sites to check out as and when I find them.  And even though I am a rookie..perhaps I can steer you in the right direciton for furthr info when you need it for certain things.   I belong to a local doll making group as well although they don't really do all that much...but sometimes they have a bit of info I can use..perhaps there is a local one near you?
I now am learning to sculpt some faces and laying cloth over that for the faces..I prefer it to sculpting in cloth.  I love the flat faces and making them loolk 3D with water colour pencils.   I also love the sculpted faces out of polymer clay.  oh, toooo much to do and toooo much fun to have...it just never ends.

Shelli....love the new avatar ..... your little doll is great.... uhm.... I was looking for the beads on there too....where r u hiding them?   I wanna see them up close.

Hi Lisa... where r your dolls?  I didn't see anywhere on your site that went to your cloth dolls.  I started making some dolls in '04.... and have been busy "sweating it" finishing off a doll for a challenge.  When it is over and the voting in...I will show my doll.... still some beading and shoe painting to do yet..... puff...puff   I am such a procrastinator!  that is my resolution for the year.  NOt to do this to myself again.  If I dont get on top of it early and get finished more than a day ahead of the deadline... ...I will have to whip myself.  lol .....

congrats Patty!!    And good luck with the Nevada City show.....

What do you mean Chrissi?     If you are afraid to fly and you did it.... that is pretty daring!   and.... even if it is not physically adventurous...you entered a contest@   that is adventurous/adventuresome.... and you won yet!  good for you!  still putting yourself out there I say.  As with bear making..... some are slightly more adventurous and forward thinking than others.... .... and yes...even daring...... well, enough so to give it all a try anyway.  LOL ....      Anything new to us is an adventure really............and we all seem to be keen on trying new things.   

We seem to be ......adventurous, daring, innovative, proud of our accomplishments yet somewhat humble at the same time..... willing to share a bit of ourselves in the interest of getting to know each other better and being part of the family of TT... what a crew!!..