Banner Sponsors
For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
I'd like to ask your opinion about this.
I'm a big fan of recycling and repurposing, and I always felt so bad throwing out those fabulous fur scraps, odds and ends, so I ended up saving them up, with leftover wadding, polar fleece, Minky fabric and such, They are brand new fabric pieces, and are also soft and can be squashed to stuff a bear sturdy and hard, and the bear doesn't appear bulky or misshapen at all. The bear is a bit heavy, I should think, but then again in Hungary it is really hard to come by artist bears to check how others do it and how heavy others bears are. Anyway I like them heavy and sturdy...
So there is less need to use and buy stuffing thus sparing our Earth...
Does anybody use leftover fabric scraps? Do collectors care about what the bear is stuffed with?
If I sold these bears I could still list them as being stuffed with all new poliester or cotton-polyester filling (sometimes I use cotton wadding).
Thanks, if You share your opinion with me.
Zsuzsi
I think that's a really good idea if it works, and yes I like a heavy bear too. Not sure what you would list it as stuffed with, maybe a more experienced member could help.
Like you, I save scraps of fur (mohair mostly) in a bag, and if I'm making a larger bear, I'll often mix in bits of the leftovers with the polyester - at least in the body. (It's nice to include a larger scrap or two of the bear's own fabric in case someone in the future needs to replace an ear or something.)
For the head and limbs, though, I want more control during the filling process, so I would only use leftovers in the body. It does give a nice weight and warmth to the bear, and you're right--it's less material that gets thrown away.
Becky
Netcong, New JerseyFantastic idea really. I would love to know that a bear that i'm buying is ecofriendly!
Thank You for sharing your views! I'm definitely encouraged to go along this line, and saving scaps for filling.
I also would like to share a tip, wich might be helpful for some beginners like me: Earlier when I created a bear with dark fur, the white filling I used pulled through the fabric when stiching the nose (driving me crazy...). So I ended up using the same coloured fur scarps stuffing the nose, and even if a few strands get pulled through, their color is identical to the colour of the bear. (I'm pretty pretty sure this would hardly work with sturdy, woven backed mohair fur, as it would be very bulky, but soft and fluffy fur is fine to be used this way. )
Natalie, You have a wonderful site, and those bears are fabulous! Good luck, starting Your business!
Zsuzsi
desertmountainbearI save the mohair I cut from the bear when I do the trimming of the seams, and I use that inside the bear. It is good especially around the paws.
I like the idea of stuffing with the actual scraps, and I will start saving them.
They would be very good to use around the disks. I stuff my bears softly, so they can easily move, around the disks I like a firm stuffing so I use felt. I think I will try stuffing that area with the fabric scraps.
Thank you for your tip.
I forgot to post this:
Becky, it is a wonderful idea to add some of the original fabric of the bear in the belly. I'm always concerned if my creation will survive even me or not (drastic idea, but really what is the point of creating anything), thus enabling the caring future owner to have it repaired properly!
Thanks for the tip.
Joanne, I haven't tried to stuff my bears soft yet, but in the future I'll definitely will and I will use Your tip! Thanks for sharing.
I like the idea of at least some of our bears lasting a long, long time. 
And I have to admit that including enough fabric for a replacement ear is not original to me. I remember reading about the custom from other bearmakers.
It's an interesting topic you posted! 
Becky
I went crazy in the ECO friendly world, so I wanted to add a further ECO friendly solution.
Please let me know what you think!
When I sew my first jointed teddy bear 2 years ago I didn't wanted to invest mutch at first, so I used for jointing whatever I had at home in my stash: buttons-I broke out the middle of some four-hole buttons, locknuts, bolts etc, and leftover from a purple wool coat as fabric. The project turned into a recognizeable bear, so I carried on, but I almost lost an eye, when I broke out the middle of a button, as the broken pieces were flying like projectiles everywhere...
Than I moved PP flasks (laundry detergents are sold in these flasks in my country, but I think in US milk jugs are similar), of which I cut out circles, and bored a hole in the middle They worked fine for smaller bears, which needed 1-2cm discs in diameter. So I happened to have a bigger stash of these discs, and I didn't use them as I thought they are not suitable for bigger bears, as with 3-4cm diameter they bend.
Last week I returned to a bear where I experimented with safety discs, so I could offer jointed teddy bears for children above three (I mean presents for children of friends and family). I found that the joints turned floppy after a while, so the bear stayed with me. Last week I took pity on him and he got disassembled, fortunately the fabric wasn't broken, so I rejointed him with cotter pin joints.
BUT I ran out of proper discs, thus experimenting began anew: I took 4 of those PP disks per joint(2 on each side) I made 2 years ago in 3 and 3,5 cm diameter, and I found, that this way they hold their shape against the tension of the fabric, and the bear didn't turn out floppy at all.
So I think this could also be an ECO friendly alternative in need...(As they take a lot of time to make...:-))
Zsuzsi
