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Posts: 177My friend told me we are our own worst critique. I think all bear need love and give it in return. There is always someone out there that would love any bear that is made. I for one love seeing them all. 
Me too bearlady! The only ones I may have a problem with are the ones with teeth and claws!
Braille TeddiesI haven't seen any with teeth and claws, so I don't know how I feel about them, but they need love too. You just have to be careful so they don't bite you.
Yes, Jessie, I probably would still love them...very carefully!
GJOYful BearsI am making a baby griffon at the minute with a big nose, huge puppy-dog eyes, long mane and long tail with fluffy tip. His front legs have hooves like a horse and his back ones have big toes with claws ~ he's not what I would've thought I'd love to make a long time ago, but now he is my style and I adore him - plus he has the cutest face (even though he only has half a nose lol).
There is a bear for everyone and someone for every bear
Gabriele, I can't wait to see pictures of your griffon!
Wagga WaggaI am sure no-one will be happy with my answer - I threw my first bear in the bin as it was so bad, even a mother couldn't have loved it 
GJOYful BearsGabriele, I can't wait to see pictures of your griffon!
Me too LOL. I'm having trouble working out how to get pics onto this forum. Usually I copy & paste the URL from my photobucket account ~ as I can't resize my pics straight from the camera so I put them through photobucket. But here I can't do that, or can I? If someone could help with some tips that would be great. I'd love to have an avatar pic and some photos to share.
Thanks so much, I love fantasy-type animals and creatures and I wanted to challenge myself with something totally out of the ordinary ~ surprise I am actually happy with the pattern first time around and I don't think it needs any changes made - which is great! Can't wait to share him. He will be on my site when he's finished:
http://gjoyfulbears.com/main.html
So if I don't work out how to load pics here in the meant time you can see him there (when he's finished). I'm not here to advertise my business really, more so to learn things ~ this is why my website address is not yet in my signature. But feel free to take a peek (it's still a work in progress).
I'm having trouble working out how to get pics onto this forum.
You can go to the Technical Help section and read the instructions for How to Upload a Photo. Method #3 talks about uploading them from a website (like Photobucket) if you're not able to re-size them yourself with a photo editing program on your computer. (I'm not able to re-size photos in my camera either, but my computer came with programs that allow me to do it once the photos have been downloaded to my computer. I believe you can find free photo editors online as well.)
Becky
GJOYful BearsThanks so much Becky! Will give it a try 
Will definitely have lots of pics to share now!
I use Photobucket and it works great!
GJOYful BearsThat's great to know I'll give it a try as I'd love to share some pics with you all!
desertmountainbearI use Windows Live Photo Gallery. I do lots of editing with it and it is a free download.
Joanne
Wow, there are some great first bears here! I don't know where mine is...I think he's hiding in the basement somewhere. I think I made him when I was eight. Didn't want to use a pattern, so I drafted one by looking at a bear my mom had made. He's quite...unique :)
As far as pictures go, I used to have photoshop, but no longer, since I got a new computer. I recommend Picasa. It's a free download from Google. http://picasa.google.com/#utm_campaign= … erm=picasa I haven't figured out how to resize photos in Picasa, so I just use Paint for that. Pretty much any computer with Windows should have Paint.
Emo BearsHere's mine -
A sweet but rather understuffed guy with loose eyes. I still have him and have resisted the urge to fix him. He was a JennylovesBenny kit.
Julia - Your little bear has no ears! 
Becky
Just popped in to my former favorite online teddy haunt for a visit, and saw this thread had some recent posts. It started in 2005 -- wow!
I have to say, most of these first bears are really amazing and all of them have a naive cuteness and simplicity about them that makes them really lovable. You should all be so proud.
Someone should start a thread for "First bear, most recent bear." It might be really fun to compare how far even the newest bear maker has grown.
mortimer, my first bear, circa 1996, with his big wonky nose
Past Time BearsMort is still recognizable as one of yours, Kelly!
SHELLI!!!! Hi, girl . . . visit us more often, would ya?!
Kelly, I love his big wonky nose!
thanks, Sue Ann & Lenora. :hug: Mortimer is the only bear I've ever kept, and 15 years later I'm still dying to 'fix' him, but there is no straighting that nose. I thought you cut in the direction of the pile, knowing nothing about cutting straight-of-grain, and so cut out his nose pieces on a diagonal. . . they twisted like dorothy. . .
the worst part was, people kept ordering Mortimers, and I couldn't replicate that damned nose. . .I finally started telling people the pattern had been accidentily destroyed
desertmountainbear
Here is one of my first from the mid 1980's. Panda pattern from CR Crafts. I need to find that pattern so I can remember how to do those eye patches.
Poor guy is all head and limbs.
Joanne
Benson BearsHere is an early one of mine, from the early eighties. Made from very nasty acrylic fur I found in our local fabric store. Couldn't get any components for it, so the eyes are appliqued circles of felt with an embroidered highlight and his nose is appliqued felt too. And he's jointed using cotte pins and discs I cut myself from a broom handle......we really didn't have anywhere here that supplied bear making stuff back then and the internet was just a dream! He still lives with me. 
All of these bears give me a smile. 
The techniques might not have been mastered, but the love was there.
Becky
I don't think first bears should ever be sold. They are something very special.
