Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I am so amazed at his recovery - we can be a powerful lot when we pull together for one of us!  Just keep remembering to take time for yourself as well.

Mine will go out on the weekend!  happy holidays!

Soak in milk!  A friends daughter had a pen leak all over her new school uniform and this got all traces of ink out.
Don't bears like milk anyway?

Biggest problem I can see is cutting the fur rather than just the backing.

Fantastic news!!!

Absolutley gorgeous congratulations to everyone.  I was just diappointed that there were no names on the bears although I recognised a few distinctive styles.

I have done them before by taking a small circle of fabric two to three times larger than you want the belly button (for a miniature bear) gathering it round the edges and then sewing it on after the bear is finished.  If your final stitches come up through the centre and then you sink the knot there it will give you an indentation.

What a shame and the photo is so clear I can't understand their reasoning.  Good luck with whatever you decide and remember I think the bear is gorgeous.

Just had a look wish I could go too!  Has anyone ever sent their bear on such a tour?  Would love to hear from you if you have.  Personally I prefer to take our bears on holidays with us but what an idea!!!!!

Ride a quad bike and fall off - I did and it has put me out of bear making for a while.  Hopefully only a short while but don't most addicts have relapses?

i use copper wire from the hardware store (comes in different thicknesses) and has an insulating coating on it but it bends really easily.  Then I put an electrical connector on the end to place on the joint after the washer.  i always wrap some stuffing around it firmly before placing it in the bear and use extra at the paw end.

I will keep on sending prayers and good vibes for you and all your family.

Count me in and if anyone else in Oz is interested perhaps we can do an Australian bear (keep the postage costs down)!

Thanks for the info on Zazzle.  What a great site and your t shirts are fantastic.

I still think Australian Bear Creations is the best.  Always several patterns in each issue and great articles.

I have found that i can buy almost a yard of fabric from Intercal for the same price as a 1/4 would cost me here from a craft supplier.  It never takes long to get here either.  Hurray for Intercal!

I don't buy many bears as I have very limited space but I found this fellow on etsy a couple of weeks ago and could not resist.  It is by Knitting Dreams who hails from Spain.  I have never really gone for anime style before either but this one 'spoke' to me.  The head and body are mohair and the rest of it is knitted.

Just made this little fellow.  I love this brightly coloured string mohair - it makes for very characteristic bears.

I want to make a four piece head with the back of the head of the bear being one piece.  Any ideas how to do this and get the proportions right?  Any help will be appreciated.  Also has anyone made a bear with the body seam down the sides instead of the front?  Any tips on doing that would also be appreciated.

I'm thinking of you all.

Great Idea thanks Lynette.

The first bear I made was a Loris Hancock pattern.  Of course I had no idea even when cutting out the pattern how small it was going to be!  Ignorance is not bliss!  Australian Bear Creations helped enormously, more so for the patterns,  my first 'successful' bear was a Jennifer Laing bear but I had never done any classes due to my isolation in the outback(!) until doing Felted Faces late last year with EbearzU.  I am now finding that my biggest inspiration is me and while that may sound big headed I mean that it is my imagination that is unlimited and I am not afraid to experiment.  I don't consider myself to be a bear artist - rather a person who makes bears but one day I hope to get there!

Are they all going to be called 'phoenix'?  After all, they have risen from the ashes so well. i love them and the story that goes with them.  What size are they?

Not silly at all.  2 ways I do it are 1) superglue the bolt to the joint that goes into the head then it won't move and 2) which my husband came up with is to put a locnut on the bolt and do it all the way up and then insert the  joint into the neck as you would an arm or leg so that you are actually using 2 loc nuts.  There is a 3rd way which I have never used and that is to leave a gap in the gusset seam same as you would in an arm or leg, close the neck around the joint and continue as normal.  As to closing the neck some people use a gathering stitch but I much prefer to just ladder stitch it closed from front to back after inserting the joint.  If you need further clarification or if someone can explaiin it better please let me know / or go ahead and explain it.  Iam very much a visual person and find it difficult to describe in words how I do it.

Designing