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Posts: 70I have seen a lot of bears here on this site, i would like to know if you sew it by hand and if so did it take a lot of practice to get it just right? The work is beautiful!!!
Or do you use a machine?
Thanks
desertmountainbearI sew by hand with pearl cotton. I also needle felt depending on the style of bear I am making. I think noses are always done by hand. For me sewing the nose is always one of the most intimidating parts of making the bear.
Joanne
DoodlebearsI have never heard of a bear artist that uses a machine to sew noses. As far as I know we all stitch by hand and as the nose is stitched once the head is stuffed and there is now way we could use our sewing machines to stich a nose at that point.
Hugs, Jane. 
Chaska, MinnesotaOh I am still practicing, even after 15 years of bear making!! I should say, though I do this as a hobby and sew only a handful of bears a year. I always look for new techniques though which I think helps me find what works for me.
Posts: 285Funny you should bring up the delicate subject of noses...yesterday while ripping the nose off my poor bear for what seemed the 100th time, hubby just happened to poke his head into my home office to see what I was doing. He looked at me, brow furrowed. "What?" I demanded. "You do realize that you're stroking that bear's muzzle...like you're trying to comfort it?" He said. I hadn't noticed, but snapped "What's your point?" After a few seconds he replied, "Ummm...it can't feel anything. It's just a bear." I cast a quick glance at the embroidery scissors then looked at hubby and said in a low voice "Get out of my office." I'm really losing it 
!!
To answer your question, I sew the noses with pearl cotton. I am going to try my hand at creating a nose from polymer clay this weekend, though.
The Littlest ThistleI do mine with Perle cotton #5 or #8 depending on the size of the bear. Yep, it does take lots of practice though, sorry!
BeauT BearsI've always sewn my bears' noses by hand too, from bear #1. And yes, it's a matter of practice, practice and practice 
oh, and patience ofcourse because noses just need a lot of attention and time. Embroidering (don't like to use the word stitching in this case) a bear's nose is in most cases the finishing touch which in my view should be as close to perfect as can be.
Posts: 70Thank you all so much for the info!!!
I talk to my "Tiger" and my Tiger and the other Tiger... YES they are all named Tiger. And yes the one I crocheted is called Tiger as well. I was just a little girl and the name stuff and I fear change so I keep it for them all!!!!!! DH doesn't question me talking to Tiger... I sooooo enjoy the looking at scissors then looking at dh statement!!! ROFL!!!
I once heard a wonderful thing from a bear-making-artist, sorry I don't remember who it was, but it made me think over. She said: if you are doing the nose, you have to choose a happy day and you have to take time. And yes - I can agree. If my day isn't good, I don't start making the nose, because all my anger and my worries go into the nose, therefore I create hand-embroidered noses just in my happy days, and most of my happy time is, when my hubby is sitting beside me and we are close watching and listening TV in the evening, with a fine glass of wine and chatting about this and that. Then the Dreli-bear noses are born - and well you also need a lot of patience and practice - this is right!!!! But bear by bear you will get better!!!! 
Posts: 49I've heard similar before one artist said Happy days are for sewn noses, angry days are for needle felting!
After attemtping a sewn nose once I'm a needle felter lol
