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Past Time BearsREALLY CUTE!! 
:clap:
Matilda Huggington-beareno wonder I've had trouble with minis. I did'nt have such fantastic advise.
I know I did'nt pose the original question, but I will certainly benefit from your instructions. Thankyou all :clap: :clap: Cum- on- givvus- a- hug :hug: Matilda
Jazzy Ragsyep keep it coming lets go love to see photo of what you all are doing. fran
Jellybelly BearsI haven't read this whole subject yet (it's huge!) and I really need to get to bed coz it's past midnight...but just wanted to say that I know that dental floss disintegrates in time...maybe just the unwaxed one...thats what I've heard anyway...Jennifer Lainge had bears sent back falling apart coz the floss had broken....
Aghhhh!!! I know...terrible news...don't take my word on it coz I'm not 100% certain...just what I've heard from someone else
I like to use beading thread...it is rot and fray proof and comes in all sorts of sizes...I used it all the time...very similar to floss but I think better ;)
good night all 
Kim-Bee BearsI use upholstry thread 
I heard about the dental floss thing too..... Good night, sleep tight, dont let the bed bugs bite!
Wild Thyme OriginalsThere are types of dental floss that DO break down... either when exposed to a fair amount of moisture or just after a certain amount of time elapses. They are marked "biodegradable," or "environmentally friendly." I guess that quite a bit of dental floss winds up in the environment and in lakes and streams... and they were finding that birds and sea life were being harmed by it... sort of like those awful pictures you sometimes see with sea gulls or baby seals with the 6 pack rings around their neck. 
I guess it can also play havoc inside the digestive tracts of some marine mammals. So some companies started making environmentally safe dental floss. The regular old cheap waxed kind doesn't do this. This was a HUGE concern for mini makers, I'm sure you can imagine..... So may of us contacted the dental floss companies and that's the deal. Sarah is so right... there really isn't a possibility of break down with the beading thread, it's not always as inexpensive as dental floss, but it's nearly as strong. I use one from BeadaLon.... I'll see if I can post a few more specifics on it tomorrow...
Oh.... it may seem crazy to even think about dental floss as a sewing material... but when I was in the ballet, everyone used waxed dental floss (the non-biodegradable type!) to sew the ribbons and elastic on their point shoes... why? It's impervious to moisture (sweat) and really takes a whole lot of friction to frey it. I mean a LOT, even once the wax has worn off. Weird huh?!
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Posts: 8,574
Hi Shelli,
boy am I late to the party.
I do everything half..... backwards.
The pictures of a mini I just finished. He is 2", bearly. 
I use silk thread- beacause it has the wonderful characteristic of sort of melting into the fabric. I dug out the silk thread from my old applique stash. It is strong, and exactly how much of a work out are these little guys going to get? Unless Jane Fondakins comes to live here and has them doing aerobics every morning I think they are safe.
Then I do a totally different stitch- That I brazenly and with no remorse, stole from surgery.
Think of lacing up your tennis shoes. the lace goes in under the eyelet, through and then over and in under the next eyelet. Think of the eyelet as your raw edge fabric.
I didn't use fray check, and find with ths stitch I don't need to very often.
I like this stitch because it has the wonderful effect of automaticaly turning under the raw edge of the fabric. I figure let the thread do the work, my fingers are too big and too clumsy.
Now they use staples and crazy glue in surgery, but in the old days they used needles and thread or cat gut. And people had the effect, after healibng, of looking like they had zippers going all over their bodies. I got as close as I could, so you could see.
Anyway, its just my $5.00 worth of experience. (Why 5 bucks? Wel we really really are having inflation......)
I really did try to use the stitches the others use so proficiently, I really did try and follow directions, I really did try.....but....
I think I hear my drum beating, better go boogie!
:P
ps....when I need 'extra' strength I double the thread.....
Here the new kid is sitting with his new best friend, who came here by way of Wisconsin- and he's my pride and joy, one of the first things to grab in case of evacuation ( yes, I have a list)
Past Time BearsGosh, Dilu . . . you're game to try everything!! I am mightily impressed, Kiddo! 
