Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Plastic beans, steel shot, glass beads, what are the pros and cons of each? I've never weighted anything but pattern tests, which I used rice for.

That's a good idea, Figartteddy. The plushie I'm working on right now is too small for the machine, but I'll definitely have to try that for the next larger one.

Here's the form. I made it a little on the thin side to take into account fabric stretch and pile.

I haven't worked with clay in a while, and it was a bit harder to do than I remembered. Nooo idea what I was doin with the head, but hopefully it'll work out. I can always do a little needle sculpting in a pinch.

Now I wait for the modeling clay to cool off and firm up a bit before I can wrap it in plastic wrap and tape to make the pattern.

What kind of fabric did you use? It looks so soft. Did you dye the grey yourself? I like the contrast between the pawpads and black fur. Are they made from a light-colored fabric or is it just a reflection from the camera flash?

I actually make all my patterns without seam allowance and add it when I cut (I have a hard time with patterns that include seam allowance ). I'm unsure about the influence the pile will have on the shape, but I suppose practice and experience is the only way to get a feel for that.

I'm still working out the preliminary sketches, but I'll be sure to include some progress photos once I finish the clay form.

I have the same problem with comparing my work to others (more about drawing than sewing though). The hardest part is turning it into motivation rather than discouragement.

Good luck with your new bear!

You've definitely improved with practice. Do we get to know what his name is?

I'm having trouble settling on a style too. I guess experimentation is the only way to discover that sort of thing about yourself.

In the future, maybe a shorter fur length would be better for showing the detail of the bear, especially if you're going to all the work of sculpting the face. But all the plush toys I've made were from other types of fabric, so my advice may be wrong regarding faux fur.

I'm planning to try the "Wrap a 3d form in packing tape and cut it off to make a pattern" method for the first time. I'll be using modeling clay over a foil and wire armature. I figure if the clay gets too soft I can stick it in the fridge or freezer.

Anyone tried this method before?

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I think I'll go with the 3/8" mohair then, since I was worried the 1/2" might be too long, especially on the legs. I think I'll make a few pattern tests before I place an order though. I've got school and my time for crafts is more limited than I'd like.

Laura, what are the benefits and effects of dyeing tan mohair?

I gotta read up on dyeing now. I haven't made it all the way through the Dyeing section of the Library yet, but if any of you have tips I'd be happy to hear em.

Yeah, I feel like for animals such as you made, Dangerbears, straight fur is a much more realistic choice, even when it's a teddy.

Here's a photo of the resulting carnage when I tried turning the legs

The head shape turned out pretty solid, but way more otter like than weasely. That works out fine though, since Sea Otter was next on my to do list.

I'm not quite sure about the length though. I'm thinking 1/2" would better for the smallish scale I work on? Is there much difference between alpaca and straight mohair?

I've also got to decide what colors to use. I need to figure out how to make the silvery bib/muzzle of a sea otter. Is it better to buy white fabric then dye the colors I need? There doesn't seem to be much selection of straight mohair on Intercal right now.

After 3 valiant but unsuccessful attempts to make the thick-backed velvet behave, I think I need to spring for the proper fabric. I'm entertaining the idea of ordering some mohair from Intercal, but I've never even seen the material in person, let alone worked with it. Are there any important information I should know about it before I make a purchase? Any tips from you old veterans?

Considering the animals I plan to make with it, I intend to buy straight mohair, but curly styles seem to be much more popular. Does anyone know why that is?

Bad news, when I was turning a leg the interfacing finally gave out and the fabric pretty much exploded. Definitely should have used fray-check instead of interfacing, but I think the backing is just too thick for the scale I work on. Everything was going ok up till then though.

This was my second attempt trying to work with this velvet. It's not the good, grid-backed stuff and it's just not suited to working on a small or tiny scale. I think larger, vintage bears would be all it's good for. However, large bears aren't really my thing and neither is vintage. Do people ever trade supplies on TT? Think I could find someone who could put it to better use than I would?

Thank you! I don't know if I'd call it "fun" just yet, I'm so terrified of screwing up, haha

I always wanted a ferret as a kid but my mom wouldn't let me have one 'cause she doesn't like their teeth, and yet she has no problem with my tarantula collection

I agree that the neck needs shortening. As for the tail, the animal I'm specifically making is a long-tailed weasel, Mustela frenata. If I adapt this pattern to other mustelids I'll definitely shorten the tail.

I actually made the tail wider at the end, since the fabric I'm using has a pretty short pile and I wanted to simulate tail poof. I can give a tapered tail a shot though, Tails are so easy to experiment with.

