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Amanda Oct 6, 2005

Thanks for the new section. I have just started to use needlefelting on my bears, with OK results. I have needlefelted eyelids, noses and cheeks on a Koala. Also onto paw pads. Please keep any ideas and questions coming as I am learning as I go along.

Anyone needlefelted anything unusual?

Shari Oct 6, 2005

Oh,I like that look a lot.Nice work Amanda and thanks for sharing.    :hug:

Shari.

shantell Oct 6, 2005

Wow...how cool is this little bear...love his eyelids...very clever!!!

patsylakebears Oct 6, 2005

love the effect of the needlefelting on the bear .... great look

heartsez Oct 7, 2005

can anybody recommend readin material on this subject..not sure i understand the concept of needlefelting onto something? looks lreally cool! stunning bears!  deb

rufnut Oct 7, 2005

Amanda, well done, you have a good look there, I love what can be achieved with needlefelting.  :dance:

Judi Oct 7, 2005

Very nice work Amanda.  I love needle felting onto a mohair bear.  I am working ona realsitic bear at this moment.  I spent all evening just felting his muzzle and eyelids.  I think he is my favorite to date.

Deb, I teach an online class at www.northcountryteddybears  it covers basci needle felting and then applying this to a very detailed face.  Neysa teaches workshops too.

Here's my most recent needle felted-onto-mohair-design.  He is 10 inches tall.

Amanda Oct 7, 2005

Judi no wonder its your favourite. I think you have taken needlefelting to a whole new level. For me I think its the mouth area thats so expressive. It says look at me I'm so cute in that toddler kind of way. When I have sold a few more bears I am going to enjoy signing up to your class. Needlefelting brings your work alive. I have flown by the seat of my pants where needlefelting is concerned and look forward to learning more.

heartsez Oct 7, 2005

thank you Judy for the response i will check that out! i dont post very often because i dont get much in the way of responses...and i wonder why......deb

Judi Oct 7, 2005

Ah Deb, We're here to help/  Once you post a bit more the bear folks here will get to know you.   Here's  hug for you :hug:  We would like to know more about you.  Do you have a website?  How long have you been making bears?  Share some pictutures...we love pictures here! :angel:

Thanks Amanda. but the above photo is not the bear I was referring to as my favorite.  The bear I am working on right now does not even have a body yet.  He is a realistic looking bear with taxidermy glass bear eyes.  He is a design I just drafted yesterday.  I'll share him with you whenI finish him.

Just Us Bears Oct 8, 2005

Hi Deb,
Sorry you are feeling a bit ignored here. :hug: I think the trouble is, that more and more people are joining TT and lots only post a few times and then disappear. If someone doesn't answer your question...start the question as a new thread, then people will know that you really want that answer. Sometimes questions get lost in the middle of an irrelevant thread and get overlooked..it's not because people don't care.
Having said that, sometimes people ask questions and you kind of get the feeling it's half hearted and you wonder if it's something they just wonder about or if they REALLY want to know....makes you wonder if it's worth the effort to answer. (I'm not referring to you by the way).
I think more often than not it's the fact that the question gets lost in the thread. I know if I don't get onto TT for a day or two, I just pick out the most important threads to read and skip the rest..it's the only way not to get left behind. In doing this you inevitably miss stuff.
Deb is from beautiful Vermont girls...near Daphne! Deb was my very first swap partner and is the owner of my second ever bear made from my own pattern. In return, I received the sweetest little white mohair bear called 'Hayley', dressed in a vintage dollies dress and sitting on a wooden chair. So cute!
Deb...jump on in and try to make yourself at home. You have lots of experience to share too so don't be afraid to answer questions....there are no right or wrong answers in teddy making remember! :hug: Don't forget sharing of info is a two way thing. ;)
And don't shrink off into a corner if you feel your question has been overlooked...be assertive! :D

Amanda...it's not until you do Judi's course that you realise just HOW talented this woman is! My bear looks like something from "fright night 2"! If this was my first go and I was the pioneer..I would have tossed it ten times over...but Judi must have incredible foresight, and she perservered and came up with her current work. She's amazing!

Dilu Oct 8, 2005

Oh My goodness, Miss Amanda!

Almost too human....wow really really really superb look.  Do his eyes follow you when you are in the room with him?  They look like they would. 

I am so impressed.....keep this up and you'll be too busy for the likes of us-cuz of all the orders you will have.....