I recognize that Luxembear... What a cute duo they make! Thanks, Dilu.
Posts: 8,574Try anything.....hmmmmm.....I didn't like snails; to much garlic, and I don't subscribe to Shirley Mclains method of traveling through Africa. If you haven't read it, its about 30 years old, its interesting. But too gross for here.....but yeah when it comes to fabric i will try just about anything. I learned when I was into coutoure sewing that you can fold, spindle, mutilate and pound the daylights out of fabric, even touch fabrics like velvet and chiffon to fit a design to a specific body. After that this stuff is adult play....
And after all.......
What's the worst that could happen?
OkOk Pigmonkeybear does come to mind.....
As far as Cozy goes, he is a special little guy, and I love him to pieces.
Shelli, I find that it is actually relaxing to spend the evening doing something like a mini.....I am going to try scaling down the pattern,
How low can we go? 1.5".....hmmmm
Kim, i played piano for the practise sessions f a ballet company in a Western state I once lived in. It's how I earned the money to pay for my son when he was born....wow 30 years ago. The gals were so funny and so cute, and they would have me doing some of the warm ups with them before 'Madam" came in.....now isn't that a picture?
9 months pregerrrs and doing a plea ( argh can't remember how to spell and I can't find it in the dictionary sorry)-scarry very scarry-What i remember was the sheepskin stuffed in the toes of the toe shoes...they would pull it out after rehersal and it would be.....well, you know.
So hats off to you, Miss Kim, not only are you a master of the minis but the ballet as well.......how come we don't have a smilie for green with envy? 
Matilda Huggington-beare.....how come we don't have a smilie for green with envy? :P
because if we did ,we would use it so much it would wear out.
Loved both bears by the way. Your so adventurous with your sewing Dilu :clap:
BRAVO :clap:
Baird'sBears:clap: Thanks, Dilu :hug:
I'm going to try the lace-up surgical stitchy thing. What do you call it? Anyway, it sounds great!
My little brown avatar teddy is just under 5". I'm comfortable with 5", but 2" sounds like some sort of miracle!
Eileen
Matilda Huggington-beareTorture, eileen. Torture is what it sounds like :twisted:
Wild Thyme OriginalsKim, i played piano for the practise sessions f a ballet company in a Western state I once lived in. It's how I earned the money to pay for my son when he was born....wow 30 years ago. The gals were so funny and so cute, and they would have me doing some of the warm ups with them before 'Madam" came in.....now isn't that a picture?
9 months pregerrrs and doing a plea ( argh can't remember how to spell and I can't find it in the dictionary sorry)-scarry very scarry-What i remember was the sheepskin stuffed in the toes of the toe shoes...they would pull it out after rehersal and it would be.....well, you know.
So hats off to you, Miss Kim, not only are you a master of the minis but the ballet as well.......how come we don't have a smilie for green with envy? :P
Our ballet master wouldn't let us use lambswool in our point shoes! So after I was about 12 or so, it was just absolute torture, until I built up the huge permanent callouses that I still have to this day! My feet are completely hideous! I have one big toe that is about half a centimeter shorter than it should be because I was dropped by an inattentive partner from an over the head hold straight down onto my toes.... ouch! It was jammed and broken and I never had it reset... Arthritis at the ripe old age of 33 in both ankles and big toe joints!
We had a great accompanyist for rehersals!!!! His name was Sebastien and he was a fabulous piano player. We all had huge crushes on him 
.... we used to talk him into playing pop music before class started. Madonna sounds pretty funny on the piano!
Beray truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
Flying Fur StudiosWow, piano player, ballet dancers?? What a talent group you all are!!
Kim, I had never thought that ballet would 'ruin' your feet, and that the callouses are permanent. Crazy!!
Heather
Kim-Bee BearsI wanted to be in ballet but classes were too expensive.... Dilu, I love your mini! Judi's bear and your teeny one are a perfect pair! 
Posts: 8,574Kim,
you have my heart and prayers....of course you would have arthritis in your feet :hug: I have it in my hands and elbows-occupational hazaards I guess. I wonder what singers get......besides sore throats.
