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Posts: 1,153So many times I have tried patterns, only to have the heads be completely different...not at all like the picture in any way, shape or form. (I am thinking now of Nancy Tillbergs pattern we are using for the Charity Sale...mine is NOTHING like the pictures)
After much studying of the pictures, I find that it really is the 'shape or form' part that is different.
So, I have read all that I can about stuffing heads and found there are a number of ways.
One said to stuff the nose first and then run a thread back and forth thru it to hold it into place and then continue to stuff the head, front first...stuffing to the back as you go.
Then, I read from another source to stuff from the back and work forward.
Would love to hear your experiences and what works best and why...for instance, to get a high forehead...or to make the face wider, what technique in stuffing would it take to achieve such attributes.
Nanc........
PS...I know that using the same pattern, each of our own style will come out in the face, I understand that...but why as an artist/craftperson can I not come even close. It has to be in the stuffing, right?
West Palm Beach, FLNancy -
That is a great question and I am looking forward to hearing the answers, as I have the same problem. I cannot seem to get any "form" to the heads that I make.
Jill
Kim-Bee BearsI stuff my noses first because they need to be firmer and then stuff and shape as I go... I needle sculpt after the head is sewn on...
DoodlebearsI stuff the nose first making sure it is really well filled. If you fail to fill the nose properly you will find sewing the nose will be difficult and you will not get a good result. After I have filled the nose I work on filling the top of the head first (still making sure the nose filling stays put) and gradually working all round adding just a little at a time packing the stuffing in firmly and evenly. This is what I have done from day one and get a really nicely uniformed head.
Kim said
I needle sculpt after the head is sewn on...
I always needle sculpt the head once I have added the joint to the neck, I find this works for me and allows me to hide any casting of down near the neck joint without the body getting in the way.
Jane.
The best way to stuff a head is to get a MA in psychology.
Don't ask... 
Okay, but seriously folks...
I stuff my heads so hard they feel like little firm basketballs. It takes a lot of stuffing and a lot of arm strength. Honestly, I end up breaking a little sweat in the process. Just a little.
Use a stuffing tool. I don't care how hard you push with your fingers, it's my experience that with a stuffing tool, you can still get WAY MORE stuffing down into that puppy. I love my Ultimate Stuffing Tool from Donna -- shameless plug for her product again, which just FYI, benefits me, not at all -- because it has a little gripper tip that actually holds onto the stuffing as you shove it in there. It's also very narrow and because it's metal, it glides where it's supposed to glide. I have two of them and am thinking of ordering an assortment just so they are everywhere I look.
As Jane wrote, fill the nose very firmly. I stuff it. Then I stuff it. Then, when it's stuffed, I stuff it. Then, to finish things out, I stuff it. Are ya with me??? ;)
After stuffing the nose, I shove a giant ball of stuffing into the crown/top of head, followed immediately by another, until that little furry pocket is filled to the neck (or so it would seem.)
Then, using first fingers, then stuffing tool, shove that stuffing as firmly as possible to compact it. You will find you lost at least 50% of your loft with this step and must re-stuff to fill to the neck again.
Keep repeating this "fill/compact" step until the head really truly feels stuffed.
This is the point where you can actually begin to shape it in a customized way.
I like puffy cheeks so, taking small bits of stuffing, use your fingers to aim them at the cheek area, then the stuffing tool (gently now, because you're near the mohair backing, and tension is high in there), to work these bits into the jowl/cheek area. You'll start to see more fullness.
At this point I also tend to add even more stuffing to the nose/chin area as well.
I believe it's truly just about the point where you think that head is gonna pop open, it's so full of stuffing, that the actual shaping part takes place.
As for needle sculpting... I needle sculpt after the head is stuffed; closed; and nose/mouth stitched, eyes inserted. That way I can see exactly where my features will end up.
Hope this is helpful!
Wild Thyme OriginalsI also stuff my heads extremely firmly and I can also attest that it can be a physically painful process! I haven't tried the stuffing tool that Shelli spoke so highly of... though I just may have to now, sounds wonderful! Here's what I have done.... for minis and for larger mohair bears....