Dilu Oct 8, 2005

Hi Deb, I'm sorry about you getting lost admist all the words posted

There are several books available- but let me tell you they aren't cheap.  One is like $80.00, by a lady in Sweden or something like that....I asked the seller if that was the real price and she said yep but that it was worth it even thugh the book hasn't been translated yet.  Hmmmmm  this old gal is going to have sell a few more gollies
to afford that.

now here are a couple of places you can go to see these books:

http://www.mielkesfarm.com/flt_ndls.htm#needles

http://www.cobwebcottage.co.nz/BearsAvailable.html

Check out the books; and if you spring for the $80 one let us know how it is   The pictures on the front are cool

:hug: Dilu

PS  Just shake rattle and roll us around in our cages if we don't get a questioned answered!

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorOct 8, 2005

Deb, so sorry you feel we're not paying attention . . . it's certainly not intentional.  I promise to be more mindful!  :hug:

heartsez Oct 8, 2005

oh dear  you girls are soo sweet and i feel like such a whiner! we are in the midst of a major life change ( i/e downsizing our beautiful old farmhouse) which we are finally showing again today,,and the darn windows on the north side started leaking this morning!  anyway i have a hr to make this all go away and have a shower before they get here!! auughh!! will post more later thank you thank you gfor making me feel welcome and specially to haley for the lovely comments!! deb

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorOct 8, 2005

Oh no . . . you're selling your house??  Wow, that is stressful stuff!  Much good luck!  :hug:

heartsez Oct 9, 2005

yes it can be stressful! i love this place with all my heart but its just too big and too much work..my dh has been struggling along with it,,but he deserves to have what he wants too,,, a single story with newer plumbing etc..we redid this place completely..just needs some cosmetic stuff we just dont have the time or money to do and still make the mortgage..so less money..more time..means i can make more bears and learn to needlefelt and stuff! i do have a website that im struggling to update,,spent alot of time on the other artists pages and left my site to last..plus i loveto do the artistic kind os stuff i dont completely know how to do..always learn stuff bacwards!!:):):) this working for a living stuff sucks!!  i want a vacation! we were marrried 10 years ago nov 17th and i will be 50 on the first of january,,,i want to be in lancaster pa  walking around Longwood gardens..flea mrketing..auctions!! we wemt to a big antiique show this afternoon and i held the most beautiful old stieff bear..$1,700!  oh well i can dream!!  hugs to all deb

SueAnn Help Advisor, Banner SponsorOct 9, 2005

i want to be in lancaster pa  walking around Longwood gardens..flea mrketing..auctions!! we wemt to a big antiique show this afternoon and i held the most beautiful old stieff bear..$1,700!  oh well i can dream!!

Maybe these wonderful dreams can come true in the near future!!  Guess that is the upside of downsizing . . . more money and a little more time!  I hope you get a really good price for your farmhouse . . . good luck!  :pray:
P.S.  Surely would've loved to hold that old Steiff, too! 

heartsez Oct 9, 2005

i'd have to win the lottery to pay $1,700 fpr anything!  too cheap!  may have to go back to the drawing brd and refine my small pattern and get ruthless with the "antique" look on the bears i make! at least for me! i looked up all the links you were all kind enough to provide! very interesting! also combed our bookstore for books,,nothing..i thinjk th eonline class sounds the most promising...altho i couldn't use that link judi? page not available..deb

Amanda Oct 9, 2005

In reply to how I do the eyelids, here goes.

First I needlesculpt the eye area. The eyes I use are doll eyes which need a good flat base to be glued onto. I use fabric glue to fix them and use pins underneath to hold them while they dry. You need to make sure the bears gaze is right, slightly out and it will look odd.

I use wool that is near to the bears colour but you can shade later with oils. I do the two top lids first then the bottom ones. The top lid will be about an inch oval shape. Half needlefelt on your sponge pad. Then using a thin finishing needle start felting around the eyes on the mohair at the top. My felt covers half the eye, but you will felt that up near the end. Be careful not to hit the eye as it can break your needle. You will find it just works its way into the mohair.

For the bottom I do the same but make the felt not as wide. I then use the darker shade felting into the lids. I keep pushing it up into the lids so I get the right shape. I add felt on if the shape is not right or felt more into the mohair if the shape is too big. I then use oils to shade after.

I think I have made this as clear as mud! Its so hard to write how you do it, I just do what I think will work. Its very trial and error. When I get back off my hols if you have any questions please ask. Hopefully someone else might have a better way of explaining it!