Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

*Scratches head and wrinkles nose*

Hmmn.  I think I must have made my first bear back in ....

OUCH!!

My goodness!!!  Was it really THAT long ago!!!

*Gulps*

Er ... I think it must have been about 1992!  Yeeeks I'm past it!!!!

Roving, wool batt ... this is a new language to learn!

I've been hunting around and bothering friends for further info and from what I've garnered, it seems that there are few rules to needlecrafting!  In my hunt for wool batt (still hunting by the way!) I've been advised that polyester fibre will provide a good firm base too and that some felters prefer to use fleece in its virtually raw state, whilst others 'mess up' their roving and get started straight onto that ...

I had no idea that the possibilities were so broad with this craft!  I'm looking forward hugely to learning how to get started with Judi and for me, the results she achieves are stunning, so if that takes wool batt to get started with, then wool batt I shall find! 

Okay Matilda - I don't know about brilliant tips, but these are what I have for you! 

The pics above are for a 4 piece body pattern.  You cut two of each, making sure that you have mirror images of each piece ... ie., cut both pieces out first and then draw round them in reverse, before cutting out the final two pieces.

So, as far as designing a four piece body goes, I think the most important thing is to ensure that points ABC and D on the front piece all match up with points ABC and D on the back piece!  They need to measure the same distance and be at the same angle on the front, as on the back piece.  That way the body will fit neatly together.

Other than that you can play!  Why not make a bigger/smaller hump, or a fatter/slimmer body; perhaps you fancy adjusting the angle of the leg shaping/arm shaping, or even making the body longer/shorter, maybe he'd like a bigger bottom!  It really is just a case of using your imagination and keeping those four points pairing with their partner points on the other piece.

Bear in mind that too small a bottom (tush/butt I think the Americans among us call it!) will have your bear toppling over backwards.  He needs sufficient rear end to sit upon!

As you will see, I stitch to the top point on my bodies because I like the angle it gives my heads when the bear is assembled, but there are alternative techniques ie., you might prefer to design a body with the neck end drawn together with a gathering stitch, or incorporating a flat circle for an additional neck piece in a six jointed bear for example. 

Once you've mastered the basics of the body design, you can play to your heart's content and start to think about chopping up your pattern to make inset pieces etc - don't forget to incorporate extra seam allowances for this though or your bear's proportions will alter radically!

Have fun!

Only just found this thread - I enjoyed reading it!  It took me back to my finger chewing days when I was absolutely terrified of making a sale!

Glad it all worked out so well for you Estelle - this is only the begining I'm sure!

They are beautiful Shelli!  I agree with you about the richly textured look in the denser qualities ... stunning!

Hi Lynette,

Judi's new course starts on Jan 9th at the North Country Teddy Bear website.  Good luck with the sprog and all the work you have lined up!!  Sounds like 2006 is going to be a handful for you!!

I've done a bit of research this morning and a kind member of my British Bears on the Net group has forwarded me this link:

http://www.winghamwoolwork.co.uk/

Judi, would it be too cheeky of me to ask you to take a peek and tell me whether the batt is available here please?!!  I'm confused as to exactly what I need in the face of so many lovely possibilities. 

At the moment, I'm so green I need a great big arrow pointing to the exact fabric with a neon message shouting at me 'Paula, this is wool batt, buy it now!'    :lol:

I promise not to be so hopeless in class - I'll sit prim and proper in the back row and will pay attention honest!! 

Thank you Matilda!  At the moment I'm trying to locate the recommended wool batt, here in the UK ... but it's not easy when you don't know what it is!  If anyone has a supplier they could direct me to, I'd be very grateful!! 

Thanks Judi!  I think this will be fun!

So far I have purchased the number 3 kit from Edinburgh as directed (fingers crossed it comes in time!) the marker pens from 'blick.com' thanks to advice from Estelle as to where to find them and a bag of nice looking needle felting wool in natural colours from a farm on Ebay!  I haven't a clue what batt is and whether it is included in what I have located, so will look further into this.  It was all a bit of a last minute dash, but with the wind in the right direction across the Atlantic, should arrive in time!! 

