Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Nowadays Christmas tastes bittersweet for me.

Marion, sending you Christmas wishes ... so sad to hear about your mum.

I'm with you there Daphne!  Wouldn't that be an amazing gift?!!  My daughter is insulin dependant and has been for about eleven years.

Hey, this thread is turning into a dating agency! 

My son is very happy with the love of his life.  They've been dating since they were sweet fifteen and are as close as ever now, more than five years on.  I'm looking forward to plenty of grandbabies from them one day!!   

Ain't love grand?!! 

Julia, you say the loveliest things!  Thank you. *Blushes furiously* :redface:

However, did you ever know a girl who wanted to grow up to look like her mother?     

My daughter is much tinier than I am and she has such a perfect figure!  She does sound like me though!  People can't tell us apart on the telephone. 

Judi, glad to have made you chuckle!  I don't know about celebrating Halloween in Australia, but we do here in the UK! 

You think so?  She'll be furious!   

Great pics everyone!  Put a smile on my face they did!  This thread feels really cosy.

Here are my two monsters ... the first pic was taken one Halloween, many years ago!  The pic of my son on his most recent birthday is just typical of him - he hates having his pic taken and consequently it's impossible to get a sensible shot of him!  In case the pic doesn't tell, he's a strapping 6'3" monster boy ... fifteen years ago he was still a monster boy, just shorter! 

As you can see, my daughter, now 22, is all lovely and grown up - the boyfriend in this pic has recently bitten the dust and there is a nice new one in situe, but I don't have pics of them together yet!

Feeling so sad for you Julia. 

I lost a much loved cat the day before Christmas Eve, she was only seven but developed a tumour and ... well you know.  A year later another of my cats passed away on exactly the same day.  I couldn't believe it.  It's a sad time for you now, but I promise you will feel happier when the Spring comes.  :hug:

I haven't even thought about it yet! 

Hmmn *scratches head* tricky.  I think I'm an open book ...

Howsabout - I only passed my driving test a year ago?

That's about as mysterious as I get! 

I like him Jane - he made me smile!  What a lovely little character! 

Hey, thank you all for taking a visit!  I'm so glad you enjoyed the website.

Shelli, of course we should be friends!  I don't imagine for one single nanosecond that I'm wise or balanced, so as long as you promise not to be as well, we'll get along great!  :lol:

Diane, 'tis a small world indeed!  It never occurred to me that the BCR's had childhoods y'know ... I thought they were born ready made for us teeny boppers to scream over!!    I shall look forward to taking a peek at your 'about you' page when it is ready. 

Lovely work!  What a super pair. 

What a great face!  I love the characteristics needlefelting creates - haven't a clue how you do it though! 

Festive fun!  Nice work Jane!!  :thumbsup:

Hey, we need a Christmas smiley on here!! 

Hi Jane, thanks for looking!  Glad you like the names - I wanted something to pull them together as British.  :P

Unfortunately I'm still waiting for my show pack ... I hate the 'leaving it to the last minute' system! 

I have recently updated the ALL BEAR website to include a show preview page for my 'Best of British' bears.  If you would like to see them together, they can be found at www.allbear.co.uk  I will be adding more bears in the next week or so.

I'm very pleased to say that these bears will be featured in the January issue of Teddy Bear Scene magazine too!

I enjoyed my visit to your website Diane!  By the way, are you a member of 'British Bears on the Net' yet?

www.britishbearsonthenet.co.uk

Interesting thread Fran!  You come from colourful stock!! 

Hi Shantell,

I've always found that the way Ebay works best for me, is to showcase a 'for sale' bear by sending a mailshot to all the collectors on the database I have compiled over the years.  Relying purely on people browsing through Ebay to secure a sale doesn't always work. 

I would also suggest incorporating Ebay into your other methods of selling.  By that I mean try adding an auction page to your website, and send out an invitation to your customers to come and take a peek - or even better, to join in the fun!  Also, remember to add the Ebay link if you list a bear on TT's 'for sale' thread (you probably already do that).

I always go in through the bottom and come out at the top Kim.  It is a big loop as you say.  I work with the head gripped sideways between my knees (!) and hold it at eye level frequently to check how progress is going!  I always complete the head, including nose sewing, before I assemble the bear. 

I know my sister always stitches her noses from top to bottom and doesn't work with the head held sideways between her knees ... maybe I work the way I do because it suits my left-handedness!

I don't use glue.  I just slide my needle under the first layer of stitching to flatten any little hairs that may have been missed in the trimming.

Maybe it's the type of filler you use Kim?  I've noticed that some fillers can be very difficult to get a needle through.  I use quite a 'crunchy' polyester and have no problems with the needle going through.  I always use a thimble ... couldn't manage without one of those!  Other than that, I don't know what to suggest.  Could it be time for a new nose sewing needle perhaps?  Maybe yours has become a little blunt?

I use a 3" long needle, which is fairly thick but not too thick and doesn't bend.  To get the nose straight, I always start in the centre and work out to one side and then back to the centre and out to the other side.  It's important to have the weave in the gusset very straight, so that you can use it as a guide for your needle.  The main trick for a good nose is to keep even tension as you sew each separate stitch flat next to its neighbouring stitch.  Also, keep an eye very very carefully on your stitch length as you work - it's easy to start with long stitches and gradually get shorter!

My preferred method of sewing, is to trim the nose area, then embroider once over the area.  Once I'm happy with the shape, I then stitch a second layer in exactly the same way, over the top and finish off with a horizontal stitch across the top and bottom of the vertical stitches, before using the rest of the thread to form the down stitches and mouth.

Take your time, sew in daylight and most of all, relax whilst sewing! 

Grab a 70's disco CD and turn up the hifi!  You'll be boppin' around all evening with a smile on your face. 

I tend to order ahead - especially to make sure I have fabric to fulfil advance orders.  This is necessary because I like to order fabric in from the US as well as here in the UK.  I order my fillers in bulk and store them in bags in the attic and buy all my hardboard joints and metalwork in bulk too, topping up every time my stash starts to get low.

I try to think ahead and get my UK suppliers to bring what I need to any shows I might be attending, so that I can collect rather than pay to have it delivered and I make sure my stock of eyes doesn't run out and keep the sizes and colours I like to use stocked up.  Like Shelli, I tend to grab a handful of whatever thread colours might be useful when I'm in my local haberdashery, to keep my thread box stocked.

I plan my cash flow to accommodate new fabrics and components and although I don't keep a written inventory of my materials, I do keep spreadsheets for all financial aspects of the business to make sure that the business stays in profit.