Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I've tried several different methods.  I originally used beeswax, and like someone else already posted, used to heat a litte bit on my light bulb and then rub it on. Beeswax is great because you can use it on any coloured nose. You rub on a layer, buff it up with some paper (brown parcel paper is great), rub on another layer of wax, and build it up till you get it right.  You can use making tape or magic tape to mask around the area of the nose if you are worried about dripping wax on it.  However, because I'm working on  fairly small bears and I'm also one of those messy people, I wasn't always successful with either bees wax or ezy wax.

  Thankfully, there is another great and easy product that you can use which requires no heating of the wax.  I think Hayley sells it, I've only ever sourced it from Australia so am not sure where else you can get it.  It is fairly soft coloured wax that comes in a triangular block - you just rub it on to the nose, then buff it up with paper.  It is great because you don't ned to worry about drips and spills and you can work on really small scale (I have a friend who makes 2 inch bears and uses this product).  So far I've only seen dark brown and black but I think it comes in other colors.

Hi Winney

I have a particular way of stuffing the head that still means I get a firm head but with a soft area to sculpt the eyes into. I use what I think is called orlon flock stuffing in the US - white cottony feeling stuff with a few fibres - it's definitely not polyfil.   I'm not very good at explaining but here goes...

Hold the bear head cupped in the palm of your "non stuffing hand" (i.e. right hand if you're a leftie like me).  Suff small pieces of stuffing into the back or non-muzzle portion of the bear's head until it is fairly firmly stuffed.  Keep turning it in your hand as you stuff -b y keeping it cupped in your hand, you keep that nice round shape to the top of the head.  Of course this works much easier for smaller bears. 

Once that area is looking nice and round you can start working on the muzzle.  With tiny pieces of stuffing start poking right into the tip of the nose.  I tend to place a piece to the left side, a piece to the right and then a piece in the centre to try and keep everything nice and even.  Continue working in this manner until you get the muzle stuffed. Keep feeling the muzzle as you go to make sure there are no hollows or dips. 

I then go back and fill in any areas of the back of the head that may have shifted or settled.  It does take quite a while and you do have to use fairly small pieces but I find this method works for me.  By working on the two areas this way you end up with a nice little hollow, just enough to sink the eyes into.  A few months ago, I reverted back to the original way I learnt to to stuff - nose first and then the head and found I was not able to sink my eyes in properly, so I've gone back to the slow but sure method.  Hope this helps! 

hugs,
Melissa