Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I can't imagine having a hot Christmas ... it would seem very strange! 

My favourite Christmas weather is bright, crisp sunshine, the kind of day where you really want to talk a stroll through the park after lunch. 

Wowza indeed Kim!   

It's chilly here in Kent UK tonight Dilu!  BRRRRRRRR!!!!!!  We've had a beautiful crisp sunny day and tomorrow morning, just like Jane says, everywhere will be dusted white with frost.  It actually feels like winter today.  I've even taken to drinking mugs of hot chocolate, so it's official, winter has arrived!  :)

And I'm told it's only five weeks to Christmas ... sheesh, how'd that come round so soon????? 

Um .... no.  Categorically not.  I am the least blonde person I know.   (With absolutely no disrepect to any of you beautiful blonde gals out there!)  :whistle:

I don't even have blonde moments, I have senior moments instead ...   

I'm brunette and proud to be hanging on in there (wagin' war on the grey as we speak!) 

I ship my big bears from the UK to the US using Parcelforce International standard service.  It usually costs about £40.00 for a 20/21" bear.  OUCH!   :cry:

Insurance up to £150.00 is included, but anything over that will cost an additional £10.00! 

WOW!!!!  Your needle felted faces are AMAZING Judi!!!!  :clap: :clap: :clap:

Judi, you're not alone!  It took me ages to realise I had pm's!  I keep forgetting to check them too ... on another forum I belong to, an email message is sent to my email address to let me know when I've been pm'ed.  I wonder if that facility is available for this forum?

Hi Kim! 

The bear you mentioned is called 'Hyacinth' and I'm thrilled to say she had her picture in the 'Teddy Bear and Friends' magazine a few months ago.

I was lucky enough to find her amazing collar at auction.  It's vintage and from the 1920's and is made from lots and lots of little silver sequins.  I made Hyacinth as a 'one-off' bear (her crazy pink fabric was from Intercal of course!) and she now resides in the US.

Sue Ann, your little girl bear is beautiful!  She has such a wonderful expression and I love the tongue shading!

Shelli, my head designs for my open mouthed bears are very similar to Sue Anns, but I take out a small section of the fabric where the mouth line is drawn ... kind of skinny triangle shaped!  As you can see, I like the lower part of my mouthpiece to be fairly wide ... too narrow and the bear can look a bit 'foxy'.

A little thing I do to make sure I put the mouth in straight, is to make four marks on the back of the mouth piece.  I fold the fabric in half longways and make a little mark where the crease forms at the top and the bottom and I do the same thing again widthways.  This means that when I pin the mouthpiece into place, I can use the markers to make sure I get the mouth straight in line with the seams top and bottom and also with the widest part of the opening. 

Another thing I do, is actually draw my seam allowance around the back of the fabric ... this makes sewing it in so much easier!  :thumbsup:

To insert the mouth piece, I pin first (making sure my marks are 'spot on' with the seams etc) then I baste (over sew) and remove the pins.  Finally, I take the plunge and machine sew.  I take especial care with the corners of the mouth at the widest point of the smile, because this is always the most difficult point to sew accurately and may even need sewing a couple of times for reinforcement.  You can bet your bottom dollar that if this area is weak, the stuffing will always burst it!  :wacko:

Careful stuffing is hugely important and worth taking some time over.  The stuffing needs to be even to ensure a well shaped mouth, but also firm into the nose area and with this kind of mouth, it shifts easily, so it's not always a simple job! 

How lovely to open my subscription copy of Teddy Bear Scene and find Shelli's article today!  The photographs are beautiful and Shelli's passion for bear making bursts from each paragraph.

Congratulations to both Shelli and clever 'ol Chris (Pike) for a terrific article!

I try to be Judi ... it's not always easy!!   

I like making laughing bears - somehow, using the open-mouth design gives so many possibilities to develop character and I love the excuse it gives me, to play with some of the more unusual fabrics.

My preferred method of working is to use quite a simple procedure ... it's just like inserting a footpad.  The trick is to play around with the slit in the side head piece and with the shape of the mouth insert, to get a nice happy smile ...

... it's also important to stuff very carefully and to take great care when stitching in the mouthpiece.  Oh, also it's essential to keep all the seam sewing absolutely spot on when making the head - even a millimetre or two adrift on the gusset, or the neck seam will throw the mouth out of shape and you may get a lopsided snarl rather than a smile!

By the way, I've also found it's much easier to insert the mouth piece before you insert the head gusset.

I must admit, I am completely inspired by Judi's wonderful open mouth work and would like to make some time to develop my own laughing bears further. 

Chris (Pike) hasn't popped any of her pics on this thread yet, but her open-mouthed bears are absolutely stunning!  If you get the chance to see one in the fur, do!!  They are outstanding.

Daphne, you have such a lovely website!   :clap: :clap:

My daughter is 22 too Deb! 

We're very close friends and I try not to do the 'mum' thing too much.  (Naturally, that doesn't exclude her washing/cooking/cleaning ... they like to have their independant cake and eat it after all!) 

Seriously though, I see her striving for independence as a job well done on my part.  After all, from the day they enter this world, each step we teach them is in readinness to help them to move on in the world one day.

I don't feel replaced, I feel that we are developing our relationship into adulthood and she knows the mum in me will always be there, when she needs me.

Julia, what a beautiful bear and I love the nose!!   :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

WOWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE what STUNNING BIG BEARS!!!!  I LOVE 'EM!! 

38+ is massive Matilda and yet you've worked such character into the face and Sue Ann, what handsome guys your's are! 

I wonder if there will be more joining our ranks soon!!  EXCITING!!!!!!  :clap: :dance:

Ah, if only I could, you know I would Deb!!!  :angel:

He was a whopping 32" of hunky bearness called 'Himself'.  I blush to tell you, he won the 'Big Bears undressed' category of the British Bear Artist Awards several years ago.  (Back in days of yore when I still had time enough to enter competitions!! :wacko:)

Oh goody!!!!  Pics???????  Pretty please!!!! 

Glad to hear the beefcake bears are still getting made out there in Teddy Bear Land!  Looking forward to seeing their pics when they are up and ready for a spot of roarin'!!  (Maybe we'll have our very own TT den by then ... minis by invitation only - probably when we're feeling peckish!!    :twisted:)

I recently bought some beautiful hand-dyed ribbon from www.mjtrim.com It's lovely and wide (2/5") and gorgeous colours!  Trouble is, as with most things gorgeous, the price isn't cheap.  It makes very floppy bows.  It took quite a while to arrive from the States (I'm in the UK) but as I wasn't in a hurry, that was fine.  Oh and ordering internationally was a pain because I couldn't do it online and had to fax my card details through.  Groan!  That said, the ribbon made up for it and they have LOADS MORE to choose from too, so I shall be back!  :lol:

Love Daphne's handmade bow - so smart!!

  We've just noticed that the teeny weeny minis have their very own play den.    We're sulking.   Where's the one for us seriously big growlers huh????  After all, we need even more elbow room to 'express' don't we?  :thumbsup:

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR (   ;))

In case you're wonderin', we're all well over the height of 25" and pretty fierce! ROAR!!! 

Are there any other seriously big guys lurkin' out there?  Join us here!

I've got to agree with you Penny ... for me, making big bears is the most satisfying kind of bear-making.  I just love the big 'uns and always have!  (I don't much like the cost of the materials though!!  :cry:)

You ladies are so good for me!!!  What a tonic you all are.  Thank you all so much.  I want you to know just how much your comments are appreciated. 

For those of you curious to know, my 21" bears take a half metre piece of fabric (can't get them on half a yard sadly, so if purchasing in yards, I have to order 2/3yd!)  This particular fabric is Schulte (as if you couldn't guess!) and is priced in the UK at £104.00 per metre - plus shipping of course.  OUCH!!!!  It is such beautiful mohair and a real treat to work with.

Hi Melissa, I don't have the addresses handy (and am up to my eyeballs in dust and decorating right this minute!) but if you pop along to my website www.allbear.co.ukyou'll find links to all three UK mags on my links page.  Hope that helps!

Good for you too for working hard to get 'em out there!!!

The 'British Bear Fair' is only a few weeks' away and so far, this is the second bear I have completed, so who knows, maybe I will get enough done after all!  Fingers and toes are crossed!  (Especially as most of the bears are going to be big 'uns!)

So, back to the business of introductions:

Please meet 'Osborne', a 21" bear made from some delicious Schulte tipped mohair.  This is stunning fabric ... I absolutely love it!  Anyway, enough of me whittering on, time to upload the pics!  :)

As you can see, I've had a few colour issues with my digicam, but the whole body shot is closest to the actual colour.  Shades of autumn!!

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!