Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Yes but Mr Humphrey is a character from a UK comedy show! That's why I chose that name.

This is Mr Humphrey...my newest bear. He's already found a new home but I am loving this look! Hope to do more like him!

She's wonderful!!!

Very sweet!

Lovely work!

Wow ..I can't wait...I should get mine next week!

Adorable ..love the colours too!

Many congratulations....all that hard work paid off!

I agree Lyn...I can't do mock ups ....whenever I do it in the proper fabric after doing a mock up in felt it never looks the same.
Like I say I do make a mock up for the more mechanical designs ...like things on four legs that need to move realistically ..but generally I go straight to the final fabric.
I have to say I don't loose more than scraps if I do go wrong..I can usually salvage most before they go in the bin!

You are very welcome!,

It's just because when you cut a piece of fabric so that the weave runs diagonally it does stretch. When the warp and weft threads run perpendicular to each other...i.e. one thread set of threads run straight across and the others up and down forming right angles there is no stretch ...but by turning it so the threads run diagonally you can notice it stretches. There must be some mathematical explanation why this occurs but all I know is that it means that you can get the fabric to easily curve. If you have ever tried to bind a sleeve opening or a collar with straight cut strips of fabric it just wont fit neatly around the curve..but if you make bias cut strips it fits  nice and snug around the tightest curves ...because it stretches. You just need to try it on a piece of fabric ...pull it across the straight edge and you will see it has no stretch then pull it diagonally corner to corner and you will see it does stretch. This works for any woven fabric. Knitted fabrics are different as they stretch in every direction as the threads are looped around each other to form the backing.

My thing at the moment is working with wider gussets...with a more streamline head side with a less noticeable muzzle. I think I have it now but I tried it on a rabbit pattern with disastrous results. I hate to admit that for me the most important part of pattern design is the head and I spend much more time on that. However for some of the 'friends' that I have done such as the little puppies etc they do take much more thinking about and then I have made a felt mock up to see how the pattern works.

Yep...that's it . Bias binding is cut this way...diagonally so it stretches. I have cut heads this way many times and it does round things off more having that extra stretch in the backing...it also helps with the pile direction on a centre seam bear...cut diagonally opposite it works out really well.

That's what I would try...four pieces....cut the back like a ball and the front you can either cut a muzzle in or add a separate muzzle.On a smaller size bear I cut the pieces on the bias which made it stretch a bit when I was stuffing it. So you would have the pile going diagonally but he stretch made it more round. It worked for me but I am it's probably wrong!

I would have picked it up again if thought it had potential...but I don't see the point in flogging a dead horse ..well not on that head..it was too horrible!!
I am not sure about trying on other fabric than I am eventually going to be working on. Two reasons for me..one is that the pattern might work great on the cheap fabric but not on the mohair..I find I get very different results from one fabric to another ...and the other is that if it works out I would want to carry on to finish the bear. Sometimes I make a mock up just to establish shape but I have to say that's rare for me. I think I just dive in most times...not good at taking it steady!!

Well I am always redesigning. I make new patterns all the time. But I redid my rabbit pattern this weekend and to say  it was horrible is an understatement...it looked like it had been run over. So I went back to the drawing board and re-drew it..I have now stuffed the head and it looks nice but I can never tell till I have the eyes in and started to scissor sculpt. This one is harking back to my  old rabbits...ie not needle felted .
But one head landed in the bin after about 3 hours...I just decided I wasn't getting anywhere near the look I was after and no matter what I did it wasnt happening so its pointless wasting more time.
So maybe I am impatient but I just think I get these patterns in my head which I think might work but they just don't.
So rather than mess around for hours on a fruitless exercise I am afraid I do stop myself nowadays...I can't keep wasting time. But I did learn from it....that the gusset was way too wide and mAde the rabbit look like ET!

I love to make new patterns ...I have some staple patterns but I tend to think that it's a good thing to change.
I also tend to think ' if it ain't broke don fix it' but along side of that I like to keep coming up with new patterns. It's a bit like if I go to a pop concert..I want to hear the old songs but also love to hear the new.
So when I make a pattern I usually have an idea if it will work though sometimes it doesn't and its then that I waste lots of time.
I can keep going with it trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear till I finally throw it out of the window!
I do see this aspect as a learning curve and even though its not producing a saleable bear it is a way to discover new things. I also use proper fabric ...as it might work so I don't do one out of cheap fabric...I don't see the point in that as for me I would not get a real feel for the new pattern.
So how much experimentation do you do ..or do you tend to stick to the safe patterns? If, like me you do experiment how far do you go with it till you admit defeat?

I use apoxie sculpt...it's way harder than fimo. Taxidermists use it....

Yes it's one thing to be able to felt so well..but to consistently capture such expression is astonishing!

Yes they do send an award out..I call it my 'big glass iron '. ...it took quite some time to arrive. I don't know about this year though...

I think I will stick to my Fitflops....! I appreciate the art in these ...and that it makes her walk in this creepy, alien like way. I can't help cringing though at the thought of going over on your ankle in those heels. I broke my leg simply going over in a pair of 2 inch heeled boots...and that was bad enough!,

I have ironed it with a steam iron..that was cool...made it really shiny!!

It's extremely generous of you to be so giving with info for others...and it's a great tutorial. I have done this method too..but I use apoxie resin. I don't put the eye in I just stitch through the nose and mould it on to the muzzle...let that harden off then put another smooth layer of 'nose' on to it. The fact that apoxie resin self cures and sticks to anything means you can blend it in with the fabric. I have even felted fibres through it while its still soft and it worked quite well.

I just don't think I have ever seen such amazing felting...I am so in awe of your skill...

Thanks everyone. I am just loving bear making at the moment..which after 10 years is a great feeling!!!!