Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Hi Shelli!!!  Cats REALLY have a thing for tulle!  Something about that texture, they just really love it chew it, don't they!  Maybe they think it shapens up those little teeth.  Every cat I've ever had has always sought out my tulle!
Jenny... your little girl is SO pretty! 
Shelli... it sounds like you are on the right track!  I would think that for a bear, you would be able to get away with not using the bias binding on the layers where they attach to the basque... certainly your bear won't moving around too much or getting caught on scenery or anything!  If you get stuck... do e Mail me... I was a professional dancer in my youth, and I studied 16th-18th century corsetry (and other underpinnings) for quite some time (thus my bizarre eBay Seller ID of 'antique-corsets'!) 

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

My kids love that movie!!!! That sounds like a wonderful Christmas idea!  They will love the movie, and how special to have a couple of mongoos (SP?)  made by their auntie!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

A beautiful 6-8 inch blanket of snow here in Northern Ohio!  I'm always slow to warm up to the idea of snow.... but once it actually hits, it is gorgeous!  We had an Alberta Clipper come through Wednesday... that dropped a few inches of the stuff... plus in NE Ohio, we are one of like three areas in the world that gets "lake effect" snow.  The cold air from up North goes over Lake Erie (which is still kinda warm) and picks up a ton of moisture.  Then it hits land and just dumps all the snow down.  We are only in the secondary snow belt here in Hudson... where I grew up in Painsville, Ohio... you can get 24 inches of snow in the blink of an eye!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Oh he's very cute Stephanie!  All fur and feet!
Yes... we do love pictures!  Post away!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

I love the eybrows too Amanda!  Isn't it fun how you can really add so much to their expression with eyebrows!?

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Thanks girls!  We'll see how she does... so many of the American folks who bid on my auctions are traveling this weekend.... I'm sure she'll find a nice home though!
Beray truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Anne,
  They are GORGEOUS!  I really think you've got something here with these mini wedding couples!  If I were getting  married (I'm already happily married, shucks!) I know I think it would be great to have a tiny pair atop the wedding cake!  Are folks using them on the cake?  I bet if you put a tiny magnet in the foot, and placed them on a circular base made of stainless steel... they'd stand up nice and you wouldn't have to worry about them toppling into the frosting! What a lovely little reminder of one's wedding for a bear lover!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Amanda... he's precious!  Love his anime styling!  What are the standard 'anime' characteristics.... I mean, I think I know one when I see one.... big head, high nose..... lower eyes.... is there more?  Just curious.  I'll probably never get around to ever making one....I really think it would be a stylistic stretch for me....  They are just SOOOO cute though!  they tend to remind me of "Hello Kitty" from my childhood!

Beary truly ours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Dilu, I saw that commercial the other day!

I was wondering if those things worked!!!! Thanks for letting us know that they do!  I must put one of these on my shopping list for hubby!  I HATE scrubbing the tub!  The kid's tub isn't so bad... but we have one of those enormous jetted monstrosities in our master bath, and the only way to clean the darned thing is to basically get IN it!  I bet that scrubber would be a big help!

Oh, i am also a HUGE fan of those Magic Eraser thingies!  We have a trail of assorted grime that accumulates on a weekly basis on the wall of our stairs just at the 3-5 year year old level!  I swear, those magic Erasers are not of this EARTH!  Dilu, those puppies clean everything!   Have you tried one on the textured floor of your hubby's shower?  Might work!?

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Just in case some of you are only reading the mini messages.... (SHAME ON YOU!--- though I should talk, I have such a hard time even staying semi caught up here!... So shame on me too!) Anyway, I have posted a new mini (almost NOT a mini!) in the Bears For Sale area.... take a wee little peek if you are so inclined!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

I'm so late to the party on this one!!!!! this post must have escaped me, and I'm so glad that I found it!  Your tummy on the little guy with the honey is simply adorable!  I LOVE IT! 
Welcome to the board, and I do hope you post more pics of your adorable bears!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta

Jane... I've never seen such a chart.  I'd love to see one though!  I am so cautious when buying mohair for that very reason... I just don't know if it will work for the size range I'm contemplating for a specific bear.  Of course, I'm sure that suggested lengths for suggested sizes would only be a guideline though.  I've seen some lovely little puffball looking bears  with fur that is probably considered much too long.... and some lovely velvety big bears with hair that is probably considered much too short!  I think I usually use 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch pile mohair to make bears that are about 10-14 inches.

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

What a sweet little face he has! 

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Can't wait to see your wee little bunny Dilu!  Suspense......

