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BruinwerksI din't say I agreed with all the storiies on aging fur I just have been told them. .
My apologies Sandra if you thought that (or it appeared that) I directed that comment at YOU as opposed to the folks in general that 'yuk' up their mohair and don't make sure that it is cleaned completed afterward. I shouldn't have used the quote thing, I was just too lazy to retype some of those techniques. I didn't mean it the way it may have sounded. :doh: :doh:
Cheryl 
BrisbaneWhat is parisian essence?
I thought I'd jump in here and answer this one since I actually knew the answer to something 
Parisian essence is in a bottle in the shops over here and it is gravy browning....it makes a wonderful colouring for antique style bears but I have the same problem and can't get the smell out although if you add vanilla essence it sometimes helps!!! 
Matilda Huggington-beareI reckond you should give it a go Paula. Choose a sparse fabric and just use one of your smaller patterns.
I would love to see an aged ALL BEAR 
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Hear! Hear! to that, Wendy! 
Paula, it sounds like this is your challenge for the new year! I know you can do it!
ToadBriarI agree on a distressed ALL BEAR!
call it a 'TOUGH LOVE BEAR' lol :crackup:
Thank you Sarah Jane re: parisian essence; what does it smell like?
I like to use a matted mohair or sparse, then I just give him a bit of rub over with some sand paper...squirt on some watered down folkart acrylic paint...and to do the nose I usually pull the thread through a piece of wax before I sew it, it gives a really good aged look.
BrisbaneWow what gorgeous bears we are getting in this thread...I really love all the aged bears but the closest I have come to making one is just using the matted mohair!!!! Denise I really love 
your old bear.
Thank you Sarah Jane re: parisian essence; what does it smell like
Kim I don't think I can describe the smell, let's just say that it has a really distinctive ..not very pleasant smell that seems impossible to shift (at least for me) some people might like it perhaps 
Strange Bearshey......part of the horrible smell or parisian essence adds to the distinctive aged bear.......like he's been buried in something for long time.......or that musty old smell that some really "old" peoples homes get.....maybe he's been on their bed forever......
To this end I once used it and then tied the bear in a bag with moth balls for a month......it finally covered the smell but it didn't smell like moth balls either.......everyone kept asking how I got it to smell so "old"...... :crackup: :crackup:
