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psichick78 Aug 17, 2005

Hello,
I have to start off by saying that I have never bought schultz mohair before, and I know it's the best, but I don't sell my bears yet so I can't justify buying some.
So here I am, working with some really pretty mohair from Intercal. I love it!! But it sheds. If I pull on the hair, some always comes off. Is this bec. it's a cheaper mohair? Or do they all do that. Or i guess, would it stop shedding after a while?
I hate to think of my bear being bald in a few years, or a few decades. I don't think they would be as cute anymore LOL
Thanks for any imput you may have,
Heather

kbonsall Aug 17, 2005

I just looked at your link.... do you have a pomeranian?

psichick78 Aug 17, 2005

yes I do. He's my baby!!! He's 5lbs on the nose and a very good boy.
Why do you ask? Do you have one too?
Heather

kbonsall Aug 17, 2005

I have two... a 2 1/2 year old female (she is black and about 10 lbs) and a male that is 5 1/2 months (he is probably about 10 lbs - he is a cubby little boy - he is creme colored)

Donna Aug 17, 2005

Heather,
When I was first starting to use mohair I bought from Intercal because of the better prices.  I would buy several yards and then take that down to half yards and shrink the backing.  You may have a loose weave on the backing that allows you to pull the mohair out.  I would dye the different half yards in boiling water so I had different colors to work with so that all the bears did not look alike.  I just made a bear in July that was from my old Intercal stock that I had not shrunk.  The backing was so loosely woven that you could see the stuffing through the backing.  I was down at Intercal just last Friday and it seemed that the backings were a tighter weave.  The stuffing might help hold the mohair in place if it is packed tightly.  Stop pulling on the mohair! 
I don't think I was any help for you!
Donna

Deb Aug 17, 2005

I don't have a pom ... but I do have a funny story about them.  My sister works at a pet store ... a VERY responsible, wonderful one.  (It's not one of those yucky one that buys from puppy mills.  They buy only dogs from local breeders.)  ANYWAY ... they had some pom pups in the window a few months ago, and a lady came in and asked how much the miniature chows were.  Haha.

Oh well, I thought it was hysterical.

I have a chihuahua/pug mix, a chihuahua, and a dachshund mix. 

Later,

Deb

Mo Beary Aug 17, 2005

I have been told that the English mohair doesn't have as strong a backing (tight weave) as the German mohair.  So I try to only to buy German Schulte or Helmbold.  If I do buy english mohair (Norton), because I like the color or the texture, I always use fray check as it seems to fray more than the German mohair. 

Jane

kbonsall Aug 17, 2005

LMOA Deb that was funny! Mini chows! LOL

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorAug 17, 2005

I use almost exclusively Intercal mohair and find that, like with any product, there are quality variations.  I don't pay close attention to whether I'm using GERMAN or ENGLISH mohair, or to which mill the pieces I ordered come from, cause, frankly, I couldn't care less.  So I can't give you any specifics on WHICH mohairs perform best, HOW, and WHY. 

But it's been my experience, using both Intercal AND Edinburgh (Schulte) and Beary Cheap mohairs, that the shedding/fraying factor depends on lots of things, from which finish and density you're getting, to which pile length.  It probably also comes down to lot quality.  To how well the presses were working on the day the mohair was distressed or finished.  To whether Mr. Jones was paying attention to quality control when the backing was being woven.  Whatever.  And I don't think those things are supplier-specific.  I think they boil down to what happens, in the factory/manufacturing process, before the mohair ever gets to the shops.

In the end, I choose to go with Intercal mohairs because I find them infinitely less expensive and of a very fine quality, indeed.  My sales are going gangbusters (for which I'm eternally grateful), and I really like how my bears look when they're finished (a lot, actually, usually.)  So why pay more on a routine basis for something else?  Plus, there are some great finishes offered here, that only Intercal has.  One of my favorites is the old standby "S" finish, and I also love the Heirloom finish. 

I want to add the very important point, in order to retain some credibility here, that I am not paid to be a Help Advisor here, and am not such an arse-kisser that I'm saying this stuff to please the big cheesy ones at the top of this particular business heap.  I'm saying it because I believe it to be true.  They know I won't ever speak as their mouthpiece and they haven't asked me to.  I come here as Shelli the Bearmaker.  Not Intercal's talking head.

I figure this:  Using Intercal mohair, I get a great look to my bears, for a great price, with REALLY GREAT customer service (hi Johnna!  I adore you, you flaxen-haired goddess you; Johnna helped me, via telephone, by HAND-SELECTING the mohairs on my behalf, from my descriptions, that I used for my Golden Teddy piece, CHAUNCEY!)

