Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Thanks for that Shantell.... :doh: didnt know that was on here either oh silly silly me,  still trying to work out this website   i will get it soon...(i hope)hehehe :redface:  :pray:  :hug: 
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie

Oh thanks Dilu,
:doh: didnt know that was there  :redface:
:hug: 

G,day from a little bear artist who hangs out in Melbourne, Australia.
We had so many questions asking about what Australia is like and so many Aussies put up pics and described  our beautiful country.....
So I thought it would be great to know where some of the artists live in the world!!!
It would be great to see pics and here about your beautiful country!!!
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie :hug: 

Hi Everyone,
I would like to ask a question??
Is there any of you attending the Doll and Teddy Bear Expo in Washington DC in August??
I am coming over to attend this show as an exhibitor. woooohooo I am so excited...hehehehe.
I have never travelled to the U.S before and would love to hear about  the show; if anyone has attended it and also about your beautiful country.!!!!!
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie :hug: 

To everyone effected by the Cyclones in Queensland you are in our thoughts and prayers.
Bear hugs and smiles 
Kerrie David and Ashlee

Thank you everyone for your kind words regarding my creations. I greatly appreciate all the feedback as sometimes you do wonder how others percieve your creations.
I am truely honoured.
I am very proud  to be amoungst such friendly  artists  who share their special skills and have welcomed me so graciously.... it has been so very inspiring !!!......
So thank you  all again.
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie    :hug:

WOOOHOOOOO Well Done Hayley what an excellent creation.
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie   :hug:

Hi Judi,
Thankyou for your reply.....Oh Dancing with the Cows would surely be a huge hit here in Australia we have lots of farms out here and you would surely entertain the country folk hehehehe. I would come and watch you dance and cheer you and your hubby on...woooohoooo you go guys.... stuff like that.
A LIVE REPORT YIKES I will have a think about that one.
I am still getting used to working out this website.....
LISA (Oz Matilda) sounds  like the perfect person for live reporting!!!!!!!! hehhehee
Sorry for dobbing you in but you are a seasoned bear artist... and your also on the TELLIE (TV) you star you !!!! I am only a new kid on the block.
G,DAY, CRIKEY, HECK, you could all end up learning an incredible amount of Aussie lingo that you would have never heard before or even understand....if you had me reporting... hehehee.
So back to you Judi  wink wink nudge nudge I will leave it to you for now I think.
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie :hug:     

Hi Gail,
When I am going to make a costume that needs to  represent a special theme I go on the internet. I look up the word that best explains the costume, and I look at the images and then see if there is a website that has a basic pattern of the costume. Then if that doesnt work I will go to the library.
I did make a Japenese bear a couple of years ago and from memory most of their outfits are created out of rectangles. I did borrow a book from the local library  which did help me, it showed how the costume was made and how it was worn.
When I create a costume I try to break it down into shapes first....generally most items of clothing are square and rectangles and then I pin them onto the bear. I treat the bear costumes just like adult clothing so I give the bears a fitting just like I would to an adult. The bears generally dont complain when they are pinned NOT LIKE HUMANs!!!....hehehehe.
I then take the garment off the bear make adjustments and put it back again and make more adjustments.
I very rarely make an actual pattern for my costumes.....( I tend to create new ones every time) I would probably save myself a lot of time if I did have a ruff drafted pattern but this  is just how I have made clothing for the last 20 odd years.
I hope some of this is of help to you.... I am still learning how to explain how I create costumes.... so much of it is just stuff going on in my brain....YIKES which can be a scary sometimes hehehehehe
Please keep me posted on how you go with the costume you are very welcome to email if you need any help.
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie :hug: 

HIDIHO Lisa,
Oh whooooops sorry about the boyfriends I should of checked with you first hehehehehe
Thats it!!! It can be the challenge!!!  giant cute bears!!!! I reckon I have mastered the girls sorta; now I shorten the snout (there is probably a differnent word for it) and I have tried using lighter coloured mohair.... it seems to be working.
I am working on a few ladies at the moment there currently all naked!!! poor darlins. I am in the middle of making bustled gowns and frillly bits.
I bet you been painting like crazy....
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie

Hi Judi,
I have been peaking at your pics and your website........ I love your creations and I am very impressed with your dancing skills,
I am an Aussie with two left feet...hehehe and terribly clumsy....YIKES AND DANGEROUS ON THE DANCEFLOOR!!!!
There is a show that is currently airing on our televisions here in Australia and it called Dancing With the Stars. They have professional dances who train celebrities to dance all of the dances you mentioned. It has created a lot of interest in dancing again. YOU SHOULD COME TO AUSTRALIA and dance and bring your bears too.You  and your husband would surely enjoy the adventure and there are heaps of farms with cows!!!!!and also you might just see kangaroos, koalas, possums, emus and just lots of stuff.
We hope to see you soon.  woooohooooo
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie   :hug:

Hi Kim Bee Bears
I just checked out your website you do a lot of needle felting I havent tried this yet. Have thought of trying to introduce it somewhere into my characters will need to practice though.
Your little creations are gorgeous. Very cute faces!! That is my challenge at the moment faces; trying to get them to depict the costuming. It is hard to get cute faces on larger bears sometimes and a lot of my bears used to look like boys so I focused more on costuming gentleman bears the ladies have only just started to look more dainty..... (I think) (hope) anyway its all about playing.
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie

Little Chicken guy would swallow most of the minatures he is over 50cm (21") All my bears are giants I find them easier to create there costumes.
Thank you for your kind words.

