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For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
I'm the kind of person who drools over a beautiful new piece of mohair and thinks it sacrilegious to desecrate it by 'distressing'. The very thought makes me shudder! And yet, I see such beautiful vintage style bears on TT, so it obviously has an important place in teddy bear design. Kim passed a comment on the 'Floppy bear challenge' that randomly distressing a piece of mohair is something she likes to do and her floppy vintage style bears are beautiful!
So, my question is: Which are your favourite methods of distressing (gulp) new mohair and which piles do you prefer to work with when you are vandalising quality fabrics? 
Brisbanewhen you are vandalising quality fabrics?
:crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
I have no idea Paula...I haven't been game either but I'll be waiting with interest for the answers!!!
Tuppies TeddiesI haven't been game either. Though sometimes when I have the shading pen in my hand and I am heading for THE BEAR , the bear starts to look a bit distressed.. 
Strange BearsWell I have aged some mohair and it depends on what colour it starts out as and the effect you are looking for. I usually start with some forceps and make some bald patches. Then you may what to take some colour out to lighten the fabric. You can use bleach for this but do so very very sparingly as this will weaken the fabic. I do know of some artists who have actually pegged the mohair on the line for a week. You can then use parisan essence ot tea to stain it. I have also heard of people who have driven their car over the fabric and another who actually put it in their dogs bed for a while.
Maybe we need a thread for the most amazing story of aging fabric.
Oh that's right another artist used hers to tie up a tree to a stake for 3 weeks so that it aged unevenly.
Laurie Lou Bears
When you choose the mohair you need to go for the sparse furs and pick a colour that looks like it would look even better if you distressed it.I prefer piles that are not straight but with a curl to it or some sort of scruffy look to it.I wouldn't use your normal fur Paula as you would have a harder job to get the look.
I usually distress mine with tea or copic markers but I would like to use my oils but haven't got around to it yet.I finished the head on a 12 inch sparse bear last night and he was supposed to be an older bear but he is too cute for that and sometimes I find that the face has to have the look to start with otherwise you can distress him as much as you like but he still won't look like an old bear. I have loaded two pictures of some I done and wondered whether I had overdone them but they all sold quickly so they can't have been that bad.Once you start doing older bears they do become addictive though 
Laurie :hug:
Yeouch! Reading this is painful!!! That beautiful, tres expensive fabric .... pegged out, driven over, bleached, used as a DOG's BED?????
I need a strong coffee before I read any more.
Beautiful bears Laurie ... the agonies obviously pay off in the end!
Laurie Lou BearsIf you pick the right fur to start with(expensive or not)you shouldn't feel so guilty about distressing it as if done properly it can only enhance the end result.I like to use schulte but the sorts of fur that you use for older bears aren't as expensive as you normally use Paula.I like to study the genuine older bears to see where the normal wear and tear areas would be.It is a bit scary to start with as once you start distressing you can't put right any mistakes.Good luck with your new project and I will wait to see your end results.
Laurie :hug:
Hearts Ease Bearsvery cute laurie! i bet they do sell quickly with those faces! i watched cindy anshuntz distress a bear once and she was pulling the hair out with pliers i think ,,but there was a growler already in the bear and it cried every time she pulled! i cant get around the "in the dogs bed" part tho! "comes form a smoke free home.." ( ps did your dog ever sleep with my bear?) 
:):) deb
ToadBriarI like sparse, short, matted, any or a combination of all (right now, anyhow)
for distressed bears.
I don't distress the mohair before cutting/sewing. I cut out the pieces & then if I want
to dye, I dye. Before sewing if I want pawpads to contrast,
after sewing if I want them to be colored too (as with tea).
You guys who don't do distressing don't know what fun you're missing! It's totally
the best part. So much character comes out of it!
After I stuff the bear I do all his 'anatomy' except sewing his claws. Then I trim his
muzzle, ears, & paws, sew & wax his nose - the basic finishing. Then for 'breaking
him in' I start with an overall spritz with some diluted walnut dye/ink/acrylic mixture.
