Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

She's gorgeous! Well done she's really beautiful ~ mink is so difficult to work with I'm proud of anyone who can achieve such a beautiful bear with it. Love your bears!

The first few of my mink bears were disasters but they've improved thank goodness lol 

They're beautiful Kathy & it's great to see you here too! Love those bears they're gorgeous 

Gorgeous! I'm attempting a 3" bear at the minute..... I think I might be hooked on the minis lol. This one's in mink though ~ tough work!

Love these two they're SO sweet!

Thanks so much for letting me know that! I have a website now and my domain name, and I've been making bears (all my own designs) for 3 years. I am part of GJOYful Bears which is owned and operated by just myself and my mum ~ mum has been making bears for about 12 years and designing her own bears for 10. I think we qualify. I'd also love to make a donation to the guild I've been looking at the guild since before we had internet here and would just love to join!  I like anything to do with bears so this forum and the guild are for me!

You will see me there shortly can't wait to join 

Wow then I appreciate his nose even more! He's gorgeous. It's amazing how you can capture such expression in such a small face.... love your bears 

I love pillow pets! We actually stock those although mostly we sell them as posing pillows for reborn dolls.

Lester is such a gorgeous name..... mind if one of my bears becomes a Lester??? It sounds so cute.

I want to put a pic of my bears in my avatar but all my pics are too big and I can't resize them,.... oh well I will just have to be blank for a while lol.

Wow that's very interesting Bobbie. Here (in Australia, sorry to not be clear) if you want mink it costs ALOT more than mohair, or at least it does for me especially if it's imported.
I ask for pics of the skin simply so I can see how large the pelts are and if the skin looks healthy. I know some people who work in fur salons and specialize in the way the fur is treated and lined etc, so I mostly follow what they say as I don't know alot about furs other than working with them for bears. I wish I could just go down the street and pick up a mink collar or stole, I get coats imported as it's like finding a needle in a hay-stack if you search second-hand shops here. If someone says, "I have a fur coat" my common response is "Really? Wow! Where did you get that from?" lol. So they're not too common at least where I am.

I have made quite a few fur bears before in fox, coyote, otter, beaver etc but I'm fairly new to mink. I love the feel of it though and it makes gorgeous bears.

I REALLY wish I could find mink stoles in shops here, that would save so much time and money..... especially the money lol.

WOW that was really interesting and I'm so glad you really know what you're talking about I just learnt alot that will really help me panic less about people copying my bears. Thanks so much!

Love him! Love his nose too, really suits him 

If you try looking around second-hand shops etc, that's a good idea. I hadn't thought of the pics on eBay, sorry hun. Going by feel though you could certainly be able to pick good furs - as was suggested before never buy a fur that has hard backing.

I only buy vintage, not because I am obsessed by big prices lol, but because vintage means the minks were not farmed in cages & bred specifically to become a coat. OK, they were still killed, but vintage means they were made before mink farming. I don't want to support mink farming so I don't buy more recent mink coats - only vintage.

Hope you can find some mink and have fun mink shopping - mink is so cuddly it's so much fun to hug lol.

Is Preston himself for sale? I love his cake too and I know someone with a bday coming up who would love that bear.....

I've only ever made one bear using another artist's pattern and I would NEVER sell him ~ he was my first bear and I'm too attached (even though he's a bit ugly - but he's so ugly he's cute so I don't mind). So it is not something I have to worry about as I never make other's patterns in the first place. Every time I go to, I look at the pattern and see all the things I'd do to change it so I just end up creating my own instead lol.

I pin and whipstitch too ~ it takes longer but saves your fingers and your bears from looking like vampires lol. The only time I don't whip-stitch is for my minis as the stitches show to easily.

Only 3 years    But I would not be selling my bears professionally unless I would love to buy them myself. I also put my best work into every bear. My mum taught me how to create them, even how to sew - and now we make our bears together. Mum's been making them for a bit over 10 years so she's a great teacher. We teach each-other, mum never drew her own pattern before I suggested ways of how - hence we have only just gone professional. Mum also never tried shading etc on the bears but now we both love it! So we teach each other and it is great 

I don't think mine would look great either to be honest but that's not why I want to give it a go, I just think it would be a good learning experience. And I make alot of griffons, dragons and unusual creatures anyway ~ my bear made by feel couldn't look less bear-like then them lol.

