Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

hey Shel, in Florence, you don't want to miss:

Twilight on the Arno, from the Ponte Vecchio:

The Ponte Vecchio at sunset, from the Ponte S. Trinita:

and there is a incredible old cemetery alongside the Church of s. Miniato al Monte, up behind the Piazzale Michelangelo.  acres of wonderful statuary and huge old private mausoleums with the best view of Florence & the Duomo you can imagine.  Walk your kids up there and they'll be to tired to misbehave ;-)

oh, and don't miss the leather market in the loggia del Mercato Nouvo. yum

and you'd better figure at least a week for Florence/Tuscany.  it was the most beautiful place I've ever been,

wow, what spectacular pics!  I thought I'd share one of my own, of the bridge in my village, taken at dawn on New Years day, 2008.  I thought it was gift - and pretty glorious way to start the new year!

Bobbie, sweetie, there's room in my life for a whole passle full of ladies. . .er. . friends  :redface: .  you can all come, just promise me that I'll never have to cut or sew another piece of mohair.

dahlinks, I vant to direct. . .   

I don't know what's happing with the trees, as they are not on my storefront (mine has a pergola built of white birch that didn't sprout) but they are leaving them up regardless, to light the mews during the summer.  they actually took some of the left-over trees from the rest of the street and lined the whole alley with them.

inane, yes, but chatter with friends is always fun, and my case, reconnecting with folks like you, Denise P, Mary Ann W, Mindy -  Paula (who I do hug hello annually at Hugglets) the list goes on and on -has been particularly sweet.  also, seeing some of the new artisty amongst those on the list has really inspired me creatively, so I figure it's time well spent.  besides, I never need an excuse to avoid real work.  .

speaking of. . I've been meaning to reply to your sweet email, but am so caught up trying some of the felting techniques you told me about that you have only yourself to blame for my tardiness.  I'm way behind on a project because of my storage move, but my felting is going 10x as fast now, and wait'll you see my next wabbit!!!

PS: I don't belong to the local Chamber of Commerce. my personal feeling is that getting things done quickly and right is stifled when they put you on a commitee.  I just go ahead and do it and wait for the fallout.  only occasionally does someone balk when they catch you decorating their storefront for free ;-)

lol, talk about a trip down memory lane. . .  Mindy was the first person that I met from the teddy bear world.  she came to our house to interview me in the spring of '97 and I remember it very clearly.  I had a particularly out-spoken partner at the time, and I had been scared to death about what might come out of his mouth for months beforehand.  he was a somewhat well-known artist in his own right. with an over-inlflated view of his own importance and I had seen him in action before.  I had no idea what to expect from a magazine writer/editor, but when when this pretty, fresh young girl who looked about 18 and might have been ann hathaways stand-in came up the walk, I was completely terrified that he might blow the whole interview for me, and kept warning my partner to 'be nice' as I opened the door. I was sure he would eat her alive.

I needn't have worried.  we made through lunch just fine, everybody making chatty, small talk conversation and I started to relax. . .a little.  Mindy not only passed muster, she handled the conversation with aplomb.  after lunch, we excused ourselves and headed for the sun porch for the actual interview, Mindy and I, with my partner in tow, and began to seat ourselves.  The 'ex' was a big talker and I was just starting think that I'd never get a word edgewise in my own interview when Mindy smiled nicely him and said 'oh, no, not you.  this is Kelly's interview.  we'll call you if we need you'

the silence in the room was deafening, I froze, he froze and turned bright red, and I thought, 'oh, no. . .oh crap. . . there goes my interview, my new carreer, the whole works because this man is such a prima dona he's probably gonna shriek 'leave this house' like Joan Crawford and point to the door.  I gave him one of those pleading, threatening looks that can only mean 'no, please' and 'one more word and you're completely dead' and he turned and quietly left the room.

I gave Mindy a weak smile and said 'gee, you're really good. I've never seen anyone handle him like that before.

she just shrugged, tossed her hair and said, 'no big deal, I've met worse' and went out on with a very good interview.

make no mistake, this lady could've given Katie Couric a run for her money if we hadn't snagged her first

and hey!  I have pictures!!