Rub it in, comb it through, let it dry in spots, or make it more washed out in parts by
spraying plain water too - anything goes, except getting it accidentally on a plucked
muzzle 
lol
After that, I do the detailing with copics & prismacolor pencils with lots of colorless
blender. Then I trim & pluck the "rub spots" - forehead, ear edges, tummy, toes, ends
of paws, & darken those if necessary. Claws are the last thing I do.
I have a ball doing my guys this way. They look way too sparkly otherwise! 
Tami Eveslage Original Teddy BearsLaurie, your little pair of pastel bears is wonderful!! So sweet!
Paula, like you I find myself drawn to those dense long cuddly furs for most of my bears, but I have done some vintage style bears with minor distressing and found it quite satisfying. I usually begin with a matted or pre-distressed sparse mohair as others have said and it is a nice bonus that these are less expensive! After the bear is made I use my scissors and airbrush to gently distress. With the scissors I clip back fur wherever I think worn spots would be. In addition to darkening around the eyes and nose, I'll air brush the paws and the edges of the ears. Then I'll give the bear a slight overall (but not even) "soiling" with the airbrush by spraying lightly so the fur tips are hit.
PottersHouse Bears
I like to get the sparse, medium length mohair. I prefer to buy it white or off white and make my own dye for it. Walnut hulls makes a super nice "old" dye. I do not dye, shave, pluck etc the mohair until I have cut out the bear. Because I usually buy the mohair by the yard, I do not want the whole piece the same color. To distress the hair I use things like old dog clippers, needle nose pliers and sand paper. It all depends on how much I want to distress the bear (a little or a lot). The picture is Higgins. He is dyed with walnut and has bare areas that I have plucked. His nose has stitches purposely missing.
BruinwerksI do know of some artists who have actually pegged the mohair on the line for a week. You can then use parisan essence ot tea to stain it. I have also heard of people who have driven their car over the fabric and another who actually put it in their dogs bed for a while.
Oh that's right another artist used hers to tie up a tree to a stake for 3 weeks so that it aged unevenly.
YIKES! and some people have an issue with the judicious use of an archival GLUE????? :crackup:
I love to distress fabric and leather as that is my main fabric of choice but lets keep in mind what all that dirt, dander, tannic acids (from tea), the nesting bugs from leaving fabric outside and oil etc. will do to the longevity of the fabric. Do you really want to snuggle up with a ted that someone ran over with their car?? 
I personally would stick with plucking, rubbing and a good quality paint or stain.
Again, just my 2 cents!
Cheryl :rose:
I know most of you have seen William the Cub before (the large bear in the picture), but he's the sole representative (or should I say "survivor"?) of Deb's Distressing Department. 
I have another in the works now that I'm distressing, too. For William, I used forceps to pull out hairs in the spots I wanted to be warn, painted areas with acrylic paints, and used...sandpaper. Yep, I used sandpaper (very fine grain) to rough up some of the areas that I decided would become warn from years of loving. Some specific areas: left ear, wrist, toe tips, and so on.
William's mohair is sparse...I don't know if I could set about making a bear from luscious mohair only to distress it later! 
Jane Perala Designs Ltd.
I start out with a sparse mohair - just way too much work with a dense mohair. This is a photo that I have posted before, but it is probably my only venture into distressing teddies/fur. I plucked, snipped and even used a little sandpaper (carefully), then made fake patches and darning. For the "dirtying up" I used my airbrush, and rubbed on my black wax that I usually use for the nose. I just wasn't able to make myself mess up his nose however. He also has loose joints.
Hearts Ease BearsJane love that bear! and his nose is perfect! undistressed! and Kim i loved that sweet "old" bear you had up on ebay this week! distressing is fun and does add much personality i think! deb
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)
When I began distressing my fabric bears, it occurred to me that the natural wear areas were on all of the sides that came into contact with other things.
I like to study the genuine older bears to see where the normal wear and tear areas would be.too
I've even been known to lightly sift cornstarch down onto a bear to see where it would land naturally.
