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Posts: 3,177Hi All,
I've finally found some spare time and was just sitting here contemplating my navel when a thought came to me (yes i know that's rare)!
I favour making BIG bears, 16" and over - i've got a 22" bear on ebay at the moment - but do big bears sell better or worse than small bears? I know that some collectors prefer miniature bears and that others like to collect slightly bigger bears but what size sells the best?
Should i start making small bears or stick to the big cuddly ones? Do you make more money producing small bears - it takes me ages to sew a bear so i'm wondering just how much quicker i'd finish a smaller one.
The smallest bears i ever made were 6" high and a little Steiff lookylikey, they sold really well perhaps i ought ot dig the pattern out and get cracking.
Big bears do seem harder to sell although i always get emails from collectors saying how much they like them - maybe people simply don't have the space!
Anyway girls - i look forward to hearing your venerable views on this subject
Penny
Hi Penny...this is so difficult because I have had customers ask me if I make miniature bears because they haven't got room for the big ones...but I can't cope with making tiny bears...and it's not what I like to make.
That said, I have introduced some 6" bears...and they have been popular.....It takes me as long though ,if not longer, to make a small bear...but it's my belief (I'm probably wrong) that if someone really wants to buy a bear the size won't be an issue.
Jenny
I'm toying with the idea of downsizing. I'm finding, after some experimenting, that I really enjoy the midsized bears -- like ten inches or so. Generally, before now, I've been making 14-20" bears almost exclusively.
I'm not great with the tiny work and so won't ever venture into itty-bitty land.
I've seen this discussed elsewhere and people always say that, at shows, the big ones sell first. Bigger is better, would seem the motto. (I'm not sayin' nuthin on that. :D)
If you watch eBay, tho, there is a lot of market for the small guys, and I think that inch for inch, an artist probably makes more moolah on the little ones, too, since materials costs are generally so much less (but I imagine labor costs and time are the same; they ALL take forever to make, no matter what the size!)
It's also becoming clear to me that mundane, horrid tasks like stuffing are waaaaaaaaaay quicker to complete -- as is stitching up the back -- with the smaller guys, which leaves the fun stuff (faces, trimming, shading) more freedome to reign supreme.
I don't suppose this is remotely helpful but I do enjoy hearing myself talk so thanks, PenPen, for posing the question!
ontario, canadai LUV the big guys. i don't know about elsewhere in the world but the really big guys are pretty scarce here. i'm sure the cost factor has something to do with it....for both the artist and the collector. when i go to shows in this area one lady makes the big guys and she is always sold out at the end of the show. that might be a marketing tactic too but.....
i appreciate the work involved with the little teeny guys but they aren't very huggable. unless of course, you're teeny too. 
Pandy Potter BearsI think I asked the same question? Bit brain befuddled at the moment! I seem to remember it was a case of 'horses for courses'. My thoughts are that postage is less, so could be a factor. I also agree with Shelli about Ebay. Again postage? I have made some 2 1/2" many years ago but could not cope now. My smallest at the moment is 4 1/2". I used to do 14" as my standard but 9" is large to me now. With the 4 1/2" ones I can still use a sewing machine to a certain extent but have to do more hand sewing which takes time and makes my left hand ache.
I think the best way is to keep downsizing your patterns and as you get used to the next size down you are more able to cope with smaller after that?
Still which sells best is an interesting question, looking forward to all the opinions.
Upstate New YorkWhatever size comes out of fat quarter or 1/3 yard ... that's the size bear I like to make!
Seriously, my teds usually range 12" - 17". I can't do itty bitty either Shelli ... don't know how the gals (or guys) do it. As it is, I have to sew in the seat where my magnifier is.
Posts: 3,177That's a good idea Amanda, i never thought of that. It would be pretty easy to downsize some of my favourite patterns, i'll give it try.
Sorry if you askes this before but i've been away from the board for a while and i must of missed it!
Can small bears be as huggy as bigger bears though? There's less space for squishy filling in their tums is'nt there?
I have to say that i'm a sucker for big bears cos they're sooo cuddly in your arms - if i tried to cuddle a little 'un it would probably get lost in my boobydoos
Penny 
Winneybears and FriendsOh Penny...you crack me up !...Winney
Posts: 3,177Don't crack up yet Winney! It's nice to hear from you again.
But it's true is'nt it - you can't cuddle a 6 incher like a 16" incher can you?
hohohohoo
Penny
Kim-Bee Bears
Macintosh is my tiniest to date... he is between 2-2 1/2" tall standing.... I dont think it is easier or harder for the little ones - I have tiny fingers and hands though 
Pandy Potter BearsLinda Mullins 101 bear book shows you how to downsize. Take off the stitching allowance (usually 1/4"), reduce on the scanner using the image bit, size part (not very technical am I!) then add the seam allowance back on.
Once you get used to stitching the smaller ones you can then go even smaller. I change things, like I can't embroider a neat nose on the small ones, so I cheat and needlefelt them or use fimo. I have just got a great curved small needle to do ears from Tesco. Brilliant find as it is about the size of a 10p piece.
Doh! Not Linda Mullins, Nancy Tillbergs' book!:P
Posts: 3,177Wow! 2 1/2" high is really teeny!