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Helena!  I've used that wire too!!!!!! I think it has just about the same pliability/strength as a 24 gauge.  That's one part of Christmas/Birthdays that I absolutely hate.... undoing all those wires!  Geeze!   Remember when Barbie just came in a box!  I'm sure she was secured in there somehow... can't remember how... but now, for every accessory in the box there are like three of those wires holding it in!  It drives me bananas every time, and inevitably, a piece of two doesn't get thrown out (or saved!) and winds up in the corner of the room, where my vacuum finds it, and chokes!  Either that, or my husband's foot finds it!  The hubby's foot can find every dropped wire, pin, needle...... you can imagine.  I mean, I'm glad it's him and not the kids!!!!!  But, boy does he hate it!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Melissa... he's precious!  I don't think his forhead is too wide at all!  I think the wide forhead gives them a nice babyish look.... an innocence.
I have a tough time photographing the UV that has a sheen on it like that too!  I wonder if it confuses the camera or something!  Oh, I think he's just perfect!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Widl Thyme Originals

Hi Louise!  I was wondering where you had vanished to!  I hope your absence wasn't the result on anything too terribly serious!  We missed you!

Beary truly,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Hi Kim & welcome to Teddy Talk!  Hey, it's another Kim!!!!!!!! We are taking over! 

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild THyme Originals

JUDI!!!!! Too funny!  Spam is only a vegetable if it's the eMail variety SPAM, and you print it out on paper and then eat the paper! 

Beary truly ours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Hi there!  I don't do wire armatures very often in the minis that I thread joint.... but when I have done it, here's what I've done.  Obviously, the main issue/problems:

*There is no cotter pin to anchor the wire through... you have a "free floating" wire in there. 
* You can't stuff a limb too hard if you want it to be able to bend....
* You don't want to be able to feel the wire either at the shoulder or the paw... and you certainly don't want it to poke out trough the fabric....
* 
Here's how I've handled it before... get some good old craft wire, maybe a 24 gauge or so.  Measure out the length of the limb, including and bends in your pattern at the wrist or elbow, double that measurement and cut it off the spool.  Then I bend it in half and cut about an additional centimeter off at the non-bent end.  The end with the bent will be the shoulder, the "open" end will be the paw end.  Then I curl over the wires at the paw end with my pliers or hemostats.  Next I get some craft yarn and put the end of the yarn through the bent end of the wire, tie a knot to sort of hold it in place, and start wrapping the yarn around the wire all up and down the length, I concentrate a lot at the ends... to completely cover them with sort of a small dome of yarn (think Q-Tip... or cotton buds as our lovely British friends call them!)  I put a small amount of FabriTac (a fast drying flexible glue... but you could use just about any glue that remains flexible after drying) on the domed ends to make sure that it all kinda sticks there.  When I've been out of FabriTac I have just secured the ends by using regular sewing thread and just sort of tacking down the yarn so that it will all stay in place.  Then I insert the armature into the limb.  When you stuff, you are going to want to make sure that you get stuffing packed all around the wire "bone" that you've just made.  Don't stuff so hard that you can't bend the wire though... THAT kind defeats the whole purpose of the armature in the first place!  That's how I've done it.  It's strong, there is much less worry of the actual wire breaking, or poking out through the fabric.  And, if the "bone" does eventually work it's way through the stuffing and is resting right against the fabric ... it doesn't "feel" like a wire at all, with all that yarn padding on it.  If I left something out, or my instructions are a mess... just e Mail me or PM me... or just ask here & I'll  be happy to try to clarify!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Haven't done one yet Shelli.. so I can't really be of assistance.... I'd also love to hear what other people think on this topic.  How to ruin it... without REALLY ruining it!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

So sorry to hear that Millie!      :hug:

Good luck at your show though!

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

Oh Heather... we should brainstorm re that!  So often I wind up with a big plate of salad and some green beans at dinner time!  I like to feel like I'm having a MEAL too though, not just a couple of side dishes!  But I don't like having to prepare a second main course just for me....  We eat a lot of pasta with roated veggies and then I broil some chicken breasts that I can cut up and put on only their pasta.... things like that... where you can just choose to add meat at the end if you wish.... 

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

I had no idea that we had so many vegetarians on the board!  I've been a vegetarian since the age of 10.  I'm lacto-ovo though.  I can't live without cheese!  But I do really try to buy the rennet free kind... I'll eat the other in a pinch, but if someone says or does something to remind me that it contains rennet, I just can't eat it anymore.  And eggs... can't stand them on their own... I can eat them if they are well disguised though... as in a brownie or something!  I do however, wear leather... and I do prepare 99% of the meals around here... almost all of which contain meat!  I just can't personally ingest the stuff!  I think my vegetarianism stems mostly from the ballet as well as my own personal squeamishness!  I'm not political about it in the least bit, but I certainly do respect others who are. 

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals

First off, how exciting for you Laura!!!! Fingers crossed here that all goes smoothly!  We sold our home and purchased a new one near the end of the summer, it's all so crazy and stressful, and exciting so I know the boat you are in!  One good thing about having your home on the market during the holidays though.... houses do look so appealing when they are dressed for the holidays, so warm and inviting!  They truly look like 'homes.'  It took us quite a while to sell out old house because they were building so many great, reasonably priced NEW home right in our neighborhood, so we on the market, as well as looking last Christmas.  I fell in LOVE with several homes, just because when they are decorated for Christmas they do in fact look so homey!!!!!  Best of luck to you and your family! 

Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals