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Strange BearsI was just wondering......I have been really stressed with my Dad's illness lately and while I've been sewing I've not been creating new patterns. Can't get my head into it........
What about others when under stress.........do you just sew?.......or not sew at all? Or do you lose yourself in creating new patterns to get away from the stress.
Are bears an escape and relief or not to you?
And if you find they are not an escape is this because you rely on bears as a business and not as a hobby?
I would be love to know the extent of relief escape bears offers to us all.
bearhugs
When I am stressed I like busy work and I am not very creative.
Funny, I've been doing a tutorial on my blog and it was stressing me out so it took me much longer to complete the bear. But sometimes I can stumble upon things when I am stressed. I started wet felting again and found that some other ideas have blossomed because of it.
Delartful BearsIt's funny, the only time I am really stressed is when I have loads of orders, and thnk I'll never meet my deadlines etc. I like to spend a day away from the bears when I can to do something a little different and escape from bears.
But most of the time I really enjoy it and it is a stress reliever.
Danni
Melbourne, AustraliaI find sewing and designing both relaxing ... stuffing can get me a little stressed but like Danny I usually take a break and do something completely different.
Well maybe only different to a degree, I never want to escape from bears totally...I do like painting teddies and I find this very calming and sometimes it's even inspirational!
I really don't think I do anything much that isn't associated with teddies except... cooking and housework...YUK! YUK! YUK!...dirty words!!!
:crackup: :crackup: :crackup:
Whimzee BearsAhhh a topic close to my heart at the moment!! I'm so stressed right now with so many changes happening in my life but I find that I go into a peaceful 'zone' when I'm sitting quietly stitching away and I find it's a great way to just let my mind wander and the answers/solutions I might be searching for often come to me whilst making my bears (hmmmm maybe they're talking to me :)
Michelle
Ellen, you and I must have been born under the same star! I'm exactly the same, right down to the cleaning!!! Fancy that!! :crackup:
Strange Bearshmmmm that might explain the really really clean and tidy pantry I have at the moment!! 
Tuppies TeddiesYep, I sew more bears when I am stressed and like Michelle I can lose myself in the particular bear that I may be working on and it does have a calming effect on me.
I will look up at the time and it is close to midnight and then I seem to sleep better.
My bears help me a lot...
DoodlebearsPaula said
Ellen, you and I must have been born under the same star! I'm exactly the same, right down to the cleaning!!! Fancy that!!
Me too, that star has been busy! When I'm stressed I clean until I drop. I can't sew when I'm stressed, I'll only end up wasting my beautiful mohair. I just wish my sons would tidy up when they got stressed, I'd be at them like a shot...I'd stress them out so much and then they, for once in their grown up lives, would have tidy bedrooms. IF ONLY IT WORKED LIKE THAT...sigh!!!!!!
Hugs Jane. 
Real Deal BearsI started making bears at a very stressfull time in my life, I think making bears actually saved my sanity in those awfull days.
But it's funny, now if I am stressed I feel like my creative energy is blocked.
I have learnt though that the only way to get through it is to work through the block.
Yes I might waste some material, but in these times it's amazing what you learn not to do
I am having one of those times now, when I least need it, as I have shows coming up and so many things I want to get into. 
Maybe thats why I am stressed
Hearts Ease Bearsumm there are different kinds of stress arent there? when my dh was having all those surgeries i was too darned tired and over stressed to sew..even tho i brought it to the hospital thinking it would help pass the time..but when i need to have a gift last minute..even a special one i can be very creative!! so i guess whn im desperately stressed i read..something light weight..i discovered mary higgins clark books in the waiting room. FEAR makes me clean..as in im having company i care about and i dont want them to know im a slob!! deb
If I'm stressed about a deadline to make a particular bear, then I get no sewing done!!! If I'm stressed about something which isn't bear-related I can sew and sew and sew!!!! I wouldn't sew anything complicated when stressed, as I would only come back to it on another day and realise I need to do it all again, but I can sew seams, and let everything run through my head at the same time, which is a great release for stress!
I wish I cleaned when I was stressed!!! Our house would be imaculate!! My husband and I are NOT tidy people, and yet I find mess and clutter stressful!!! Oh well!!
LutonEven though I enjoy sewing and find it relaxing - I cannot create bears when I'm stressed as I find all my creative juices go flying out the window.
Unfortunately my Bear making at the moment seems to have taken a back seat to work, housekeeping, gardening & Weight Watchers!!!
LOL
Claire
Hi
I also can sew like mad when I am stressed, easy things like seams etc, but I cannot design unless I am calm. I also tend to go through cupboards and wardrobes and throw out, throw out, throw out when I am really stressed, then I regret this later as you can imagine!!
Warm wishes
Pauline
puca bearsI'm right with you there, Samantha....our house is a TIP, which is stressing me more...
We've been going through (and still are) a really stressful patch - I find I am happiest doing mindless sewing - which means I have a whole stack of unfinished bears GLARING at me...and the mess...ho hum....
On the bright side, i picked up some new mohair at Wiesbaden which has me MOTIVATED for a change -
I'm trying something completely new (for me) ...so everything else has to wait!
huggies
Maria 
What is "stressed" backwards
DESSERTS
I eat when I am stressed and the creativity is gone!!
Storytime BearsLisa I love that about stressed backwards.
When I am stressed I work less, I love mindless sewing but can't seem to produce much new when I am stressed. I really have to be in a happy place when I work.
LutonSo thats why I crave sweet things when I'm stressed!!!
Its Desserts!!!
LOL
Claire
Cincinnati, OhioWhat causes me stress is not having time to work on my bears......... and my husband has learned to give me space when I need it.
MerBear OriginalsI find sewing bears relaxes me and I can de-stress from my day...although if I'm extra stressed - I try to find mindless sewing cause I know I won't be able to concentrate on anything creative.
Marion
Wild Thyme OriginalsToo funy girls! I am also a manic cleaner when stressed! Though I find sewing incredibly relaxing, when I am really stressed out over some kind of real problem... I scrub. I'm not the neatest housekeeper to begin with, so it's probably a good thing! When my husband comes home to freshly shampooed carpets and gleaming tile, she always sits me and down and says, "What wrong honey?!" :crackup:
Kim Basta
Bears by Jodi
Laurie Lou BearsI can do all the normal sewing when stressed but if I try to create a bear the face never seems to come out right if I am not in the right frame of mind.Maybe thats why the last three bears heads have gone in the bin-I must be stressed :crackup:
Laurie :hug:
ConnieB, I WANT that avatar bear.
Sometimes I have to work when stressed because it helps pay the bills. But I think my bears are cuter when I'm more relaxed and happy. When I'm stressed about bearmaking specifically -- deadlines, shows -- I either do great work or stumble repeatedly. I'm in the middle of a "stumble repeatedly" phase right now, having remade the wings for one bear no less than eight times in the last 48 hours at this point. AARGH! I'm waiting for the "great work" part to kick in. That FLOW thing that sometimes ONLY happens when stress pushes me to focus, focus, focus!
So I guess the short answer to, "When you are stressed do you make more or less bears?" is... it depends on what's stressing me, and how I'm handling it -- by hunkering down and producing great stuff, or by feeling overwhelmed and mucking things up!
Since I'm a total perfectionist it's not an option for me to let stuff leave my studio looking like crap, but the re-do's just add to my stress.
Gee, all this talk of stress has made me more stressed! Now I need some dessert of my own!
Posts: 1,836I cook when I'm stressed. Bake specifically. When I'm handing out plates of cookies and it's not Christmas you know I'm a little "ugh" about something.
:hug:
~Chrissi