My daughter has a needle-felting kit (thanks Carrie!) and has just begun to learn how to use it, so I will ask her if she knows what 'batt' is and whether I have ordered any!! 

After reading this, I'm sure you will begin to undersand just how uneducated in this area I am!!! 

Julia, I see you enjoy colour too!  As you say, I do have ALL colours - I don't like to be limited! 

Marie, what a gorgeous bear!  I love that fabric and washing it as you have, has made it look so appealing!

Great advice Sue Ann - thanks for the sketches.  I'll try and make some time today to put up a sketch of a four piece system, highlighting the areas for consideration when designing.

Happy New Year to you too Kate!  Good luck with the courses - we'll have to egg each other on to success! 

Oooh, thank you Sue Ann!!!  I can't tell you how excited I am about this project ... I have never taken a bear-related course before, so going back to the classroom will be a new experience that's for sure!  I'm so thrilled that Judi offers this course and I can't wait to get started!   

Only one week to go!!!!!  Whoopppeeeeeee!!!! 

I don't have any miracles to disclose I'm afraid - I'm just a pencil, card and eraser kinda gal!  I sketch the pieces freehand, rub out a lot with the eraser until I get the shapes I want and then cut out my pattern in thin card.  Before I commit it to fabric, I lay all the pieces on top of each other to get an idea of whether or not the proportions are working and then off I go with my fabric scissors and set to work snipping out the pieces! 

Fabric choice is hugely important in determining the final design outcome.  Once you've made your choice, the main trick is to visualise shapes first - for example, do you want him to have straight legs, or do you prefer a nice drumstick thigh, with a narrower ankle?  Would you like your bear to have traditionally straight arms, or would you prefer to bring him bang up to-date with a more shapely curve to his arm; is he going to be a straight backed chap, or a humped hunk?  If he's humped, how humped do you want him to be?  Will his belly be slim, or full of honey pudding?  Do you want his muzzle to be pronounced to give a dramatic expression, or do you prefer cute, in which case maybe a shorter snout would give the result you like?  Will he have masculine, squared shoulders, or would you like 'he' to be a 'she' with a slender shoulder?  Will he have huge feet, dainty feet ... and on it goes.

When you've got to grips with the shape of bear you are aiming for and have made the limbs, head and body sack, you need to consider how you would like your bear to come to life.  For example, will he slouch or will he sit proudly upright?  Think about which stuffing materials will work best for your design.  Consider the limb placement carefully ... positioning joints in different spots will give different results and produce different characteristics.  Will the head flop, wobble or sit firmly on the body?  The possibilities are endless!

Then of course there's the design of the head.  Once you've established the shape of head you want, so much of the design's character hinges on different colours and sizes for eyes, nose shapes and colours, needlesculpting, scissor sculpting, ear shape, size and position ... all of which combine to bring your bear to life and to make him unique to you.

Needless to say, there are many variations on the teddy bear theme.  For example, I prefer to use four piece bodies, two piece arms and two piece legs in the main - I find them most versatile, but many other designers like two piece bodies, one piece arms and one piece legs.  Then there are those who enjoy working with additional neck pieces for added poseability ... so much choice!

Once your bear is assembled the fun part of the design begins - how to dress, trim, accessorise, detail the finish; all these elements combine to make a unique bear. 

My tiny tip to get the paw pads stitched in perfectly, is to draw my seam allowance onto the reverse side of the paw fabric - I do this with my open mouth inserts too, then I pin, baste and machine sew.  It takes time, but it's worth it.

Much of the design process comes from what's gone before ... by that I mean everytime I make a bear, I see a way to improve on it or develop it further with a new technique.  So I guess the more you make, the easier it gets!  Or does it?  The most exciting part of bear design for me, is learning new things and of course, that takes time and commitment.

