Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Many thanks, Laine! 
Claire.

Thanks Becky! The fur is a Helmbold, very nice to work with. 
Claire.

Many thanks, Anthony!
Claire.

Hi! I'd like to introduce my first fox for 2015. His name is Kiefer - hope you like him!


Claire. 

Beautiful!  I love how you've done the noses and paw pads.
Claire.

Thanks so much, Helen! I am a big fan of your work - !

Claire.

Beautiful! I love your choice of colours!
Claire. 

Hiya,
There were a few pieces of equipment that made my life much easier when I started out. The first is a stuffing tool called 'The Ultimate Stuffer'. You can check it out here at Christie Bears: https://www.christiebears.com/acatalog/ … uffer.html It's not strictly essential but I found that it made stuffing quicker and it gave the firm results I wanted for the traditional bears I was making at the time. I would also recommend a cotter pin key. I started out using screw joints but later switched to cotter pins as I found them much easier. It would also be worthwhile investing in a good pair of scissors. They don't need to be super expensive, but it helps if they are designed for the job of cutting heavy material like mohair.
When I am trialling a new pattern I make up a rough in cheap fabric. (I usually buy a metre or two from Dunelm and it comes to no more than a few pounds). As Jenny says, it won't give you the shape of the finished bear (you will need to imagine fur over the top, which will make the shape significantly fatter) but I find it does help me with proportions like arm and leg length, and knowing that pieces like the head gusset fit soundly, and that gives me confidence to cut into my expensive mohair. 
Another piece of kit I find useful is a set of position eyes. You can find them here at Bear Basics: http://www.bearbasics.co.uk/glass-position-eyes/p293. Again, not strictly essential, but I find them great for experimenting with different eye positions and expressions and working out what size eyes I need to order. I make small to medium sized bears and find that Set 1, 4-10mm serves me well.
I hope that this helps. Best of luck with your funding!  :thumbsup:
Claire.

Many thanks, Natasha and Francesca!   

Thanks Becky! 

Hi! I hope that you will like Small Paul - he is my first bear for 2015.



Claire. 

Beautiful! I love his face. 
Claire.

Thanks Michelle! It was a great mohair to work with - very fluffy.   

Thanks Pink!   

I'd like to introduce Lazlo, my new bear crafted from Schulte blue tipped mohair. Hope you like him! 

Claire.

Thanks so much, Francesca!   

Thanks Pink!   

I would like to introduce Gunther, a little black bear cub. Hope you like him - have a great weekend!

Claire. 

This guy is so awesome! I love him! He has a great head shape for a little bunny. 
Claire.

Cheers Michelle!   

Thanks so much, Michelle! That means a lot to me. I feel that I am (finally!) getting somewhere with my bear making, so it is really encouraging to hear this confirmed. Cheers! 

Thanks Becky!  I found it a really tricky colour to work with...!

I'd like to introduce Balfour, a new autumn bear.

Hope you like him!
Claire. 

It's not a technique I have tried before, though I have seen it featured on blogs. It should work fine - the only thing bear in mind, of course, is seam allowance, and how much the pile will alter the overall form (if you use a piled fur for the finished piece)... Let us know how you get on, it would be really interesting to see! 

Beautiful work! I love her face. 
Claire.