I'm not 100% sure how to go about anchoring the armature in the skull. Most of the armature instructions I've seen on this site are for plushies where the head and body are separate pieces. I might make a "skull" type thing at the end of the armature spine and wrap it in batting so I can anchor the fabric to it.

Thank you everyone! I've been reading up in the Library and I'm going to play around with coloring and heat setting tonight. I have a lot of copics I can try using as well, I was just worried Copic color would be too intense.

Pattern test #2, I got some muslin this time instead of craft felt. I'm not super happy with it. In particular, the head seems too rodent-like. I guess a weasel head should be flatter and more wedge shaped. I'm thinking the head needs to be a little smaller, and possibly the neck as well. Or maybe the body should just be longer? I'm not gonna add whiskers until I work out the head shape.

I'm hoping the tail will look less stiff once I put an armature in it, it needs to be lowered a little bit more as well. I expect the front legs to have a better shape with an armature in them as well. I'm still fiddling with the eye and ear placement and would greatly appreciate any tips!

I'm getting a little better at pulling toes, but I still need lots more practice.

Any other suggestions for improvements?

I've been seeing mention of using prismacolor pencils, oil pastels, and oil paint for detailing on plushies. I don't want to use oil paint if I can help it, the smell gives me a headache and I'd worry about the fumes hurting my pets.

Do details drawn in oil pastel need to be sealed to prevent smearing? How well do prismacolor pencils work? Are there any tricks I need to know about using these?

Thank you!

The side pieces on the head are actually a lot pointier, I just screwed up on the pattern test.

I can still remove a little if you think it's a good idea.

Parts of the head pieces are going to be moved to the underside piece for the cream markings, and I'm not sure how that's going to influence the head shape, if at all. Once I finish editing the pattern and make Test #2 I'll find out!

I didn't have the right colors for a stoat, but I did have the right colors for a long tailed weasel. This is my first time ever doing a realistic stuffed animal, it's scary but a lot of fun too.

Here's pattern test #1

This one is craft felt, but I got some muslin today so hopefully Pattern Test #2 will look better.

The tail needs to be lowered, the chin piece shortened to retain the proper snout shape, and the ears need to be a little smaller I think. I messed up when I was setting the eyes, and the head lost the proper weasel profile, but at least I won't have to fix that on the pattern. If you guys have any other suggestions for improvements, I'd love to hear them!

I need to get some more black beads, I don't have any of the right size so I had to use shiny gold ones as placeholders. The final plushie will have a wire armature inside, which should give the legs more shape. I'll be adding horsehair whiskers to the final as well.

This was my first time doing pulled toes, it's much harder than I expected and they're pretty embarrassing looking, luckily you can't tell in the photos.

The final version will have a much larger underside piece with corresponding chunks taken out of the side pieces so that the cream colored belly extends far enough.

Thanks for the help, I had no idea seam allowance size could impact this! I'm glad to know its ok to sew over pins. I hit up the fabric store today and got some smaller pins that are sharper than my old, dull ones. I also got some muslin, that'll be much easier to make pattern tests with.

Whoa! How many Copics did you go through to color that much fabric? It's a good thing they're refillable.

Thanks everyone!

It's cruddy craft felt, I don't have any muslin to do pattern tests on right now. The final piece will be velvet. I'll definitely try the tissue paper thing next time I sew on fleece though.

I didn't know I could change the presser foot pressure! I'll look up how to do that in the manual.

I never get the tangles as I sew in a straight line, it's only when I back up over my stitches at the beginning/end of a seam. I assumed it was caused when the tails of the thread got caught up in the seam.

What's top/bottom tension? I assume I can figure out how to fix that in the manual?

I take the pins out as I'm sewing because I thought you could break a needle if you left them in. Am I wrong about that? Should I leave them in? I've got smaller pins I can switch to, but I feel like they aren't as sharp so I don't use em much. Putting pins in the middle is a good idea.

Oh yes, that tangle is where the stitches went, the tangle is an unrelated problem I get when I reverse the direction of my stitching.

I feel like I can never get my stitches to line up on both pieces when I sew on my machine.

My pins were about 3/4" apart. Any tips on how to keep this from happening?

I think every dog I've ever had has done that.

It's too bad rex rabbits aren't curly haired like rex cats and rats, that might be easier to felt.

I never thought about paw pads, that's a great idea. I'll definitely have to use interfacing next time, much less messy than glue. It's really hot where I live and light jackets are only used a few months out of the year. I've been entertaining the idea of bags or pillowcases. I don't make dollhouses but I wonder if it could be used to upholster dollhouse furniture?

The pile's probably too short for larger animals, but I started planning out your dachshund suggestion, then for some reason my mind went to stoat. I think I have all the colors for that. I'll keep you guys updated on how it goes.