Thankyou Millie, Yep it never stops...... I think it is an illnes and this website is addictive and I havent gotten much of my work done tonite cos I have been playing on here
I love creating the cosies and welllllll wot can I say Chook is unique hehehehe
Hope he made you giggle.
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie   :hug:

Now let me introduce you all to "CHOOK" he was a special request!!!!!!!
I had a gentleman who wanted to create a unique gift for his wife who loved bears and chickens. Sooooo he decided the ultimate gift would be to have a bear dressed in a chicken suit.......and walllllaaaaaaah we have "CHOOK" (real name Bear) .
So now i think i have bombarded this web site with enough of my creations and you all must think i am a nut case  for dressing a bear in a chicken suit.!!!!!..... "CHOOK" made a great impression and earnt the gentleman a great deal of brownie points with his wife.hehehehe
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie   :hug:

Here is "Andy the Swagman" Andy is another Australian Icon.
We have a very famous poem written by Banjo Patterson it is called Waltzing Matilda. (Its basically know to all Aussies as our National Anthem) even though the official anthem is Advance Australia Fair.
I did try to post it here but was unable to do so as I dont know what i am doing. If any other Aussies can get the poem up it would be great.
Swagmen were bushmen who lived there lives out in the bush droving sheep and other cattle. They would carry there whole world on them. There nap sack and swag(which carried there belongs and bedding), billy (pot for boiling water). They had corks around there brimmed hat to keep the flies and insects from there faces and they always had there pipe.
Hope Andy brings a smile to you all.
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie

I would like to introduce "Allan the Yachtsman" he comes complete with his unique light house stand. He is a very dapper chap and loves to sail and travel on cruise ships around the world.
hehehehehe
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie

Thank you all for your kind words. I know a couple of you have had problems with opening my website.....my husband is going to check into it for me.
I placed some pics up here so that you could see some of my creations.
My bears are giants compared to some of the other creations I have seen. To all of you who make minatures......what an amazing amount of patience you have. They are gorgeous and I have tried a couple, i found that i was better at creating larger characters and costuming them instead.
bear hugs and smiles
kerrie

Here is Ned  (Kelly) He is a very famous Australian Bushranger I created his whole outfit including his armour. I studied how many bolts and screws were in his armour he has a full shirt and tailored trousers and a fully lined jacket just like Ned wore. He challenged me as it took me quite some time to work out his armour.
I completed him just over a week ago. I was asked to create some Australian icons  for a shop here in Melbourne. We currently have the Commonwealth Games on here for the next 11 days it is similar to the Olympics it features over 70 countries. Its a huge event for Australia.

Thank you Shari.
I am hearing you with how long it takes to make the bears.... Some cosies take longer than others Madame Butterfly to awhile because of the detailing in her gown.
The gentleman dont take quite as long as the ladies. I treat the clothing like adult clothing. It really just depends whats going on in my brain at the time.
I get a lot of pleasure out of creating the outfits and I study the periods such as 1800s to get them as close to the original gowns or suits they wore.
I have just completed a Ned Kelly bear he was an Australian Bushranger I will post a pic shortly and then explain more.
Kerrie

G,day, YEP HERE COMES another Aussie!!!!!!We appear to have bombarded this formum. Hi to all my fellow Aussies and you have all descibe this amazing country so beautifully.
I am a born and bred Australian also. Growing up in a country town  called Shepparton it is in the area of the State of Victoria. It is commonly known here as the Goulburn Valley. The home of SPC and Ardmona fruit companies. Just outside of Shepparton was the Cambells Soup Factory.
I grew up riding my bike to school throught the SPC Canary where on hot summer days you could smell the apricots being stewed, and see the peach kernels piled up outside the factory.
Shepparton was and still is a very hot and dry in Summer.  The temprature would quite often reach into the 40 degree levels, we spent a lot of time at the River not the beach where the city dwellers could go.
I live in Melbourne now with my daughter Ashlee and husband David.
Melbourne is a very diverse city it has an amazing amount culture. We have many nationalities living  in and around Melbourne. We have great eaterys and terrific art festivals. We have four seasons in one day (which sometimes is a good thing and sometimes not).
So there is my little blurb about this great land; its not much; but like every other Aussie we could go on for ever. If you are ever wanting to come over here you  would be welcomed with open arms.
So thank you again for asking about Australia,
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie

Here is another creation. Woooohooo i have finally mastered how to load images on to here and also compress and all that stuff.
I did put up some pics of Madame Butterfly the other day as trial to see if I could do it and now I can!!!
Madame Butterfly stands on one leg (like a ballerina pose) I have hand dyed the lace and also hand beaded the lace unfortunately you can not see all the detail in her gown. I stiffened her skirt so that it stays in position to look like it is blowing in the breeze she is 50cm 21' high also.
I have a music box inside her and her head rotates to the music 'Memories'.
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie

thank you Joan
I had a peak at your creations tooo they are lovely. Do you make your cosys for your bears???? I love your shading on their faces I am still playing around with features on my bears shading happens to be one of them and eyelids.
Kerrie :hug: 

I Hayley,
I have had a mermaid in my thoughts to make also. I haven't  gotten around to the challenge yet, but i think I would be doing  the same; make an arch and then you would need to dart it to bring it down into the shape I would probably consider putting some wire or one of those bendy joint systems inside it  then you will be able to create deep curves once attatched. I would probably also do it in away that you can attatch small pieces of fabric to make the scales and then your darts would not be seen.
I hope this makes sense and it helps :hug: 
Bear hugs and smiles
Kerrie

I would like to share with you all one of my new creations her name is Sylvia. Sylvia has already sold.
Sylvia is an old fashioned lass! Sylvia stands 50cm 21" high. Unfortunately you can not see under her frock she has her handmade rose trimmed high heals on and of course her bloomers.
Bear hugs and smiles Kerrie