Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Well , if using the right wool gets the results that Judi gets them pleaaaaaaaaaaase tell me what you are using.
Then tell me where you are going to learn !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! here???, I have not been reading all the posts, have to start getting down to doing some real work. First show in Japan, orders for a customer and a shop so time to stop playing and work. Financial year end for my son's business.
Paula I will have a look at this website in the UK , thanks.

Lynette

Well the BIG day has arrived on my side of the world, and I started yesterday with a 29.09 walk/run.But will weigh myself tomorrow as today we are out for afternoon tea with my mother and I am going to have that last scone and dollop of cream.
When running,I used my old stop watch and must say that it helped, also I seemed to not have so many side effects after running from the medication I am on, which seems to make my brain wobble like jelly, it only lasts a few minutes then goes away. Maybe the old brain is settling down.
So I am aboard this train, taking off, which is going to arrive at its destination with me as a NEW IMPROVED TEDDY BEAR ARTIST both in body and mind, I hope we are all going to have an interesting journey , sure there are going to be stops along the way where we will get off, then get back on.( ermmm I have to start convincing myself )

Lynette

Julie, you are just too horid,      how did you ever create such a lovely bear !!!!!
What a charming creature to start the New Year with 
Lynette

Dear Rita,
Thank you for sharing your Scottish events. I have been watching Sky TV and seeing all the " happenings" in Edinburgh. Also for the words to Auld Lang Syne, it is a tune that always brings a tear to my eye, funny how a special song, can always evoke such memories for one.
I hope your head is not hurting too much this morning.
Lynette

:clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :cake:  :bday:  :cake:  :bday:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:
Celebrate
Lynette

Last December / January 05 , how time goes by, I spent time in and out of hospital and took some knitting with me for my mini bears.Most people looked at me as if  was daft, my one friend commented that someone was going to come over and say to me " you do know that these things are not going to fit you". In between it all I did manage to finish some sweaters, hats and some scarfs.
A supplier in the UK for mini needles and patterns is http://www.buttercupminiatures.co.uk.
DMC make a Flower Thread for Wool embroidery which can be used for the small sweaters and comes in a wide variety. I also managed to buy thread and needles in Germany at the Show in Munster.
Here is a picture of the bears that I dressed.

Ello all,
This is my tuppence worth on bear prices,
With making a bear, the first time round, one makes mistakes and then with the next bear corrects these mistakes, the same is going to happen with pricing your bears.
People who under cut, sell for a silly price will at first sell a lot, but will soon go out of business, (unless they have a secret money tree  in the garden),as eventually their costs will exceed their profits.Time will also take its toil, we all know what bear making does to your hands, back, eyes, and of course repetitive strain injury - which results in carpal tunnel syndrome,and zap goes your wrists, so one must consider these factors when giving away your hard work for a pittance.
Today, at shows, because of various reasons, more and more artists are selling pieces of mohair ( from their own supply) their own patterns, and then ask- why are my bears not selling- well when a person sees a bear marked for XXX amount and they see a pattern marked for X amount, why should they buy the finished artist bear, when they THINK they can go home with the pattern and make the same bear ( which we all know they will not be able to make) so moral to the story, most artists are killing the bear market themselves. OOps wandered off the bear price topic.
Anyway be realistic with bear prices, ARTIST BEARS are special bears, created by SPECIAL PEOPLE and its hard work, remember for some artists this is a LIVING not a hobby DO NOT KILL THE MARKET with un realistic prices
"PHEW" now I feel better  
p.s. last word Shops however should not complain, they make 100-200% from us artists !!!!!!

Lynette.
AND  may 2006 be a BEARY GOOD BEARY YEAR for all of you. :hug:

Hello all you mad mad teddy bear people, I am back home and on the keyboard behind my computer again.
Too fat, too thin, smoking, biting nails, STRESSED out,one just has to wonder what we do to ourselves.
My suggestion for those wanting to loose weight  ( apologies if it has been mentioned somewhere along the line)
1. Weigh yourself once a week. THEN HIDE THAT SCALE, till the next time you have to weigh again, then weigh in same clothes at the same time of day.
2. Try eating a FRUIT/VEG  5 times a day.
3. BREAKFAST is important.
4. WATER (this is more for me cause I hate drinking water) 8 glasses a day
5. MEAT PORTIONS  The size of your palm, potato size of your fist.
6. If you feel hungry GO CLEAN YOUR TEETH( this help take your appetite away for a bit)
7. DIETING DOES NOT EXIST, try and think of it as EATING HEALTHY. Positive thinking.
8. Write down what you eat, you will be amazed at the things you eat and forget about, the licking of a spoon when cooking. The sip of a cool drink when handing your child the glass. HIDDEN THINGS.
9. If like me you can not say no to one biscuit and have to eat the packet, THEN DO NOT BUY THE THINGS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO FINISH, if you have control, then one piece of chocolate, or one biscuit will not harm you.
10.EXCERCISE: start off very slowly if overweight, then build up slowly.
11. ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY, you will not be a skinny person overnight.
STRESS
Stress is my middle name, something I have lived with since the age of 18.Today I understand why and can handle things, then I was too young to understand and cope with what had happened , and spent many years on various medication in and out of clinics.One thing that eventually helped me was that I started running, nothing great, but it was excercise and through this I was able to able to have some sort of life without medication. Being active , even in a small way, seems to help handle the things that life tends to throw at you. So if you are able get out and excercise, Yoga would be great.

