Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Hi, you might find some useful information on http://www.teddy-bear-artists-and-frien … torial.htm
It will undoubtedly contain information you already got, but there are some items that will be helpful to a starting bearmaker 

Hi Susana,
What size is your squirrel going to be and what fur length / colour are you looking for??? This info will make your question easier to be answered 

Hi Shannon,
You know what? It is no secret at all!!! I think you will like the RIT website, especially this page:  http://www.ritdye.com/dyeing-techniques … -immersion  because I think this is the way this mohair was dyed. I know it is usually sold as 'batique' mohair (which it isn't as batique dyeing is done differently  ) but I know from someone who is an expert at dyeing mohair that this method really works to get the effect you want 
As you will see the page contains detailed instructions.

BTW: the 'sponge' technique Donna told about can be used particularly when you want to have your mohair 'tipped'  with a darker shade or contrasting colour.

:hug: from Holland,
Marianne

Hi Shannon,

I don't have a white fur like you described in my fabric collection but if you are interested I can get you a sparse pale pink mohair with gold thread and/or the same mohair in pale blue with silver thread. Bought this ages ago on a bear show. Cannot remember if they also had it in white/offwhite. My neighbours' 10-year old daughter just finished her first bear made of the pink one and she is soooo proud, well can you imagine. Will post a pic of this bear later.
Anyway, if it's not a full yard you are needing maybe I can be of help? Just let me know (or not  if you insist on the white).

Hugs,
Marianne

I think you will find a bit more detailed info with regard to the construction of teddy bear growlers on:

http://www.hermann.de/fertigung/fer_st5e.htm

Marianne

Hi Cat, it's not the company you mention but I think The Throw Company is also UK-based. This is the link to their website:   http://www.fauxthrow.com/index.php
Hope they got what you are looking for.

Why do you brush your hair? (and I take it that you are not bold  )

In the US you could try http://www.teddybearmohair.com/ (not a wide range of fabrics but very econically priced) or http://www.edinburghimports.com/ (extremely wide range of fabrics).

Hi Alison,

This is a link to a German woolfelt manufacturer, the 'Moll & Kühn’sche Filzfabrik':  http://www.filzfabrik.de/eng/farbkollektionen.html (this is the page showing their so-called design felts).

On this website M&K mentions: We only supply trade customers. The following sales partners serve private customers and small quantities of less than 5 running metres : www.filzshop24.de  and  www.latroom.de   so that would be something to bear in mind.

I hope this info is of some help 

Hugs from Holland,
Marianne

I don't know about the 'blended' mohair types; guess you are right about the cotton/mohair blends being more economical. I do know that Steiff also has mohair/silk blends, but haven't used these so far (wasn't particularly attracted to the cotton/mohair blend fabrics I have seen / felt, but that is my preference and not more than that). The mohair/silk blends look OK and feel good to me, but I prefer the 100% mohairs. Yes, there are 100% mohair fabrics, be it that the backing usually is made of cotton and it's the fur that is the 100% mohair. Amongst the 100% mohair fabrics those made of so-called 'kid mohair' (first cut from the young angora goat) are even softer than 'regular' mohair.

Oh, and I agree that it's, as for packaging, nice to have something special for a special bear. After all you are paying enough for them    !!

Marianne

Hi Becky,
You are right about the embroidered drawstring bags. I had forgotten about them!

All Steiff ltd. edition items are packed properly in Steiff boxes and always (should) have their certificate of authenticity with serial number and the total number produced worldwide. What I don't know, however, is whether there are different kinds of boxes in different countries.
Quite a lot of times Steiff is ordered by third parties to produce a replica (e.g. by Teddybears of Witney or by Sue Pearson) which come with something extra like a book with details / pictures on the original item or packaging with picture of the item.
For what's the standard for packaging of ltd. editions in the US you could ask the Steiff Club USA through http://www.steiffusa.com/ClubHome.aspx   No doubt they can give you a more detailed answer than me 

Hope to have helped you a bit with this.

