For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
I am going to write the Fairfield company (polyfil) to ask them to consider having a contest for bear artists like they do for the quilt artists. For the quilters its a big extyravaganza of wearable quilted art.
Well having been a die hard quilter and now a fauxbear artiste I can honestly say I use 5 times the amount of polyfil for the stuffed critters than I ever did batting for quilts.
What I would like from you guys is some ideas of divisions that you would like to see....I thought if we did the thinking for them they might be more amenable to the suggestion? :)
So, lets see some ideas here ladies and gents and I will at the end of one week take al the ideas, collate them and send off a letter.....a real letter, not e-mail.....that augbht to get their attention. :D
Thanks
dilu
Dilu? I am sorry my Dear? I do not understand what you need from us? I use a poly fill from Wal Mart by the the huge bags full. I would like to try some different types of filling but our resources are so limited in this part of the world.
Let me know what you need, as I am bit brain dead these days and I will do my best to let you know. I think your idea is absolutely wonderful!!!
Love yah Kid!!!
Louise
Maybe I didn't explain it very well....
Fairfield makes polyfill along with batting. In the quilting world they sponser a quilted art wear contest every year....
Yeah for the contest we would have to use their polyfill, but golly, that makes sense. I also buy it in the 5lb boxes from Wallmart, Louise, and wish it came even bigger, but that's not the point.
The point is it get us going out there in the world- get more enthusiasm for our passion, encourage collectors, encourage up and coming artists, encourage the ones who are already in the trenches,
I thought we could tap into this and have them sponser a plush critter contest too...
I thought that since we all have to stuff, except for needlefelting, perhaps they would like to know what kind of a market there is out here.
They are a big company and we could use more support for the bear world. I thought this ran along the same lines as what we were talking about on the expo posts. They do alot of advertising....and I thought maybe it would be a small way of following through on what we have all been talking about. on Lisa's expo topic
So i thought I would also lay out divisions in the competition....
like to give them ideas
New artist less than 3 years experience
Artist over 3 years experiemce
realistic art animal ( like Louise and Garnets Polar bears)
Whimiscle art animal
That sort of thing
In the quilting world the prizes are pretty big, $500....that sort of thing...but we would probably have to start smaller
However contests drum up enthusiasm and support and participants-ISn't this along the same lines as the Expo post- how to get the enthusiasm back into shows and stuff?
The magazines would promote it if there was enough participation-and of course there would be pictures
Soooo
Come on guys
what sort of catagories do you thinik we should ask for?
I asked Intercal if I could include their name and tel Fairfield about Teddytalk and invite them to stop by the web site and see the quality of work on the board...Kjeld thought it was a good idea.
Now- did this explain it better? I hope so....
Of course if no one is interested on this board then I surely am not going to contact them...I don't want try and start something and have it fail because of lack of interest.
So if you guys are interested I will take your ideas and form a proposal letter and see what happens.
If you aren't, I'll quietly gollywaddel away...:D
I think it is a wonderful idea Dilu. Garnet and I would certainly be willing to do anything we could do to promote this idea. We are in!!!! There must be different areas of expertise as you had mentioned. Old time or antique teddies, Gollies, realistic animals, fantasy animals on and on........
Hugs Louise
great idea Dilu! i just bought some of their polyfil from michaels.
can you imagine the amount of that stuff they sell??!
gollyjeewillikers for sure!!
OOO yeah Louise, you are right....see this is why I need all of you guys, my pea brain doesn't think of ev erything.....i think it is about the size of a gollie....yikes~
i don't think I will ask for a golli division-I don't want to do anything that will alienate or upset or hurt or offend anyone es[pecially anyone at Fairfield....
So I'll eave this post up for a week....and then I will print up all the posts and collate the ideas and write it up into a proposal .
Dilu
Can you all tell from the typos my head isn't on right? I have wonderful medication cocktail (three meds mixed together taken at the same time), but they can really wonk you out- so i try to take only at night....but the head may win today.:(
Diloopykins
I think I may be left out of this one because I don't think I can get "Fairfield " stuffing my stuffing comes from Canada.
I'll wish you all luck though and vote
Hugs and blessings,shari.
Sweetie I'll ssend it to you if you want to compete, assuming we can get Fairfield to sponser us
Gina great ideas! wow
How about we add to that list real fur bears too?
Now we're cooking with gas!
Yeah ! Real fur bears too !...They use to print an animal pattern on the back of their bags ..I have some old ones in my files.
I see them supporting all the cloth doll things...er...or maybe the cloth doll artists support using Fairfield.
Contests would be good...for anyone to join in it like ...beginners. I love the idea of having a theme for the year like ..Fantastic Fantasy , or Wish Upon a Star contest, dosn't that conjure up ideas ? Am I off track or what ?...I think a contest for kids making bears would be really great...let's get them to sewing, creating some fun bears , we need to make a way for the next generation to get strated...light their fuse !
Hey...also I think a neat thing to do is to teach just ONE person, adult or kid .. each year how to make a basic bear would be a good contribution to the future of the bear world.
I;'d like to see kids involved in making bears then donating them to police Depts for their soft rooms...
OK...I have a bunch of ideas here all mixed up...will keep on dreaming...Winney