Aleta, the darker green vine is a antique morning glory cultivar called 'Grandpa Ott'  it has 1000's of beautiful dark purple flowers about 1.5" across, and grows to about 25 feet by mid-august - and it reseeds it's self.  great plant.  I can seed you seeds next fall, if you like.  I sweep them off the sidewalk by the millions.

and I'm still laughing at Daphne's

:crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

boy, you ladies sure are frisky.  I'd like to be a fly on the wall at one of those late-nite-show-gabfests ya'll talk about.

yes, it's a bear sitting astride a horse!!!  in this case, I needed to do the horse first, so I would have some place for the don to sit while I worked on his clothing and details.

after all those kudo's, I thought ought to post a pic taken behind the counter. . this while working on the Don.  you can see him here w/out his helmet and pre-airbrushing.  you can also see a fabric wall that dearly needs re-folding :redface: (and Rosinante, before she got ears, eyes and saddlery)

(and apparently that's a dead chicken lying to the right. .  :pray:   
:crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup: )

another shot, taken with my friend Pierre (he's 6'2", to give you an idea of scale)

ladies, ladies, ladies. . . . no need to fight, trust me, there is plenty enough work to go around.  there are reasons I don't show you what goes on behind the counter.  my creative process is a pretty messy one, and I leave a total disaster in my wake.  I can reach my sewing machine, airbrush, glue gun, iron and computer from the same spot, and many swear that some day I'll melt my monitor with my iron or paint my sewing machine green.  I wouldn't want to give up my current space, but I sure wish I had a huge, brightly light room with an 8 ft cutting table and hanging mohair racks hidden in the basement or something.

things are especially messy this week.  I found out on Monday that I had to empty my storage space by Friday or risk losing it all (we can start another topic about ex's someday)  I have zero storage space left here, and had about 30 55gal trash bags of fur, fabric & vintage clothing to deal with, not to mention several pickup truckloads of props and household goods.  12 bags ended up at Goodwill and 14 ended up at the dump.  ouch.  (I'm a horrible packrat  :redface: , and  never tossed anything.  you never know when that size 38 sportcoat you wore when you were 20 is going to fit again - or come in handy when you need that color to dress a bear  :crackup: )

by the way. . . ya'll are welcome to visit my studio anytime.  it's open pretty much whenever I'm awake, which is 6 am to midnight.  I walk my pups an hour in the morning and an hour at night, but that's pretty much it.  I rarely lock the shop when running short errands and frequently greet people who are leaving the studio as I enter with a 'gee, did you enjoy your visit? I hope you found everything ok'

small town life  :dance:

books???. . . erp. . . . . .

like I said, you ladies are soooo organized. . .

thanks, ladies! 

Sue, you can come live here, I could use a staff of elves, but be warned, I put everyone work ;-)

Marge, I have no organizational skills at all, and I DO get lost in there all the time

the most special thing about my studio is that my parents help me build it.  when I left my partner of 9 years, my mom & dad came to NY and stayed with me for 2 weeks and helped me settle in.  my dad and I built my studio - shelves, lighting, the whole 9 yards, while my mom unpacked my things and helped put them away.  we camped in the middle of boxes and carton, made many a run to hardware stores, walmart & ikea and generally had the time of our lives.  it was the best time I ever spent with my folks, and I'll cherish those memories forever.

awwww, shucks. . . .thanks!   

my 'garden' last August  - and my pups, Scooter & Scout

Bobbie, I think you mean this building, called the Narrowsburg Mews. (I can't find the head-on shot)  the really cool thing is that the trees over the archway sprouted leaves this spring and are growing in place (no soil, but the pots they stand in filled with water)

Bobbie, you must be talking about what my friends & family refer to as 'why he doesn't make any money'.  only it's not the alley behind me, it's the Main Street in front!  each year I decorate my street for Christmas.  because money is tight, I have my own special take on the season.  I cut about 200 18-25 saplings (from the ditches under power lines, where they always get cut down anyway) I wrap each tree with a strand or two of icicle lights, leaving the lights hang free at the top and then wire the treetops so they arch over the sidewalk.  branches lashed horizontally at the top of the windows and strung with more icicle lights hide the elecricsl cords and the whole street is on one switch.

there is a timer, but I love walking down the street at 4pm in december and flicking the switch!

from the bridge:

the view from my end of the street:

and peeking in my studio window at Christmas.  if you look carefully you can see Don Quixote in the background behind the counter

and this was taken in Nov 'o6.  I like to change my decor from year to year and this year I wanted to emulate those wonderful German Christmas markets.  I built a pergola onto my studio front and shingled it with pine boughs.

the ladies were not posing, just happened to be strolling by while I was taking pictures.  I hollered 'SMILE' and they complied!