Regards,
Marianne

@BlackmoonBear: I was wondering the quality of what materials exactly you are referring to? Is it the fabrics (mohair, alpaca, synthetic plush) that Steiff uses for Steiff collector's items, or for their (lower budget) soft toys for kids (those - the toys, not the kids  - are b.t.w. as far as I know the items that are mainly manufactured in Asian countries  and they have been for many a number of years already)
And as for what you are saying about poor design innovation I must admit that I do not like all new Steiff items that have been developed in recent years (but then, I still prefer the older ones) but to say that both design innovation and material quality are actually reclining to me seems a bit harsh . Have you actually seen any of the new items that were introduced in the past decade in the fur yourself? But perhaps it's also a matter of whether or not certain Steiff items are appealing to you. I have had the privilege to be present at the annual introduction of the new Steiff collection for quite a number of years now and to actually see / feel the new items, and believe me that's different from watching them in a catalogue. Perhaps that makes a difference.
For me personally, as a bearmaker, (Steiff)-Schulte mohair was and still is one of the best fabrics to work with, and that goes both for quality and 'design'.

Regards,
Marianne

Hi Shannon,
Sorry to hear that you are diagnosed with sarcoid. I know a little bit about this illness as dsone of my younger sisters was diagnosed with this illness over 30 years ago (she is 54 now). She had it amongst others in her lungs, eyes and joints (hands, fingers, hip, knees). At one point Ingrid's condition was worsening and at that time she was told that she would probably end up in a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Well, she is still walking  :dance: ! As far as I know once you have sarcoid you never really get rid of it. (Some) doctors regard this illness as related to tuberculosis, however, unlike TBC not infectious to other persons. As I said, so far they apparently haven't found a real cure for it. Medication that is given usually only helps to reduce the symptoms. My sister was treated several times with Prednison but this medication has, as you may know, quite a number of nasty side effects. But medical science is an ongoing process and researchers discovered that although the illness doesn't go away, you can do things to stabilize your condition. So you see, every cloud has a silver lining. Most important appears to be STRESS. If you can manage to reduce stress in your life - I know, one is not always in a position to influence this - the symptoms of sarcoid will almost certain reduce as well. Furthermore a healthy lifestyle and healthy food with enough anti-oxydants will help too. Every day drink enough water (1,5 to 2 liters!) to get toxins out of your body and this way clean your system. People usually underestimate the importance of drinking enough fluid (black tea, coffee, fizzy drinks or alcohol not included).
I really hope, now that you know what causes your health problems, the quality of your life will improve real soon Shannon.

:hug:  :hug:  :hug: from Holland,
Marianne

Steiff has always used Schulte mohair for their mohair bears but, I think it was about a year ago, Schulte Mohair was acquired by Steiff. Since then it is officially Steiff-Schulte mohair. For most bearmakers (Steiff) Schulte mohair was and still is THE best mohair, or as Schulte used to state: Schulte mohair, the fabric teddies are made of (or equally  )  and they always aim for top quality.

Hugs from Holland,
Marianne

Hi Donna,
You are assuming that all faux fur fabrics have a knit backing and thus require specific attention. The majority of the better faux furs, however, have woven backing!!! It works a lot better than fur with knit backing  :dance:   So, that would be something for you to pay attention to when purchasing faux fur.
If you don't find suitable faux fur at the show in San Diego, there are a number of faux fur suppliers that have a webshop. But maybe first have a nice day out in San Diego this weekend? 

Hugs from Holland,
Marianne

I get my bees was at a ... beekeeper   :dance: ! You cannot get your wax any purer (or is it 'more pure'?) and it works super.

Marianne

Hi Aeri,

This question was asked earlier by another TT'er. There were quite some replies.
You can find the answers here: http://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=37279

Regards,
Marianne

If you like youngborn pandas have a look at these video clips:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeApunoS … re=related     (pictures / growing of a panda baby)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQmvkTHY … re=related    (images from a Chinese panda nursery)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIEWo_xJ … re=related     (panda tales / video of 1st year of panda baby)

Hi Nicky,
Here's another supplier of faux fur fabrics:   http://www.prefurs.com/

Hugs from Holland,
Marianne

Hi Tami,
I'm not sure this is a US bear but then, I am no expert on US bears. But to be honest, I don't see much similarity between your bear and the one in the link Jacqui sent. That one has very obvious characteristics of a US bear.