For minis I use a pair of superthin needlenose tweezers... they are the type that have a scissor like handle like forceps.... Of course they kept poking though the fabric backing unless I was quite careful, so I coated just the very tips with a product called "Plasti-Cote." It's a liquid plastic like material that dries to a rubbery coating. It's sold in hardware stores to coat the handle ends of screwdrivers, tools etc.... You can find it in the hand tool section. It's just a couple of bucks a bottle. Anyway, it gives you a nice grip on the fiberfil and does really prevent the ends of the tool from poking through the fabric.
So, when I started making mohair bears, I also coated the tips of a pair of forceps with the Plastic-Cote and used that to stuff. With so much stuffing I did find that my hands were getting all marked up and sore from the metal handle part of the forceps, so I coated the handles of my forceps as well with a couple coats of the Platic-Cote... REALLY HELPS! then i did the handles of my scissors, etc..... Now just about every tool I own has the handles coated with this stuff! It sticks to metal quite well.... after many many months of repeated use i did find that the coating on the tips of one of my tools has started to peel off, so I just recoated it. I just love the stuff.
I think that when you close it basically a personal preference.... I used to joint and close before doing any sculpting, eye setting etc... Now, I tend to do it after I have done about half of the thread sculpting.... I find that after I have squeezed and massaged the head extensively during the sculpting process, I can fit a bit more stuffing into some areas where I want more fullness. It's different for every bear though. I still haven't gotten into a groove as far as the order of steps on heads. I just do what feels right and seems to work best for me.
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
Posts: 1,153I think I pretty much have my answer....MORE STUFFING!!!
I have used my fingers only on the larger bears but on my minis, I have always used hymostats (sp?).
I do believe now, that the sculpting and molding can only be done with extensive stuffing.
Kim, your bears are just so adorable and of course Shelli, by now, knows what I think of her bears!
I want to achieve that lower jaw and have never been able to do it. I will experiment this after noon...can hardly wait!
Thank you gals, for all of your input and the time it took to do it.
I greatly appreciate it.
Nancy
Posts: 1,153Jane and Kim, I thank you both for your input also...and Jill, I hope you have enjoyed this information as much as I have. 
West Palm Beach, FLNancy - I have enjoyed the info and will put it to work. Thanks to Shelli and Kim for sharing.
Jill
Flying Fur StudiosI stuff my heads super firm as well. As much as I can fit. And it's amazing what will fit in there. I'm sure you gals understand.
I don't have any fancy tools, so I just use a chopstick as my stuffing tool. Works great. I don't seen to have any troubles with it.
I also do all the embroidery work before I stuff the head. But I'm just finding out, it's better for me to do the sculpting and attaching the eyes after I have closed up the head. I found that if I attached the eyes before the head was jointed, the eyes would come just a little bit loose. I figure this was bec. I tied the knot soo tight, it eventually compressed the stuffing even more. Same with the sculpting.
Just figured this out recently, so I thought I'd share.
I also switched to the walmart brand I've heard you all talk so much about. I used to use that really slippery stuff found in craft stores. But I don't know if I like it. I find it is easier to stuff the head where you want it, but I also find I can squish the head out of shape, the other stuffing seemed to stay put, no matter how I squished the head. And I stuff real hard. Maybe it's just me, or maybe you guys like how you can mold the head a little more. I'd be curious to know.
Heather
I use a combo of the slippery stuff and the firm stuff. All slippery it too soft and easily squashed.... All firm, feels lumpy sometimes. SO I grab some slippery and some firm and mix it all together and then stuff. Works for me!
I also stuff the nose with just firm and when its packed, I insert a needle through the muzzle to hold it in place and when the head is completely done, I remove the needle!
Posts: 1,153I agree with you gals, I don't like the slippery squishy (highly technical bear terms) stuffing. I have had a heck of a time finding the, not so slippery, squishy stuff...but finally found it at JoAnne Fabrics. It is called Mountain Mist Fiber Loft. A little pricey, but VERY worth it.
I will try mixing it, sounds great.
Plus with the cost of fuel here in Atlanta, it only cost me 30.00 to drive to JoAnnes!!! argh!!!
Nanc.......
Posts: 8,574My head always feels stuffed, but I think its because my brain is smaller than a gollys 