Count me in if the challenge goes ahead.

How cute! Love her    You get the faces so gorgeous!

I'm really interested in joining the Guild of Master Bear Artists ~ could anyone tell me if there is a joining fee? I can't seem to see anywhere on there that tells me about joining fees.....

Great show, love the site it's great and I'd love to join. 

I love elephant bears ~ this week I've been making a little pink elephant hope she's as cute as some I've seen on this forum. Treacle is such a cute name too 

Well said    And I realise what I said sounded far more harsh than I meant it. It is of course my own personal opinion and I hope I didn't offend anyone. Wubbiebear I agree that once you have made it it is still your bear ~ because I have never been able to create another's pattern and have it look exactly like the original by the artist. Everyone is different and so are our bears.
Basically what I meant was I think it is wrong to sell a bear that looks almost identical to another artist's having used their pattern and even down to dressing the bear the same, and still call it your own. That is what I meant. I hope most people are more creative than to do that and still claim it was their idea. There are so many ideas out there just waiting to become a bear.....

Generally the good stuff costs ALOT more than mohair. I used to buy my mink on eBay but have since found some suppliers who allow me to buy faulty mink coats for alot less than usual prices. I have bought mink that was cheaper on eBay and been thoroughly disappointed. When I say cheaper I mean $50 Australian, although that was the cheapest mink I have ever bought. Usually quality mink sellers consider $400 Australian to be cheap ~ so $50 to them must be bargain basement price lol.

I have seen the most gorgeous mink from certain sellers that was much nicer than other mink I have seen but it was always upwards of $1,000.00 and usually closer to $3,000.00. And I don't like to charge too much for my bears as I like to think anyone who loves them can afford them ~ so no matter how I sliced it that was far too much to spend on a coat. I personally try to find as nice a mink coats as I possibly can that are within my budget. They usually last for quite alot of bears too which is good - although my mink bears are usually minis.

The only thing I don't like about mink is how difficult it is to work with. You also have to line every piece before sewing it ~ but I find all this is worth it as mink bears are always gorgeous.

Search eBay for mink stoles, collars and coats to begin with. In searching eBay I found stockists who are now my main suppliers so eBay is the place I recommend you begin. But beware: never buy a coat that says "Mink" followed by a question mark, or that says "Possibly Mink," or "Mink or rabbit or fox etc." As these sellers really don't know what they are selling it could be synthetic for all you know.
Also don't buy anything that doesn't close up pics of the item - close ups let you know what the pile and guard hairs are like and if it will give the desired look to your bear. If there is only one or two pics taken at a distance don't bid on it or buy it.
I often ask for pics of the lining of the coat and occasionally ask them to pull back the lining and take photos of the actual skin backing ~ if they are seriously honest and serious about their sales they don't mind doing this. It's very helpful and can save you alot of money.

OK now that I have babbled on about mink, I had better go sew something    I hope I was helpful and I dare say there will be a lot more advice given by other artists who work with mink!

I'd be in that  I'd love to try a bear made in your shoes (figuratively lol) and think it would be a good lesson in so many ways. Count me in if the challenge goes ahead 

I never sell a bear made using another artist's pattern ~ I don't want anyone to copy mine so why should I copy any other's? Plus that is quite boring in my opinion and takes the fun out of designing and creating. When you create something truly unique you know it didn't exist in this world before you thought of it ~ so that's inspiring and the end result is a result of hard work and .... fun! Who would want to take that away by copying? It's just silly.

I do make other artist's patterns but strictly for my own collection. That I believe is fine ~ and everyone should have access to a pattern to make themselves a bear, but not to sell it as their own.

Is he still for sale on Bear Pile? I can't find him.... Really love your bears I can tell my mum would just adore AJ. Great expression.

I love lions ~ love this one's face! Well done

Awwww he's gorgeous! I love really out there, different bears & this one certainly is that! I can see one of your bears in my collection one day  Love him ~ wish I could do a nose like that on my bears, I'm getting there though