Distressing areas that don't naturally wear through use just don't seem to sit right to my eyes. Also, all parts should match: if the side of a muzzle or head is abraded or 'worn out' it seems more natural to have the adjoining areas reflect this too.
One of my TOBY's was for Harley David-Son. This poor chap was in an accident: he went head over heels and his wear pattern reflects this.
His head hit first - the darning patch and turn right ear on our left.
Blackened eye on his left.
'Sticking plaster' on his nose.
This may not show in this smaller image but the bottom of his nose stitching is not as smoothly (closely) stitched on that side compared to the other.
Left shoulder hit next - darned patch
Broken left arm
Hurt ankle on left
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)
Still cannot figure out multiple pix in 1 post.... "Edit and Save" doesn't explain enough what to do!!
As H D-S rolledover & over, his chest was skinned up: plucked, thinning scissored and Dr sts showing.
Finally, the nap was shortened on his foream across from his chest and his toe & side of right foot got darned patches.
The crutch, Biker hat of real leather and 1 hoop earring complete the theme!
Strange BearsI din't say I agreed with all the storiies on aging fur I just have been told them. When I had my shop and an artist would send in a great bear I would often ask what method they used to achieve the effect......these were just some of the stories I was told on how they did the aging. I believe most of them washed the mohair again before sewing it.
I do also know that most often they sewed the bear before the agian process was begun as well.
Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)Martha Burch in Wisconsin who shows photos of aging her new mohair(s). On the roof, under the car wheels, buried in the compost pile, tied to a tree and beaten.. etc... Yes, they were all cleaned very well afterwards!
One must be selective of the fabrics according to the backing as well, as many of them aren't woven tightly enough to stand up to this pre-bear whole-cloth treatment.
ouch ouch and some more ouch'ssssss
poor little fellow Bobby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, but gosh what stunning bears on parade 
:
Lynette
Matilda Huggington-bearePaula I use a shultz felted mohair for my aged bears. I use to hunt out old leather and suede jackets in charity shops and the like. I have a great stash of old well used leather and suede. Just perfect for my paws.
I build up a dirty colour on my bears with diluted silk paint. Each coat needs to be dried before the other is put on. I dont use 'parissian essence' because I found I couldnt get the smell to wash out. Horrid stuff.
Alot of people see it as an excuse to do shoddy work. But even aged ,shoddy work still shows.
It is a lot of fun. There are fabrics designed these days specially for the aged bear.
I would love to see what you would come up with. I'm positive it would be specatular.
GO FOR IT!!!!
These stories are so entertaining and the bears are beautiful in their sad state!
I'm still not convinced the process is for me, but I'm finding it fascinating to read about. One thing I have found out thanks to you lot, is that the fabrics I've steered well clear off, simply because they don't suit my style of work and I'm not keen on their tactile qualities, really can be brought to life in the right hands!
ToadBriarWhat is parisian essence?
I love seeing the little old teddies in this thread - thank you all for the pictures!
Paula I find that different mohairs might inspire different bears, but I'm already revved up by
a more 'vintage' vibe & your guys are so pristine! I think I start out at the scribbly end of
the spectrum to begin with
Thank you deb! Beamish's fur is so dense I didn't even age him down - just trimmed his paw fur.
It felt weird to leave it at that! But he's so rumply by nature, he already looked like he'd knocked
around a while.
Laurie Lou BearsI think you should still give it a go Paula.You can age your bear as much or as little as you like.I would do your smallest bear size as you won't need so much material.
The worst thing is that you won't want to sell the bear as your not happy with it but there again you could be pleasantly surprised.It is easy to stick with the same thing all of the time and keep in your comfort zone but if at least you have had a go you haven't given up before you started.
Laurie :hug:
Hearts Ease BearsSandra im so sorry..of course they washed the bear again afterwards! didnt mean to make you feel we were "trashing" anyone or shops either! i have a springer spaneil and i just shudder to think what he could do to distress a bear! :) i alo have never heard of pariain essence,,interesting! is it a paint? or compound? and kim the "scribbly end of the spectrum is what makes your stuff so wonderful! ( ps the farside is one of my fav comics!) hugs to all deb