Lynette

Dear Sue Ann,
I have also gained a few extra bags !!!!!!!!and on a small frame I agree it ads to health problems,especially when when one reaches the middle years of life. 
I thought I would start going back to Gym at the beginning of the new Year and try the swimming pool, and maybe I could get back into the excercise routine. I used to run, but somehow over the last few months I have got out of that routine and become a lazy bum. Sitting making teddy bears does not help that area either !!!!!!!!!
So I will join you.
By chatting we agree,
that less food it should be,
more excercise we need,
trimer our figures shall be.

Lynette

Dear Julia,
In this life of ours, you sometimes have to wonder what is going on in this world of ours, one hears of the horrors of war, the natural disasters, and you just wonder why it is happening, then you sit down here, and you see the kindness, sharing and new friendship that are made, and somehow the day seems that much better.
Thanks for sharing your bit about what you get up to in your corner of the world.

Today I went to a Rose Farm, where you can pick your own roses, it was such fun, and now I have roses all over Dale's house. 
Not sure what is going to appear when I submit as I am on his computer in Cape Town.
So from a windy Cape Town,
Its me
Lynette
Fred-I-Bear South Africa.

:clap:  :clap:  :clap:

Tomorrow, I will be flying off to Cape Town, to spend Christmas with my son Dale, who is 30 and single. Hubby and my mom will be  in tow.I am emailing the TT address to his computer, so that when I need a break I can escape and catch up with some bear news, but if that fails then I wish everyone a HAPPY and JOYOUS CHRISTMAS DAY.

Lynette

We have a bird that visits us every morning, but has become a pest, he sees himself in the window and sits and pecks at himself all the time. We are not sure what he is trying to do. He does this for about 10 days, then disappears and  I think, oh nooo he must have gone and got himself killed, then just when you have got used to it being quiet, you hear this "peck" 'peck" again. Of course the dogs get  all upset , untill they get used to it again, and this all happens at first light in the morning.

Lynette

humf, pushed the wrong thing, and submitted without ending.
Get MEAN AND EVEN.
Lynette

Dani,
If all else fails, try this, get a guy to call the shop, and say he has seen one of your bears, let him give a description of one of the bears and say how cute the little fellow is,then he must ask the price   and say, whoo that is a good price, and then say he would like to order 10 of these bears, when can he take delivery of them, as his company he giving them away as a promotion gift, and he will be wanting more bears in April.
I am sure if this happens she will sure call you,then get her to pay you first for what she has taken, telling her you will discuss future orders with her in a weeks time as you are going on holiday.
Your friend in the meantime can stall her, saying he will come in with a deposit etc etc.

:clap:  :clap: Way to go
Lynette

To the mom !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :clap:  :clap:  :clap:  :clap:

I am getting my dress out, shoes polished, and will be flying in for the next party. :dance:  :dance:  :dance:

Dani,
If your invoice stated 14 days for payment then the shop must pay, unless they made other arrangements with you.I would suggest that you either call and demand to speak to the mother, or get someone to phone as your accountant, and say that unless the account is paid within 48 hours it will be handed over for legal collection.

Next time if you get a shop order, it is better to ask for a 20% deposit, if it is a new client, state very clearly your terms and get them to sign an agreement and fax it back to you before they get the bears. We are all so excited to get a shop order, we offer a special discount,only sometimes to get a slap in the face.
Normally Bear people are good trustworthy people, unfortunately it is a big RAT RACE out in the world and people are not always honest.
Lynette

I thought you had sheep in New Zealand not cats !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a wonderful piece of work, you must be feeling very proud of yourself.

Lynette.

Thanks for all the lovely comments, Ko-hair I bought here in South Africa, but it is imported from overseas,I would think perhaps Australia.
If you do get it, I suggest sewing this way,
Trace out your pattern, then use fray check along all the cutting lines, then cut out.( I took all the cut out pieces outside and gave them a good shake as well as the left over fabric- the fluff goes everywhere .) Also use fray check on all the joint positions and eye positions.
Over cast all the seams by hand. Then sew with a machine or by hand whichever method you prefer stictching your bear together.
The material is slippery so the fray check and overcast seams will hold it together.
I used wooden disks, nuts and bolts for the joints, but beware of over costing a Ko-hair bear, as it will take the same time to make this kind of bear as a mohair bear, but you will not be able to get the same price as a mohair bear, so make it for yourself, a friend, or an accessory for a mohair teddy where you can then justify the price
Lynette.

Here are two pictures of bears that I have just completed. They my normal patterns with a few adjustments made to them. The two bears sitting together are made from Schulte mohair while the bear on its own, is made from Ko-hair, a nylon fabric.All 3 still need their noses waxed. The ko-hair bear is also floppy, filled with plastic pellets, a bounce back poly fiber filler and I did add a few small glass beads for weight. This bear is going to be for the little "sprog" when it arrives in July.

Daphne, here is a picture for you, I could not figure out how to post it under the topic of discussion so added it here.You will have to bear    with me till I figure my way around this place.

This is the way I get the fur out of the way from the seams with my bear making on the bigger bears.

Lynette.

dem. no picture.

This was sent to me, so I thought I would share it with you.That is if I get the picture posted here .I must also tell you that when I sit down to check mail and see what is happening in teddy talk, I have Mania, pronounced differently to how it is spelt, scrating at my legs, so I have to pick her up and onto the desk she goes, Teddy then comes onto the other side of me, and he has to be picked up, and he then sits next to her on the desk, both Jessie and Kimmi are on the chairs already, so not only do I sit and chat, I have the dogs participating as well !!!.