Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I am still planning a life like polar bear but am very unsure about the head placement.  I kind of want it on all fours but able to sit up as well (like a teddy bear).  Do I make an elongated neck and use two joints?  Help me please!!!!!   :doh:

We  have only ever had 5 day postal delivery.

I have some absolutely gorgeous white mohair on a black background and (obviously) I want to make a polar bear out of it.  I am very new to designing ( have done 3 designs) and I so desperately want to get this right.  I have been studying pictures etc of real polar bears and need advice with the following - how do  you elongate the head?  How do you get that smallish roundish snout?  and LEGS!  Where do I begin?  I even feel adventurous enough to use multi joints if I need to but want as much advice as possible first.  Thanking you all in anticipation  :hug:

Awwwwwww

Me too Me too!

I think rude people haven't got bears in their lives!

Even the thought of sitting down in it or driving    and when you're my size I would look like the Michelin  Woman!

Personally i love the wrinkles!  have you tried using plastic pellets which will reduce the amount of fibrefill and may also reduce the wrinkles.

Whe nI look at those temperatures and then ours there is a difference of 78 degrees celsius hard to believe isn't it??

We had some suspiscious ones come through at work about 18 months ago which wanted a whole lot of building material shipped to some Reverend

how's about 42C and very humid with thunderstorms forecast?  Bring on the cold I say 

Love that mohair! Did you dye it yourself and if so how?  (that's if you want to give away trade secrets)!!

this is another version of the bear I posted earlier.  this time I used a short pile moccasin - with a much better result I think so anyway!

what a cute smile - I didn't know that dogs could do that!

Here is my first effort for the year.  He is made out of an amazingly soft, tactile and great to work with synthetic.  He stands around 5 inches but fits perfectly in your hand.  I am a bit worried about the pile length but am re-creating him in a short pile synthetic as well as a mohair.  The photo isn't great and the clour not true but I have been busting to get him 'out there' as he is one of my first creations that I am totally happy with.  His eyes look really high on his face but he has a large snout and in real life that's not the impression you get.  I got a digital SLR last year and really need to learn how to use it - this was just taken with a 'point and shoot'.

Quick question - when I am posting pictures of my latest creations should I include what pattern I used and who the designer is?  Being new to this forum I don't want to get it wrong.

one of my dream bears arrived in the post today - A Jellybelly Bear! Sarah I love her!  I also have a dream of making some really cute, cuddly polar cubs out of a wonderful white Loubear mohair with a black weft. Ahh Dreams where would we be without them?

I have used a copper wire that seems to be available in most hardware shops.  It is extremely flexible and holds it's position really well.

Can I please go on your list of names too?  I am  a great believer in acts of random kindness and pay it forwards.  Nothing gives me more sense of self worth than helping someone else out when they least expect it.  A friend of mine who has breast cancer was holding a lawn sale to help pay for treatment.  I donated all of my 'not quite good enough' bears to her to do whatever she wanted with them.

When I was starting out I used tiny plastic eyes as joints (the ones with the metal back that you push on).  These worked really well actually.  This was before I discovered that you could get tiny joints and cotter pins.

Swaps are fantastic - perhaps we could talk???

Worst part - ears I have several earless teddies around that would be presentable bears if I would only sew their ears on.  But it isn't just sewing the ears on - it is sewing the ears I don't know why 'cos they only take a few minutes in comparison to every other body part but I just don't like it.

Best part the first stitch!  It just enables me to take time out for a while and know that at the end fo the process I will have something worthwhile.

I also don't like cutting them out but that's because it causes me pain so does stuffing them - I once damaged my shoulder badly by stuffing a bear - 6 weeks of pain and cortisone injections!

Thanks for this as a new member I found it a little overwhelming when I saw all the topics.

Turning 50!

Instead of the romantic words i was waiting to hear at midnight I got 'ha ha you're 50 this year' 

I have never been able to draw but a lot of bear books I started out with advocated drawing the bear you visualise before you draft a pattern!  I used only very light pencil strokes so that I could go over mistakes a little harder and ended up with a bear that I wanted to make! I was astounded!  So maybe it comes down to having the absolute desire to produce something that you see in your mind.