A couple of years ago I wrote a small article for an English magazine about a Steiff bear a friend of us inherited from his aunt. And his hand and feet were exactly like those of your bear. Undermentioned link shows the article 'The tug boat captain, his aunt and her bear' including pics of the bear. It's up to you if you see the similarity too.

http://www.beautbears.nl/Hoofdpagina-En … opbouw.htm   in this link click 'Media'

Unfortunately the text in this PDF cannot be read but it contains rather detailed info on the bear. I can get you the text next weekend when I am back home. I think the bear was produced between 1912 and 1915 but I'm not sure about that. Just let me know if you are interested.

Hugs from Holland,
Marianne

Hi Lisa,

For shipments from the US we do pay custom fees too in Holland; the fee is based on the amount which is mentioned on the customs invoice.

As you will probably know, when residing in an EU-member state ( like Denmark or Holland; ) you do NOT have to pay customs fees for shipments from other EU-countries ( complete list of EU member states can be found on  http://europa.eu/abc/european_countries … dex_en.htm ).

I realize I forgot to mention the link to Berelijn in my earlier message. Here it is:   http://www.berelijn.com/

Hugs,
Marianne

Hi Lisa,

Here are some other sites you might want to visit:

http://www.baerenstuebchen.de/   this is the (German) website of Baerenstuebchen Bluemmel; they have a great range of Schulte Steiff mohair.

Edinburgh Imports is not a European but a US supplier; they have, however, a wide range of mainly Schulte fabrics. Since the US dollar vs European currencies is rather favorable it's worthwile having a look on this website. For special prices especially have a look in the Itsy Bitsy Room and also read the 'fine print' which a.o. mentions a 40% discount to the listed retail prices (only apply to FULL YARD or more cuts). You can find them on  http://www.edinburghimports.com/
Special offers can be viewn on their Monthly Web Special.

And another US supplier I can recommend is Teddy Bear Mohair,  http://www.teddybearmohair.com/   This site offers a limited but very nice mohair collection for very competitive prices!

And then a Dutch supplier, Berelijn, who sell a wide range of Helmbold mohair. For their complete collection you can order a sample card; costs for this card I (as far as I can recollect) deducted from your first order :dance:   

Oh, and by the way, Maria, ProBär (or rather: ProBär GmbH / ProBeer vof / ProBear Int. BV) was originally based in Holland and was called ProBeer. They now have their shop in Gronau, just on the other side of the Dutch/German border. And the website is : http://www.probear.com/  So far for some history   

Hope this will help you a bit.

Hugs from Holland,
Marianne

Hi Sophie,

You could try Bluemmel (in Germany). These people have a marvellous range of Schulte mohairs and alpacas.
This is the link to their online shop:  http://s7988187.shoplite.de/2001/7988187/index.html
and this is the link to the main page of their website: http://www.baerenstuebchen.de/
The only downside would be that everything is in German 

Another possibility is ProBear: http://www.probear.com/com/shop/pi-1050 … tegoryId=8 (this is the link to their webpage with alpacas). ProBear is also a Schulte dealer, but you may find that they have different mohairs and alpacas in stock (so all in all bigger choice for us bearmakers).

And another supplier of mohair and alpaca is Berelijn (in the Netherlands). This is their page with fabrics:  http://www.berelijn.com/supplies%20pagina%201.htm
I usually use alpacas from Berelijn for my bears (not Schulte but Helmbold if I am right) and it works great.

Regards,
Marianne

Hallo Ariane,
I saw that you already found the joints you were looking for, but in future you could also try Joel Bears which has an amazing variety of accessories, tools and other bear-related items. Here's the link to the page on their website where you find the 'Pappscheiben' in various sizes: http://www.joelbears.eu/index.php?main_ … 20a&page=2 
Joel Bears is based in the Netherlands, but you will find them on many teddy bear shows, also in Germany. And of course they have the webshop.

Hugs,
Marianne