He's lovely Kim, can't see me going that small though; i'd end up in the looney bin
Amanda, i shall try that - don't worry about not being very technical - i'm not, so i understood exactly what you meant hehehe
Penny
Da bigger da better girl!
Tiddly smiddly is for those far more virtuous than I. I get really cranky and snarly whenever I go below 15" ... not a good look for this sweet natured fluffy headed bear maker. :(
*Dons halo* 
Posts: 3,177Yes Paula - you and me both like and produce bigguns don't we?
I think it would be hard to produce your style of bears in a teeny size don't you? Part of the charm is because they are huggable sizes - they have that 'pick me up or i'll die' look to them don't they?
I'm just trying to get the my head around the idea of smaller bears i always think back to being a kid and having a bear big enough to wrap your arms around - obviously i was a lot smaller then with shorter arms but i can't get that idea out of my head.
Penny
I don't like my bears when they get too big...17" is about as big as I can make without them starting to look like grotesque monster babies. In my book cute and big don't work too well, though I suspect there are one or two folks out there who will tell me I'm wrong.
I find it easier to downsize than upsize..I tend to use the same head pattern on my bigger bears that I use on my 14 inchers....it gets too big otherwise but I draw the line at hand-sewing so tha rules out any bear below 6"..
Jenny
Posts: 3,177It's a funny thing is'nt it? Big is'nt cute is it? But i think my bears are more 'beary' looking than yours Jenny - you produce rounder bears with a less pronounced nose whilst mine are more traditional in appearance.
This is making me think a lot more about the psycological ( is there supposed to be an H in there?) effect that bears have on us human beans - i'm off for a fag and coffee to mull it all over
Penny
Country BearsI made some 3" last year, can't remember quite when, a pattern by Julie Dawn, a well known artist over here, I was quite pleased that I could 'go so small!!!' Wish it was as easy to shrink myself smaller, but hey you can't have everything huh!!?
I hope these 2 pics come out, they were called Peanut and Sandy and were 3" standing each.
Clare, those are DARLING!!! How do you turn ears that size?
Kim-Bee BearsI couldnt see the top one only the penny - the second one is darling!
My answer to turning ears that tiny are tweezers and a lot of patience!
Country BearsShelli, I used Cashmere fabric, soooo easy to turn!!! Really effective too. Helena (Bears a Bruin) uses a smokey longer pile fabric, from sassybears (USA) and I can't wait to try that, just haven't got round to it yet!!!
I made a bear for my son's teacher at the end of the year in this pattern, she was absolutely wonderful to us as my son suffers from severe ADHD, she was over the moon with it - bless!!
Thanks for your kind words;)
Hi Penny,
I like big bears. I just bought Steiff's 20" Pooh and I think 24" Charles last year. I also have 2 other big Poohs - one from Disneyworld and one from Gund (like original one; I call him naked Pooh b/c he doesn't have a shirt like Disney one and Steiff one). I have some other big bears too.
Chrissie
Is there a size that's easier to make, just out of curiosity?
Chrissie
Posts: 8,574Pennypoddlekins
Hiya toots, where ya been- saw your guy on bearpile.
Here's my $1.98 ( really big inflation) There is someone out there for every size bear or golly available.
However, I was perusing e-bay and noticed Kims little fella- I think what ? 1 1/2 to 2" and he seemed like he was doing well in his auction. Good Luck Kim
However the question would be if the size of the bear and what you can get for it is worth the time it takes to make.
I make small ones, not as small as Kim's-I-stand-in-awe or Laure's gosh-I'm-glad-I-got-it, but I developed some nifty shortycuts that make it easy, and so I don't mind. ( Kim I took your advice and got some vintage rayon to try- however I bought it last night and hurricane Ophelia was hitting North Carolina and wouldn't you know that's where my seller was!)
You make great bears and you wont know until you try it. I draw a golly pattern and then scan and size up and down on the computer and then cut at least one of each size everytime I go to make a golly...
You just never know what size folks will want. It seems all the sizes sell. Who Knew?
I am looking forward to seeing some of your bears sized down- it should be fun!
Glad you are back on the board.
Have missed you Pennypoodles
The gollys send you great big slobbery gollykisses.....Yuuuuuuck!
Past Time BearsAnother place to look for comments on bear sizes is "Teddy Tips and Techniques" on page one, next to the bottom. Millie started the thread.
I also go crazy trying to make anything under 6-7 inches . . . so I stick to mostly medium sized teds. Most of mine range between 10 and 20 inches, but I do make the occasional smaller or larger bear. I have one collector that won't buy anything under 24". Then I have people ask me why I don't make small ones more often. Sigh.
I actually just finished a 23" bear that has a pet rooster on a leash. The big galoot weighs 8 1/2 pounds!
OOH, Sue Ann... when can we see???
Clare... I love how you included a coin for reference. Which, as an American, tells me nothing at all. I can't remember what the heck international coins look like, for the life of me (especially now that I'm confused between the coins from my 1990 residency in Zurich -- which does its own thing anyway -- and my last trip everywhere BUT the UK, when the Euro had taken hold.) Funny!