( some people say that I'm over the top. . to these people I reply. . . top?  what top? I haven't found the top yet

gosh, I followed this thread back to the beginning . .  you are some lucky gals (chicks are soooo organized)  my studio is a complete mess, but it makes up for it with a little old-fashioned charm  (and in my little world, it is Christmas year 'round)

I work behind the counter, my machine is hidden to the left under the windows.  my actual workspace is only about 5x9 feet and part of it is taken up by a big dog crate covered with a piece of wood where my puppies can sleep and not be underfoot.  the top provides me with a place to work on really big standing pieces like my Don Quixote)

a clearer shot on a cleaner counter, here you can see my machine set-up

here you can see my computer (behind Ugo & Imelda, my latest chickens) which is on the end of my workbench (between my iron & my hot glue gun) I always stand while I'm working or on computer. (you can tell that Miss Emmaline McCready, the old lady bear, is decidedly not fond of chickens)  you can see a few of my vintage sewing machines on the shelves behind the counter.

there are display cases on each side, in front of the counter.  these are filled with my own small collection of other artists work.

a shot of my fabric wall and the little storage closet to the right, where I keep baskets of trims & leather. I envy those who use storage bins, if I put it in a bin, I forget about it, so I'm always pawing through baskets.

and this is from outside.  we're kind of remote out here, and I call this shot. . .
'the teddy bear shop at the end of world'  (that's the delaware river behind)
since I don't have a yard, my windowboxes are my only garden and I tend them carefully.

my apartment is above my studio and the staircase is in the studio, so this is also my front door.

hey Gail,

I'd take the featherweight over hand-sewing any day.  it's really cool machine, and like I said, 1000's of people swear by them - and I have sewn 5 years worth of bears on my own.  I like my new machine because I sometimes change feet 5 times in 10 minutes, and viking's feet pop on and off easily (and I love my decorative stitches!).  should you need any advice, it sounds like Chrissi will be able help you through it, and should you need any parts or attachments - including that elusive, invaluable walking foot, shoot me an email.  most of my collection is for sale ;-)

there really isn't any reason to be hesitant about using your featherweight, either.  if you already know how to use a sewing machine, you'll find operating  one a piece of cake.  it's really a very basic machine.

hey Bobby!  they don't make the 555 lily anymore, but it retailed brand new in the states for $1200-$1400.  if this one in good shape, I'd say $500 was a very good deal.  they say it sews 240 decorative stitches at the touch of a button - a lot of those are alphabet numbers, but I use 60 or so embroidery stitches frequently. mine has never, ever jammed, sews like a champ (don quixote's doublet has 5 layers of leather in some places, upholstery fabric, quilt batting & a silk lining and it never even slowed us down.  easy to change feet, lots of accessories, 12 buttonholes. . .I love it, I really do.

and who knows, bobbie, if you had a fancy new machine, you might be inspired to do a little patternwork, maybe a little bunny ;-) (Bobbie makes about the best sleeping bunny soft-sculpture on earth)

my mother had the viking 454 and hated.  she said it couldn't sew leather.  on the other hand, she's serious sewing machine snob and only recommends Bernina - who knows, she might get a kick-back.

featherweights do sew a straight seam like a champ and are really cool little machines.  never think I denigrate the fair featherweight.

my viking does the same thing with a LOT less work

Gail, if you've got a decent, modern, working machine, I encourage to you keep your featherweight as pristine and polished as possible and maybe use it in a nice display somewhere.  you might want to use it occasionally when portability is an issue (quilters love then because they can take them anywhere) but while they are a durable workhorse, they're also kind of a pain to use, at least from my point of view.  every attachment and foot has to go on with a screwdriver and trust me, you ain't had a thread jam until you've had one on an antique machine!

they make a might fine collectible, though. . .  :dance:

hey bobbie, I sure do have a feathweight.  I've got quite a vintage singe collection.  back when I had more space, I used to have 5 machines lined up in s row, all with different attachments - one for a ruffler, one for buttonholes, for a zigzagger. .