I can't speak for you, but for me, even with the pain, I would still do it all over again. I do understand the tenaciousness that goes with being good at something-which explains your wonderful little minis. ( I love watching your e-bay auctions. ) Keep it up. It is art every bit as much as your dancing was. And, unfortunetly for both of us, it is longer lasting than the original art modality we went into. :/
Did your master ever say why you couldn't use sheepskin or was he concerned that you rely on it too much and not develop the strength and calluses necessary-
I once got to see Baryshnikov...He was unbelievable-hung in the air, it was like time stopped.....don't remember the ballet or the leading lady but do remember him....one of those great experiences in life where you recognize the genius and sacrifice someone has made to be able to do this one thing at this moment in time. And I could only be in awe of the magnifiscense and dedication and work.... and I am not explaining this well at all.
I saw Arthur Rubenstein-when he gave his last tour- don't remember what he played, but the experience of being there- the man glowed- it was like he was in a halo of light- again one of those experiences where you don't remember anything but the presence of the great talent you are observing.
I think it is a wonderful world and am grateful for the people who sacrifice and work and are so driven to accomplish their goals-because of the beauty and quality they afford to alll of us.
Which brings me to TEDDYBEARS- to stay en-point- I have a friend who is 86 and still collects and every new bear is her favorite ever- her hubby died last year this month-so the bears mean so much to her. They are her babies.
The moral, ladies, is that frequently we are not privy to the extent of joy and happines we have the opportunity to bring in to the world. So
keep working....busy busy busy!
Posts: 8,574Matilda- you and Bluebell are so cute! Yep we would wear out the envy smilie....
Baird'sBearsTorture, eileen. Torture is what it sounds like
Too true, Matilda. My first and only try at a 2-incher was completely shredded before he was half finished :(
Nothing like the torture you dancers had to go through. Ouch.
Dilu, I saw Nureyev and Fontaine in Romeo and Juliet years ago in New York. The tickets were a wedding present!
Eileen
Past Time BearsSingers get nodes on their vocal cords. Both of my daughters are singers.
Flying Fur StudiosSue Ann,
WHat's a node??
Heather
Winneybears and FriendsOh Dilu...those bears are precious ... Winney
Past Time BearsNodes are nodules/callouses that form on the cords after prolonged vocal abuse/misuse. It can really cause problems in singers. Here's a link that explains a lot for anybody who's interested. http://webpages.marshall.edu/~white61/vocal.html
NSW AustraliaHi Shantell,
Thank you. Sorry , but I just got back from a week's holiday. No, I didn't reduce the head size. The only thing I noticed that maybe the arms or legs might have ended up a bit skinny ( thin) so then I'd widen them a fraction.
Rikki...your little bears are adorable. Someone...and again I can't remember...said that you have to reduce the head a bit more when reducing your patterns because the head looks too big...did you find that to be true? I'm having a hard time with that concept of proportion...mathematically speaking.
Your first posting is very helpful...even for me who just dove in...I'm a bit dangerous that way...dive in...ask questions later... HA
Shantell
Posts: 8,574Oh Eileen, oh my, Nureyv and Fontain- what a wonderful wedding gift. I would have thought I had died and gone to heaven. Aren't those kind of experiences what makes life so Rich and rewarding? and its a memory that can never be stolen, flooded, burned up or burglurized-it is always yours.
Where's the green button?
Sue Ann
I am sorry about both your girls having nodes; there did not used to be a fix, but with endoscopic stuff now they are doing so many things- is there anything they can do to help your girls?
I always admire singers, they don't have to worry about loosing or misplacing their instruments, unless the singer is a bear of course.....and belongs to Shantell.....who might hack the poor thing's head to pieces; like I should talk- Pigmonkeybear sits on the shelf with nothing-no nose no eyes, no mouth.....well at least he isn't yammering at me to get busy fixing him.... :lol:
Thank you guys for the nice things you said about the little guy- I don't think he is finished yet..I'm letting him percolate in my brain for a while.
