Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I agree..I think it's home made and you could do it yourself....you will need to do both eyes because it might look odd if you don't

Beautiful work..lovely bear!

They are so cleverly made and with such flair. Love them!

If it wasn't so awful, Diane, that would be funny....some people are really strange aren't they!

Well the thing is that really she ought to be told that more often than not plush fabrics are equally if not more expensive than mohair...so it's a bit of a silly thing to say. The bear does not look anything other than a quality bear, well designed and well made. I sell my plush bears for as much if not more...why because its harder to sew and takes me longer..and is more expensive to start with ...so she's wrong.
Also she is wrong to do that to you 3 months after the purchase date. That's just unkind and unfair.
But don't worry....hard as it is to deal with no-one will take it seriously because its her own fault really. It's there in black and white...and for every person who doesn't like plush there are 5 that do...it's more and more popular now.
Very sad when people do that rather than contact you first to thrash it out!

The important thing is that you aim at trying to find a unique look that defines your ideas. It happens when you look outside the world of bear making for inspiration ..I found many of my ideas come from nostalgia and from children's literature, the illustrations and characters.
That's the fun part ...making a bear that has a signature look.

He's really pretty. The hardest thing is finding your own unique look...and that's what most people strive to achieve...I think it happens naturally as you get better at doing things then design becomes second nature and you know how the mechanics of drawing a pattern works...how to achieve what is in your head. Have to say even after 10 years I still have to think very hard about how to change things.

I don't think it is JUST for the surface...my limited experience is that it's great for surface work but I need practice!

The trouble is what you are doing is staining the surface of the fabric...not actually dying the fibre like with mohair which does actually accept the dye without changing the textile too much. I think..as much as it seems to work it's an awful  bother to spend so long doing it when you can get fake fur in just about any colour anyway. My experience of dying it is that it alters the texture in such a way that its way too damaging for it to be usable afterwards.
Airbrushing and hand shading are good because it allows shading and patterning which is unique to the design you are working on.
I have never been successful with dying faux fur..though I have tried!

Well I now have one. I do like it but I think it has some limitations.....but that might be me just being inexperienced.  I think it's great for surface work but I did some feet ...which I felt on to the leg..and it was not as good for that. I did have to key in the felt by hand first. It was great for the finishing though..and for detailing very fast! I think I need to try my own needles. As the ones that come with it seem less effective.

I agree with Blackmoon Bears advice... don't suck...blow. Use a hair dryer and that blows away the dust and smartens up the pile without causing the damage the vacuum method eventually will. 
Too much brushing will relieve your bears of their coats ..poor babies!!!

Never heard of that. See you learn something new every day!!

Well if you look on here there are lots of pictures of my early work...eeek!!!

I saw some of my old pieces on the sidebar on here and was mortified....you do forget how your work looked back then..but also I am sure have lost customers because I think my work has changed from what it was then....so sometimes it's the little things you don't quite get that make them so appealing ....
So it's good to to track your work from its early beginnings to what it is as it progresses. It makes you realise how much you have actually learned .

Lisa makes a good point. Who says a mistake is a mistake anyway. One persons mistake is someone else's perfection. Anyway,out of mistakes come great ideas. Didn't potato chips come from cutting potatoes too thin?
No right or wrong way for anything

That's great news!!

They made / distributed Kanecaron modacrylics...which is the same thing as Tissavel...they supply  quality toy making firms. But I had a retail supplier website once but now I can't find it.
Birgitte, that is one I have not seen before...will take a look!!

Someone once said to me ' you never learn anything from doing it right first time' it's true of everything....it's a learning curve and you find the best way because of the mistakes you make. Learning what you shouldn't do is equally important as learning what you should.

I just re-read what Joanne wrote about her feelings for her bears..I actually feel exactly the same. I always think that its all a big mistake and that I am not that good....I was the same throughout my 37 year hairdressing career..and as a photographer which is something I have done for many years. The thing is that I think it's that questioning that makes me try harder..and be more observant ..checking and picking over things till its right. So it's a good thing....nothing wrong with confidence but having the gift of self criticism is what makes people strive for better.

Oh no..that's terrible..they only just announced the takeover in August on their website!!!!
I did find a Danish supplier...but for the life of me I can't find it again. Don't know why the supplies are drying up its such great stuff to work with.

I used to have a SAD lamp..which works great for a working lamp too.

The Throw Company if you want to get it in the UK they have real Tissavel....but hey....Intercal ..our sponsors have a great range of Tissavel faux fur.

Well I never know which way to go. My favourite size is a teddy of about 15 inches. That size is for me ideal...I can do all the detailing I want and still keep it manageable. However, lately,since the financial climate went into a nose dive I am very aware that people haven't necessarily got the funds to buy big bears and so I have worked on some smaller ones which range from about 7 inches up to about 11inches which does cut down the time element. But it's not easy to sell any bears at the moment. I suspect that those who sell instantly might make only a few bears and they are so highly sought after that they get snapped up. I have found it's all much slower and I do try very hard to make my work stand out what ever the size but with so much out there to choose from its an uphill battle! My work sells so I am eternally grateful for that but I never rest on my laurels.
I like to make tiny bears too but I find I haven't go the will to persevere with teeny tiny detailing ..and my eyes don't like it either. I also find too that less is most definitely more on tiny bears and I do have to tell myself to stop or I lose the effect.
That said I am working on a 30 inch bear now ...and he is lovely....that's a risk because he has taken me a week so far and will someone want to buy him!
I just think the cost of buying mohair can be prohibitive with the economy being so tight..so that's perhaps why people make little bears.
Trying to keep going through this downturn is exhausting....I hope we all come through it but I suspect that it will have a negative effect on some. The thing is that when things are tough people try to do what they an to bring n more money..and that means that they might start a craft business..or start to sell things. Since I started making bears 10 years ago I don't think I have ever noticed how many new artists come along....however in the last couple of years I certainly have seen many new artists. Lots of great ones too. That is not a bad thing and does keep everyone on their toes.
I will do whatever I have to do to keep the Three O'clock Bears  in business through this...just try to stay positive and make whatever the market wants...so if that's bigger or smaller bears that's what I will do!  Happy to be able to do it too!

Aw....thanks so much!

Thank so much !!! Really appreciate you taking time to comment!

Thanks so much!!!!