I can buy my eye supplies and disk supplies here to boot.  So I end up with... why look elsewhere?  I've been a loyalist from the outset.  And with Dale (an Intercal rep) serendipitously placed as my next-table neighbor at Nevada City this last April, well before this forum even came into existence, and his heaping stacks of glorious mohair from which to choose draped all over the place, I became recommitted to the cause.

Do I buy mohair elsewhere?  Sure I do, occasionally.  At the show I bought some great stuff from Donna, my ultimate stuffing tool friend and bearmaker, and an Edinburgh rep, that Intercal doesn't have; it was some kind of kid/batik/something or other that I haven't used yet, which just happened to catch my eye due to its kinda burgundy-ish coloration.  It's gorgeous; I love it.  But it isn't for ALL bears, and it isn't for EVERY look.  Just depends on what you're after.

And for my very first mohair bears, I bought mohair (actually my mom did, for me) from Beary Cheap.  That, actually, was one of the worst mohairs I've ever used, and did lots of shedding and fraying; so much so that to a total newcomer to mohair like me, it almost forced a remake of the bear.  But it was a VERY inexpensive, and VERY sparse, mohair... the kind that, in my experience, tends to pull out most easily.  No matter WHICH SUPPLIER it comes from. Certainly, this experience wouldn't keep me from buying from Beary Cheap in the future, were it closer and less expensive to ship from them.

So, this is just Shelli's push to keep an open mind, and remember that there are ten thousand varieties of mohair (and for once, I'm not exaggerating!)  It may just be that the particular density/finish/color you happen to have  chosen, from a particular lot, on a particular day, came out worse for wear.  Cause, you know... s**t happens, sometimes.

Mwaa and hugs to all,

kbonsall Aug 17, 2005

Shelli - you are so fully of info!  i have only bought a little bit of mohair, mostly because I am just starting out and am afraid to buy something and have it be "junk"  I dont want to spend an arm and a leg and not be happy.  I am very glad for your advice!

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorAug 17, 2005

So I'm on a roll here, and wanted to show you some pictures of what I find to be wonderful, wonderful bears, all of which have a very scrappy look (on purpose.)  If you want/like a dense, lush mohair feel and finish, you'll hate these little rubbed and scraped baldies -- with whom very sparse, sloppy mohair is the ideal choice.  And if you love this kind of worn and vintage look, you'll see how great it can be to "find" a mohair that pulls out easily.  To each his own, right?

Check these out... from, in order:  Lora Soling; Rita Diesling of RidiBears; Lori Ann Baker (and I'm the proud owner of this bun, but Lori made him a strawberry for me instead; I hate carrots.)

PS  Kim, I'm for sure full of SOMETHING.  Just ask my husband!  :D:D

Deb Aug 17, 2005

Shelli ~

Whew, I'm relieved.  I wouldn't even know where to start looking for the Schultz mohair.  (My Google search got me nowhere.)  My favorite stuffing tool is an old fondu fork.  What is this "ultimate" stuffing tool tho? 

Thanks!

Deb

kbonsall Aug 17, 2005

sounds like my hubby... he tells me on occasion that i have "diarhea of the mouth" a.k.a. - i am talking too much! LMAO

Shelli Retired Help Advisor, Banner SponsorAug 17, 2005

Hey, I should add for the record that photo credits for those critters belong to the artists.

bearsbybeesley Aug 17, 2005

Love those little critters Shelli!!! So sweet. I agree with Shelli girls. I to have started buying from intercal and I think it just depends on the density of the mohair. I have tried Sculte, Helmbold and others and frankly there is very little difference in the quality. It is all in the density and type of mohair weave. Intercal has wonderful prices, wonderful selection and are very polite, kind and oh so helpful to talk to. I plan to give them alot of my business.

Hugs Louise

psichick78 Aug 17, 2005

Thanks guys for your imput. And Shelli, you are great! I have to say I do love intercall. I'm all about saving money, and yes I know you bears sell for tonnes Shelli. That's great! It's nice to see that it isn't the cost of the supplies but the artists vision that makes the bear desirable. I've seen on ebay bears made of schultz mohair and they sure didn't sell for any more bec. of it. Not that I've seen anyway.
I find intercal the best to buy from, bec. I can see a picture of a bear made from that material. Sure helps a newbie like me. And I'm in love with the 's' finsih. That's what I'm using right now. I also like to see your guy's bears as an example for me to see. It inspires me and I know I won't hate the mohair.

Donna, I promise, I'll stop tuggin on the mohair LOL You should see me, I work in a professional office, with my teddy parts on my desk and a black shirt full of mohair. If there's one way to advertise that you make bears.......

