Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I have never done it so can't speak from first hand knowledge.  I know of an artist who used the same technique like the sponge method but she used a comb and silk dye.
Good Luck and have fun playing.  Hope you get some interesting, good results.
Donna

You can check out the patterns on www.edinburghimports.com.  There are several patterns of dogs and cats on that site that are laying down.
Donna

I think I would put the bag of ashes in a flour or sugar canister and try to seal the lid on.

I have seen bears before with a pocket so to speak in their tummy.  You make the bear pretty much like a normal bear but you put a lining in the tummy section where you would put the tin holding the ashes.  The ones I saw had a velcro closure in the back seam of the bear.  You could also do a zipper.  I think I would shoot for at least a sixteen inch bear, maybe larger.  You will need to have a good sized tummy so you can have a fair amount of stuffing around the tin.
Sounds like a noble task.  Good luck and let us see your finished bear.
Donna

I've been doing some research.  It appears that Tissavel is still producing it's faux fur.  I'm trying to find a supplier for us. 

Donna

Karen,
I just heard within the last couple of weeks that Tyber has now closed also.  So both Tyber and Tissavel are no longer making the woven back synthetics.  To my knowledge that leaves us with Schulte as the only woven back synthetic supplier.  Good Luck trying to find any now!
Donna

When using copic markers on your critters, the copic ink needs to be heat set.  I have used the copic markers to do spots for giraffes over the years.  The color has held up on the ones that were heat set.

I PMed you back in June.

There are glass eyes in 20-24mm size that should work for you.  I might consider safety eyes.  Check CR Crafts for those.  Maybe a nice minky fabric.  I have seen it in the color and about a half inch length.  Maybe a viscose.  I live in Burbank and sell bear making supplies if I can be of any help to you give me a yell.
Donna

Like Jenny I had my share of glued discs that failed.  I then discovered set screws or grub screws.  With the set screw you can stuff and close the seams on the arms, legs and head before attaching to the body.  And you can get a good tight joint with them.  Many artist like to let the joint rest for several hours or over night to let everything settle.  Sometimes the joint will need just a bit more tightening after sitting.
I only use cotter pins for bears under 6" because I have trouble getting the joints consistent and turning the cotter pins hurts my wrists, even with a cotter key.

Back when I was making bears full time I was instructed to set a timer for 10 minutes.  When the timer went off I was to put my work down and raise my hands over my head and shake them then to wiggle my fingers all while over my head.  Then I was to roll my head on my shoulders then to roll my shoulders.  The idea was to loosen everything up that had been in a certain position for any time.  Set the timer again for 10 minutes and this time get up and go to a doorway.  Put your hands flat on the door frame at shoulder level and lean through the door so that your head and shoulders are on the other side of the door frame.  Hold that position for at least 3 minutes and then walk around for about three minutes.  Also, myofacial release helps.  If you don't want to go to someone, you can buy a book on it and a tennis ball and do it yourself.  The important thing is not to do one thing for too long.

I'm thinking maybe viscose.  Or a viscose mohair blend.  I saw those colors on a mohair in an Etsy shop just a day or two ago.  The were not iridescent but they had used a LouBear fabric that had gold fibers in it that gave it an interesting look.
Good Luck and let us see it when you get it dyed.
Donna

Also be sure to empty the vacuum cleaner bag!
Sorry this happened.  I had heard about the Toasty Bears.  They were intended to be placed on a heat source and then given to someone who was ill or had pain.  The warmth from the flax seed was to relieve the pain.
Donna

Edinburgh has a little of it left.  The mill was destroyed in the tsunami and they have not decided if they will rebuild or not.  You could check with Edinburgh and see if they can tell you which of their distributors might have some.
Good Luck,
Donna

I heard from my source that worked in one of the mills.  The response was "Once the backing has been done wrong, it is nearly impossible to correct".  It was suggested that if it wasn't too sticky to rub baby powder into the backing.  I think I may still play around with trying to remove it. 
Donna

Karen,
The fabric I have had my trouble with is from the Schulte mill.  So far I have never had any problem with Tyber or Tissavel backing.  This was the first I have heard of one doing the backing.   To me that does not make sense since Tyber is in Belgium and the Tissavel factory was in France that they would be shipping the fabric from one factory to another to complete the processing.  Especially since they are dealing with such large amounts.
Thanks for telling me that washing it in hot soapy water won't work.  That was going to be my next adventure.  I guess I have nothing to loose by trying vinegar and see if that has any impact on it.
While I was typing I thought of someone I know that used to work at one of the mills.  Might get some insight there.  If I learn anything I'll be sure to post.
Thanks for your input.
Donna

Jenny,
I have heard other artists think that the fabric might be old stock which caused the backing to go tacky.  I assumed it was something that went wrong in the manufacturing process since what I was dealing with was ordered straight from the factory and had not been sitting around in another artists stash.  Now I am thinking that just because I ordered it straight from the factory that does not mean it has not been sitting at the factory for awhile.  I just need to take the time and see if there is something I can do to get the sticky off since there have been several artists that have encountered this problem. 
Thanks for your comment.
Donna

The viscose I have used was on a woven backing just like the mohair and alpaca.  So there was not stretch or contortion to the design if that was what you were thinking.  It made darling bears and I have know some famous old timers who have used it for years.

Intercal has just brought in a selection for viscose.

I have seen and heard of some unusual things being used as stuffing for bears but never paper.  How old is the bear that you have that is stuffed with paper?  How is it holding up?  My first thought was if it had printing on the paper would that eventually leach out onto the fabric of the bear.  It sounds to me like you have been thinking about doing this so I say go for it.  It will be a learning experience if nothing else.  If I were doing it I would make sure that I kept the bear so that I could monitor how the bear ages.  If you do this please keep us informed as to how the process worked and how the bear holds up.  It would also be nice to have a picture of the bear you purchased and the bear you make.

I'm guessing you are going to be dying small pieces not large amounts at one time.  If that is the case, I say experiment and see what happens with different dyes.  The kool-aid may leave the backing a lighter color or no color at all similar to the cushing dye that Intercal sells.  But that can have a very nice effect.  Do try to keep track of what you do so that if you want to repeat it you have something to refer back to.  The important thing is to have fun with it and learn along the way.
Donna

Hi Daria,
Thank you for the suggestion.  I did try that and it got the fabric sewn with much fussing over.  What I found was that the sticky stuff built up on the sewing machine needle.  So I was constantly having to stop and clean the needle with alcohol.  I was worried about getting it into the workings of the machine so I stopped and finished it by hand which I hate sewing by hand. 
Thank you for trying--greatly appreciated,
Donna

I also miss the old days.  One of the things that I feel has hurt this forum is that we lost all but one of the moderators.  I also feel that many have gone to Facebook.  We can bring it back with a little effort from all of us who still visit it regularly. 
Donna

In the past I had some mohair that had a sticky or tacky backing.  After you touched it you needed to go wash your hands.  I solved that problem by washing the fabric.  I now have several pieces of faux fur that has the same sticky backing.  Faux fur can not be washed so I am wondering if there is anyway to get the tacky off without ruining the pieces.  There are a couple of pieces where the sticky is on the pile from where it touched the sticky backing.  I'm thinking of taking a small piece and see if I can spray  it with vinegar then try to wipe it or brush it.  Anyone out there have the same problem and found a solution?  I did look in the library to see if I could find a thread but no luck, so if you are going to suggest I check the library please point me in the right direction.
Thanks for your help.
Donna

Kool-aid should work just fine.  Also Rit Dye would be a good choice. 
Have fun!
Donna