Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Those chooks are amaaaazing  :clap: and all so life like.

wonderful  :dance:  :clap:
Did you dye the fur or did it come like that?  I love it.

So well deserved!  Very well done!  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :hug:

I wash a lot of mohair as it tends to make it fluffier.  I just use woolmix on a warm gentle cycle and line dry.  sometimes I will buy a very sparse mohair and use this method to fluff it up and it ends up looking denser.  I can empathise with your mouse problem - we have had one here for months but so far they haven't been near my mohair.  If you need to catch mice look upmouse trap bottle on you tube.  It works we caught over 20 one night at our local clubrooms.

Hi Wubbie
I do not know the artist who made this bear but I will try and describe how I see her.  It is a 5 inch bear, beautifully proportioned, and has a look that says 'I have no one to look after me, please take me home'  The eyes are wonderfully expressive, they look to be handpainted with a white highlight behind them which makes them look bigger and more expressive.  If the bear was real the eyes would be full of tears that hadn't quite made it down the cheeks yet.  The nose is stitched in variegated thread, all different shades of rose.  The bear itself is white and has been highlighted around the paws and ears with a very delicate rose pink the highlights around the eyes and snout are a soft black which lends itself to the soulful look rather than making her appear hard.  When standing she just has a look on her face that would make a heart melt and she seems to look up at you rather than straight on.  The whiteness of the fur makes her seem a little almost alone but that is instantly negated by the blushing in her face and paws.  She has also been accessorised with beading.
Wubbie, I have enjoyed doing this for you and I hope it helps describe this 'sad' bear.  although this is only what I see and don't know what the artist intended.

Got me there!

There are many ways to do it.  Maybe the easiest way would be to dissolve a couple of sachets of Kool Aid in some warm water and plenty of salt.  I use two sachets to get the intensity of colour and only enough water to cover the pieces.  I would use fray stop or something first  as I find fabric tends to fray more when it has been wet.  Leave them in the water for a few hours and then hang them out to dry.  If you use enough salt the colour shouldn't come out too much.  Once they have dried then I would rinse them (if you rinse them before drying you lose a lot of colour).  Good Luck with it.

Goodness! How quick were you?  Mine is still a piece of fabric at Intercal that is yet to get to Australia before I can start even thinking about what I am going to make.  Well Done  :clap:   :clap:

I have now heard from my partner.

Let them know that the sewing room is just that - a sewing room - and you have a business to run and orders to fill.  Offer them a blow up mattress or fold out futon or something in another room (perhaps the living area) and who knows they may lose the desire to stay too long.  Seriously though a very difficult situation and while this is what I would love to do with some of our visitors the reality is that you end up doing what they want and going out of your way to make it even nicer for them.  Good luck with the whole thing.

I have contacted mine but heard nothing back.

It makes you wonder at what point can you suddenly stop selling patterns for $10 - 20 and up them to $85.  I agree with the comment by The Bear Guys that perhaps he doesn't want people to buy them. I am still thinking about the quantity of mohair required - now that I ahve actually thought about it I am not so sure that 1 metre will cover a 36 inch bear.  Perhaps I will just have to wait and see what the pattern says when I get it - lol.
Why oh why do I only buy short pieces of mohair at a time?

I am intrigued to know what sort of fur it is.  IS it Sassy's and if so which one?

Makes one wonder if they are so pricey because he took his childhood Steiff apart to see how it all went together(Please note I am trying to be amusing here not cast aspersions on the artist) for those that are interested - some of the bears on his website were around the $850.00 mark but there were different sizes etc.  I suggest you go and have a look.  I still think that they are magnificent bears but unless the pattern pieces are lined in gold leaf I cannot justify it.  I am having a rethink though....Karon can you please pm me?

He also has his prices for the bears on his website.  I am thinking that if I try and replicate something at least I will own the pattern then and perhaps I could start selling them for say $75 LOL   :crackup:  :crackup:
Seriously though they are wonderful bears and while I like the idea of pooling resources that goes against the grain of what artists try so hard to achieve and I don't know that I can be a party to that.  I do have a pattern by someone that is quite similar but I can't remember who it is by and I need to go and look for it which could take several weeks. It will take me at least one week to find my craft room.

I just had another look at the patterns - hmmm while obviously very talented - $85.00 for a pattern?  Still if that's what people want I guess they will pay.  I am still not entirely turned off just wondering how to justify the pattern cost plus the mohair.

I just had a look at this site and you have me wanting to make the same one now.  I will be watching your other post with interest.  I figure that 1 metre should be plenty I have made a 24inch bear out of 1/2 metre and this is only another 12 inches.  Try emailing the question and see what they say.

The pva is the way to go.  I made a bear for my husband that sat on the dashboard of his truck and reached very high temperatures at times and Kenny's nose (the bear not the husband) is still hard and intact.

have you tried watered down pva (white) glue?

Good on you Dawn and best of luck with the fundraising adn the trek.

This was made for someone whose only request was for a 'chartreuse' coloured bear - koolaid strikes again

Ok Peter time to take photos of your entire hug!  Just hw many bears have you got?  Not that it matters and I think they are all incredibly lucky to be living with you as you obviously keep them in the lap of luxury adn pay them all equal attention.
Better yet, when are you going to do a book on them all?

I would love to participate.  I love the element of suprise though so am not sure about sending the fabric but see what the majority want.

It is looking good.
Katy I had to laugh at your comment about learning to crochet.  I wanted to leatn this too and one Saturday afternoon I sat down in a comfortable chair with instructions and a hook and wool.  I can now crochet a granny square but that is all that I can do.  I wanted to learn so that I could crochet bears - like I don't have enough to do with sewing them.  I want to crochet miniatures though and I want to crochet them now so I need a bear made out of a granny square and I will be happy!

I ahve always worked this way.  It's something about bringing them to life adn my own impatience