as for accessories. I think I have them all - darners, picote edgers, rufflers, even 2 of that most elusive of all, the 'penguin' i.e. the walking foot.  it's a really fun collectors field.  (my featherweight is a beauty and was in mint-in-the-box condition when I bought it, but it wasn't any kind of deal - I think I paid $500+)

speaking of threads. . . are we double threading here???  :crackup:

re: http://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php … 18#p308818

hey Debbie!  I've never had a problem sewing with Coat's button/upholstery thread either, it's the regular thread I've been talking about.  I'll use any kind of thread for sewing clothing & embroidery (but I still find that Coat's regular thread snaps when dong something as simple as sewing on a button) (unfortunately, initially I scoffed at my momma when she said there was a difference between threads and bought a huge roll of everything coats had on the rack - 12 years later  it's still cluttering up the thread drawer but it does come in handy when I need a certain color)

speaking of which.  . I used to buy an incredibly strong bonded nylon from Spare Bear Parts.  they seem to have folded and I'm almost out, does anyone have a clue to where more might be found?  it was unbranded, came in great colors and is the strongest thread I've ever used.  I bought a box of every color and I'm down to my last few spools.

Bobbie, Clotilde (the catalog) has a heavy-duty 'jean' or denim thread that might be what you're looking for - at least if you want your slipcover to look jean-ish.  it used to come in white & blue jean 'gold'.  I haven't seen their catalog for a spell, but I've got a spool here that you're welcome to

I feel like I should put in a disclaimer here, too.  I'm completely self-taught and am only speaking from the voice of my own experience.  my mom is world-class seamstress who taught sewing, but she never taught me.  Our 'thread' conversation came about when I was complaining about my machine and I said I needed to buy a new one because mine kept breaking thread.  the first thing she asked what kind of thread I was using and I told her C&C.  she laughed and said, 'well, that's not your machine, it's your thread!

I started out sewing by hand and bought my first sewing machine at age 40 because hand sewing just takes too long.  it was a 1927 singer hand-crank and it took me quite awhile to figure out how to use it.  from there I went to a beautiful little singer feathweight, then to a singer 301 slant-needle and about 5 years ago picked up my Viking 555 at a small shop in Stuttgart.  I'd probably kill for one of those viking designer one's, but I figure I ought to get a car before I pick up a $12,000 sewing machine.  :redface:

anyway, every time I post here, I keep expecting one of the real experts to pop up and say ' hey, you old fart, don't you know it's been proven that silcone spray actually disolves viking sewing machines?  or that gutterman has been known to cause cancer in tetse flies???  get a grip!  :redface:

wow, thanks, Bobbie!  I've never  heard of Mettler's, so I went and googled it (there are so few references to it online that your post about the couch was the 3rd listing!  I also found a scource - and this little tidbit. . .

http://www.craftconn.com/Main.asp?Task= … out+Thread

anyway, I will track some down and give it a try. and yet again, another reason this list is so valuble  - the smarts of the real pros!  thanks again, bobbie!

sheeesh!  nope, not that I know of, Bobbie, but thanks for asking, I was wondering why you hadn't answered me!!!  I was getting getting ready to chase you down with an 8 oz splash bottle of Polo!  kelly@kellydeanandco.com ? or try kellydean@moleislandbears.com

thanks, oh queen of the felts!

I also have a huge selection of colors that I picked up at a factory outlet in Germany.  it's called SABA / AMANN and it sews beautifully on fabric and most mohairs.   it's stronger than Coats but not as tough as Gutterman (I didn't know anything about thread at the time, but it was 1 euro for a 1000M spool and I think I bought enough for a lifetime. . . )

hey Shelli - I read this 'thread' thread with interest and it made me think back to the leather-sewing conversation we had about my ostrich and the problems you were having with your thread not catching and pulling back up.  if you are sewing with nylon upholstery thread on leather, your problem might be your thread.  nylon thread frequently slips, at least on my machine, on leather.  to be honest, I don't think you need to be using upholstery thread on the machine at all.  I sew everything on the machine with regular gutterman thread.  I've done so for the last 12 years and have never had a problem, even on my really big pieces (all of my stuff is pretty hefty, Don Quixote is 36" w/out his helmet & weighs about 25lbs and the 22" bear under my avatar is about 15lb - and he's gone through airport security, been manhandled by Customs, passed around a plane and been hugged by many a child) 

if you're not comfortable with regular thread, try Gutterman's upholstery thread, which has a more 'cottony' feel and a softer hand.  I use mastex upholtery thread to close seams and set eyes, but I attach my leather noses with regular Gutterman - and I pull pretty hard.  the key is your thread tension, you've got to go slow and steady

and you can't do it with Coats & Clark, which snaps when hand sewing and frays on the machine (esp  leather)

I think that's only when you're wearing them with a white belt and a polyester leasure suit. . . but that might be only for Cleveland. . .  :crackup: