Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

How did I miss THAT????? AWESOME!!! :dance:  :dance:

Aww! Such smart creatures! Poor little guy... that was very traumatic! Well, for me anyway!! 

I do mine with grub screws and weight in the bottom of the body and the feet (in case I want him to stand) and I've had no problems. If you use a cotter pin in the neck I'd recommend getting it pretty tight.

Yes, we've discussed this many times. There is a mix of full time and part time bear makers here as well as hobbyists. Everyone's success depends on how much time, money and effort they put into marketing their business as well as the quality of their work. So everyone has a different story... all are interesting to read.

I think the majority will agree the last 5+ years have seen a drastic down turn in bear sales and the last year or so for many has been tough. Others who do this full time and have a strong following and participate in shows and/or have a heavy web presence are less likely to feel a huge hit.

In addition to the Library you can also use the SEARCH function (upper right in the horizontal menu) to search by key words. This will enable you to likely find immediate answers to some of your questions!

I HIGHLY recommend Edinburgh Imports! Their eyes are the best quality I've found and their color and size selection can't be beat! They'll ship anywhere in the world. They also have a fantastic selection of ultrasuede and I believe you can buy it in multi-color packs! One stop shopping!!! Janice gave you the link above for eyes. Here's a link so you can browse all of the items they sell:
http://www.edinburghimports.com/shopping/

Yes, Shanna, it is the same. I've bought from both.

Thank you, Janice!

5 have been adopted already! 4 are left! I'm so excited for these guys to have new homes!!!

The Back Road Bears Studio is having a Christmas in July sale on Monday, July 5th! I have a few bears and bunnies who have yet to find new moms and dads to love them but they must go to make room for new critters. So, for the first time ever I'm offering these special Back Road Bears at discounted prices... up to 40% off! I hope you'll stop by for a visit and perhaps discover a sweet soul you'd like to adopt! The sale ends when all the critters are adopted!

www.backroadbears.com

Thanks, Quy! Glad to know that!! I've been posting links to search results for 5 yrs w/o knowing that!  :redface:

:crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

Oh, Marilyn!  :crackup:  Thank you for the laugh! That sounds exactly like something I'd do! Shapes and dark spots in our woods are always animals to me... even when they're not. I love to watch the wildlife too so I think for me its wishful thinking! I'm often disappointed after calling hubby to the window... or even out into the back yard... when he snickers at me and my imagination!

You've made my day! And I'm sure your fence appreciated being looked after! 

Interesting! You are so observant, Queen! 

Now I can type less, read more and get back to my non-cyber life faster while still letting my bear friends know I'm out here and seeing what they have to say! Nifty!!!

Now I must go click it and see what happens!  :dance:

A little note on pinning: When I teach bear making workshops one of the first important things I teach is how to pin as I'm always amazed at the number of sewers who don't pin properly. To pin mohair fabric together you must first go straight down through the material 1/8 inch from the edge, with pin perpendicular to the fabric. Then, while keeping a good pinch on the fabric pieces to keep them lined up, turn the pin 90 degrees so it's parallel to the fabric then insert to come back out on top. Many insert the pin at an angle and this will cause the layers of fabric to slide which you don't want. I also find that using great big pins can cause more slipping in the fabric as they are harder to push/pull through it.

It doesn't sound like any of you are having a problem with the pinning but I just figured I'd mention it in case someone else out there is reading this who might be.

Luann... I was just at a Pfaff dealer last week and saw the dual feed machine for the first time (I've never looked at Pfaff's and I believe they are the only one with the built in dual feed). It was quite interesting... very streamline and unobtrusive... and I wondered if it might be a bit more useful in bear making than the regular walking foot attachment. Interesting you mentioned it!

She's adorable! Her nose is perfect. I can't tell from the pics that it's not over the gusset seam! I especially love her eyes! Just perfect!

I use a walking foot for quilting... its great for the multiple layers of a quilt when you are finishing it. But when I tried it on mohair I was not so happy with how the mohair fed through. I find a plain old quarter inch foot to work best. Just play with the tension and be sure you are pinning properly and don't take the pin out until just before you get to the needle. Your material shouldn't crawl if you have your presser foot and thread tensions set properly. Every machine is different so I can't really help you with that and it also varies depending on how dense the mohair is that you're working with.

Thank you, Becky! I was on my way out the door when I posted earlier and didn't have time to find it and post it! I'll go fix my link above too. Wonder why it doesn't work. Obviously I did something wrong! LOL!

Well, Shanna, if you read the post I told you about you'll find another technique to try.... using one cotter pin not two as it sounds like you are still trying to do it with two. I've done a loose joint before at the head similar to Wanda's method that worked great and I have one of Wanda's bears with a wobble head, done as she described and it has the perfect amount of wobbleness without looking like it has a broken neck. The discs are the same size in both head and body. The key is to leave a good 1/2" or more of space on the cotter pin between head and body so you'd need a long cotter pin. I think it would work for you if you gave it a try.

Shanna,
A lot of questions you have may be answered by doing some studying/research in our library here on TT.

I like to use the search function up in the horizontal menu toward the right because I can be specific about what I'm looking for.
I did a search for "wobble neck joint" and came up with a few prior discussions. The third one has a great suggestion by Wanda for a cotter pin wobble joint in the neck that you might want to try!

Here's the link to my search:
http://www.teddy-talk.com/search.php?se … 1015493905  (updated link that actually works!)
Happy reading!  :)

Remember there's more than one way to make a bear and most of the time there's no right or wrong. Part of being an artist is experimenting, coming up with your own techniques, studying and researching, reading and not being afraid to dive right in. Its taken most established artists a long time to get where they are and they worked hard to get there. Your small bears are wonderful so I know you have the skills and ability to learn how to make the big ones. Trust yourself and don't be afraid try things!!!

It's a photo image so you should be able to just right click on it and save.

I'm so glad so many of you are finding this tutorial helpful! 

LOL! Iim so glad you got that straightened out! At least the seller knows how successful you are! And you are still the one and only Paula Carter, Beart Artist! Yay!

It's not often I have bears available for adoption on my website as I'm so busy making bears for shows.
So I'm really excited to offer these three bears for immediate adoption!

This is a new design for 2010 and made of hand-dyed mohair in muted shades.

Thanks for visiting them! www.backroadbears.com/shop.htm

Update: The ones on the left and right have been adopted. The one in the middle is still available for adoption!

Interesting indeed!
It sure would be fun to find this other Paula Carter!

Have you contacted the seller to be sure they have the listing correct? Is the seller the artist too? Yes, Amanda is Honey Pot Bears so it seems like perhaps there might be an error in the listing. I mean what are the chances of someone having your name and Amanda's busines name? Hmmm...

I use RIT dyes and have no scientific method for dyeing. I use a large stock pot on an electric stove. I use salt in the water. I bring the water to a boil then shut the burner off when I add the mohair. I soak it in warm water before putting into the dye bath and when I take it out I rinse it in cool water until the water runs clear. That's it! Simple. Note: I do use a little swatch of the mohair to test the color before dyeing a whole piece of it.

I found this method for acid dyes online: http://www.primmartcommunity.com/forum/ … hp?t=90659
It's for wool so in theory I believe it should work for mohair.

Cool!
That's one HUGE moose! Looks like he's wearing a toupee on his head! LOL!