Louise, thanks for sharing that you have tried all kinds of mohair, and they're all about the same. Price doesn't always mean everything.

Now I love my mohair again!
Heather

Dilu Aug 18, 2005

I'm with Shelli- I love INTERCAL  and they do have terrific customer service! 

Sometimes i shrink up my pieces on purpose especially if I am making mini bears.....so I don't have to fray check.....amd sometimes I don't.

I also buy Schuhlte

and call my bear friends here Schulte Snobs.  BECAUSE

both companies, Schulte and Hembold have varying degrees of quality ad it all depends on the use you intend for it.  We don't have to worry too much longer about Norton since it is almost all gone now.

Yes, Schulte does tend to have a tighter back...on the other hand if you are wanting to pluck out the nose hairs it is a llot harder on Hembold...

Maybe you just got a bad piece?  Idon't have any trouble with mohair shedding, unless I get too enthusiastic with the brush

What really sheds is the synthetic-even the Schulte synthetic....I finished cutting out the Ted menten based but completely changed around bear a little while ago and my honey got out the vacuume it was so bad, and usually he says, wait till tomarrow!

Please don't let a questionable piece disallussion you about the Intercal company- they truly are a GREAT COMPANY----remember 90% of al my shopping is e-commerace because of how far I live from ev erything.

I never have a moments concern from Intercal-and they are faster than Edinburgh!

how do they do that?

But I do shop there too.  I think 80% is Intercal. 

I can say all this cuz they don't know me from EVE! :lol::lol::lol:

Dilu

Jellybelly Bears Aug 18, 2005

Just adding my little bit too...I buy schulte, but have also bought helmbold before too...Well my latest order of shulte contained a thick straight mohair that shed like crazy.  I've sent it back in hopes of replacement...still waiting for it to arrive!  All of your comments have been interesting to me since I am only just going through this now...
hugs sarah

shantell Aug 18, 2005

Isn't it bad enough that I have to occassionally pluck my own nose hairs...now I have to consider what kind of mohair to buy just in case I decide to pluck the nose hairs of my bears...oh my!!!

Laura Lynn Banner SponsorAug 18, 2005

Ok... have to admit that I LOVE Schulte mohair   but   I do buy some from Intercal too!  I like to have variety of styles and colors.  Intercal has some finishes and colors that I love.

Deb Aug 18, 2005

I bought a really inexpensive piece of mohair early on in my bear-making that had a very loose weave.  I used it, but thought after the fact that maybe i should have tried cutting the pattern again of fusible interfacing and adding that to the back to stabilize the fabric just a little.  OR ... could have used a lightweight fabric and applied with spray adhesive or good ol' Stich Witchery.

I'm pretty sure I've seen fusible interfacing at JoAnn's or Hancock Fabric in black too.  Maybe a stabilizer would also help a little with the shedding mohair too ... but I'm sure it would help with issues resulting from the loose weave.

Sounded easier than shrinking to me.  Thoughts?  I've never tried it.

Deb

Laura Lynn Banner SponsorAug 18, 2005

Hey there Lisa,

I am  so sorry to hear about your sweet Pom!  They ARE just so adorable looking!  I hope you find a new friend soon.

And after you mentioned it... yes... the worst shedding mohair I ever had was from Haida also.  It was supposedly their most popular mohair.  They aren't around any longer....

kbonsall Aug 18, 2005

Awww. that is sad!  I love my poms!  My mom had one when I was in high school... I have only ever had poms and when I was younger, my family had an irish setter.... but big dogs scare me, like dalmations... my cousin got bit in the face by a dalmation, I'll never forget it

psichick78 Aug 18, 2005

ooooh, bit in the face by a dog. I can imagine being scared of them after that!!!!
I've always loved poms as well, and when I 1st moved out on my own, I started the dog hunt. I've worked at many a pet store and knew I didn't want one from there. All the horror stories I have!!!
So I started researching breeds to see what would fit me best. Took me 10 months of visiting breeders and trying not to take home any puppies when I decided on a pom. He's a great dog. He's been to a million parties with me and my friends. He's great bec. no-one minds if you tag him along wherever you go!!!

So, Lisa and Kim, or any other pet owners out there. Do you often find yourself staring at your pet, wishing if only you could make a pattern for them?? I know I sure do.
Just can't seem to get enough of those cute fuzzy things!!!
Heather

Donna Aug 19, 2005

Hi Deb,
You ask what the Ultimate Stuffing tool was.  There is a picture and discussion about it in the Teddy Tips and Tech.  You can do a search for Ultimate Stuffing Tool if you want to see what Shelli was talking about.
Donna