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For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
Posts: 298Yes, that's right! 
some time ago, I bought my first "collectible" bear, a Carrousel bear named "Sir Edward," which I found on eBay. The seller included an email that he had received after contacting the bear's creators, which stated that this particular bear had been stuffed with shredded paper, in an attempt to recreate the feel of the old excelsior-stuffed bears. Sure enough, when I received the bear, he was pleasantly firm and slightly crunchy, just like my (only) excelsior-filled bear! Ever since then, I've been tempted to try this- luckily, I have relatives who own paper shredders!
Has anyone here ever done this? I know that nowadays excelsior is more readily available, but the paper idea still strikes me as wonderfully clever, not to mention economical.
Chaska, MinnesotaI have never heard of stuffing with paper. Excelsior is more sturdy than paper so I think if you tried paper, over time, the paper would be crushed and the shape of the bear would be lost. That is my thought.
desertmountainbearWhy would you ever stuff with paper to recreate the feeling of excelsior when you can buy excelsior and stuff with that? I have a bag here, I use it. It is the real thing. Why fix what's not broke?
Donna's Duin BruinsI have seen and heard of some unusual things being used as stuffing for bears but never paper. How old is the bear that you have that is stuffed with paper? How is it holding up? My first thought was if it had printing on the paper would that eventually leach out onto the fabric of the bear. It sounds to me like you have been thinking about doing this so I say go for it. It will be a learning experience if nothing else. If I were doing it I would make sure that I kept the bear so that I could monitor how the bear ages. If you do this please keep us informed as to how the process worked and how the bear holds up. It would also be nice to have a picture of the bear you purchased and the bear you make.
TC Folk OriginalsI knew of two ladies, sisters, who stuffed everything they made with cut up plastic bags; animals, pillows, they even crocheted strips of bags into rugs! The items were a little crunchy and noisy when handled. But I've not heard of paper! I definitely would not recommend either!
Carlyle Bear Co.Okay, so I have a confession to make.... :rolleyes:
When I make my bears I like to sometimes think that one day when I am long gone....my bear will end up on a futuristic Antiques Roadshow. (I may have confessed this before) I would be worried that stuffing my bears with paper would not enable him or her to last that long! Also, I would be worried about paper mites (they are on all paper to one degree or another) eating the mohair. Second confession, I might worry about bugs a little too much. :P
I keep toying around with the idea of excelsior though and like you said it is readily available and very reasonable so I'm not sure the paper would make sense.
florida I suppose you never really know until you try... What I can tell you is that my two pet mice love their shredded paper bedding 
then again I have never tried to see if they like fluff or excelsior just as much. So it might be inviting to rodents or other "pests".... 
Just a tidbit from Wikipedia (There are also bugs that eat wood, so excelsior can have pests, and mohair is eaten by moths...I guess it's just best to take care where and how you keep your bears!)
"A major book-feeding insect is the book or paper louse (aka booklouse or paperlouse). A tiny (under 1 mm), soft-bodied wingless Psocoptera (usually Trogium pulsatorium), that actually feeds on microscopic molds and other organic matter found in ill-maintained works (e.g., cool, damp, dark, and undisturbed areas of archives, libraries, and museums), although they will also attack bindings and other book parts. It is not actually a true louse.
Many other insects, like the silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) or cockroach (various Blattodea), will consume these molds and also degraded paper or the starch-based binding pastes – warmth and moisture or high humidity are prerequisites, so damage is more common in the tropics. Modern glues and paper are less attractive to insects."
Becky
BrisbaneAnd ants eat Ultrasuede. Have seen this myself!
Carlyle Bear Co.
Becky, did you not read that I was ALREADY worried about bugs more than I should be! Geesh! ;)
I work with paper all day long! LOL! I still like the idea of using excelsior though I just haven't gotten around to trying it.
GermanyI have seen bears who were filled with "bank notes".
When in Germany the Euro came, were cut the ols bank notes. One could receive them as a recollection.
Becky, did you not read that I was ALREADY worried about bugs more than I should be! Geesh!
Ooops...sorry, Lisa! 
I have seen bears who were filled with "bank notes".
What an interesting idea! (I hope the same thing doesn't happen one day with the Euro! 
)
Becky
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)When in Germany the Euro came, were cut the old bank notes. One could receive them as a recollection.
LOL - I saw a title today (online??) that I didn't follow up on (should've pursued it.. about our US paper possibly currency becoming obsolete in the future.
It was about the new Canadian 'plastic' (mylar?) bills and their security features. Pretty cool. And how much longer they last; something like 2.5 years instead of 6 - 9 months. Maybe it's in the July Nat Geo mag.. .
They are patterning their new use after another country's success (my brain is as sieve today; not retaining the particulars, just remember looking for the 'clear stripe' in the bill and trying to see if I could read the denomination that;s supposed to be read by special security checking machines. I guess that would be cleaner & less messy that the yellow or purple markers they use now!