Making teddy bears is something everyone who can sew can achieve, but truly designing unique bears takes so much more effort.  It takes vision, creativity and a passion to keep learning.

Oooh, thank you so much Estelle!  I have now ordered my markers (plus a couple of extras!) and can't wait to get started. 

Can anyone tell me where to purchase prismacolour markers from please?  I've just signed up for Judi's needlefelted faces course and can't find the markers I need!  Thanks!

JUDI WROTE:

Aha!  The opportunity to learn at the hands of a master!!  Wey hey!  That's what I need ....

*nips over to NCTB*

Found it ... YIPEEE!!!!!!  :clap:  There's one starting on Jan 9th!!  Have signed up ... can't wait!   :dance:

So, I'm just about to pay for the course (thank heavens for the miracle of Paypal) and ... phew, am a bit breathless as I now have to zoom over to Edinburgh or somewhere to find relevant supplies (and I haven't a clue what I'm looking for!) ... hope they get to me here in the UK in time!  EEEEKS!!!   

GULP. 

Um ...

*Panics*

Er ...

Blimey.  Overlooked one teensy tiny thing ...

I haven't the first clue how to do this.  Well, obviously I can make a bear ... so that bit's no problem, but needle felting??????

WHAT HAVE I LET MYSELF IN FOR??????     

*Whispers*

Is anyone else out there a complete novice and doing this course ... if so, please will you hold my hand???

I use ladder stitch in the same way most of you have already described, a few small stitches at a time and pressing them into the seam space before pulling tight, to turn the edges under neatly.  I always trim every seam prior to starting work ... it's a laborious job, but I think well worth the effort.  Winney, I like your method of finishing off - very neat. 

The best tool for the job I find, is a curved upholstery needle.  I use it for closing seams and stitching on ears and couldn't manage without it!

It occurred to me that some new designers might wonder what benefits there are for two piece vesus four piece body shapes, so I'm popping this thread up for us to chew the fat out of it, so to speak!

My preference is to design four piece body shapes as I prefer not to worry about darting etc and I like the legs and arms to sit into the body neatly (if you see what I mean!) and  I believe a four piece body gives me greater control over my bear design (does that make any sense whatsoever?!!!)

I recall that the early patterns I first used (many years ago!) had two piece bodies and I was very frustrated by the results -but that could just be me! 

So, if you were advising bear makers on the pros and cons, what would you have to recommend?

Hey, thank you!

It's hard to give advice about the head stuffing Deb - maybe it would be worth changing the type of filler you are using?  You need one that doesn't 'clump' too much as you stuff.  It isn't really necessary to stuff the head absolutely rock hard - a firm head with a little 'spring' to the stuffing is fine for needlesculpting.

As for the paws ... it really depends on whether you are using one piece, or two piece arms.  On one piece arms the outer arm generally needs to be slightly longer than the inner arm and then the paw pad is eased into place and this helps to curve the paw inwards.  On two piece arms, it might be worth trying to dart the wrist area - that pulls the paw round and you can alter the angle depending on how big you make the darts.  I think the most important thing to achieve what you want is a combination of a well designed arm shape and how it is stuffed.  I like to use a mix of polyester fibre and pellets. 

By the way, no I don't use any armature in my arms.

What an interesting comment! 

I rarely sell to shops these days purely through my own preference.  I was tired of making bears for such a low return and then having them sit in shops with huge price tags.  I decided to take back some control and sell direct to customers, either at shows, by mail order via website or at auction on Ebay.  Now I find I sell the bears at what I consider to be fair prices - fair to collectors and also fair to me!  The internet gives great coverage for my catalogue and so nowadays the bears can be seen easily by collectors and they aren't tucked away in the corner of shops any more!

I'm using a Compaq - it's silver and very nice - please don't ask me for techie spec though as I'll be way out of my depth!! 

Very dramatic!   I can see why you'd miss them!!!  WOW!!