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Whimzee BearsHi anne marie
In the latest Aust Bear Creations there is a pattern for a bear (by Sandra Wigzell sp?) with a defined mouth and cheeks which may give you some ideas on how to construct. I haven't looked at it closely but it appears to have several pieces for the muzzle which forms some shape. Hope that helps!
CandybearsIm still waiting for my Bear creations. i go to the newsagent just about every day to see if its in! but when it is in I will look forward to checking the info out.
Nova Scotia,CanadaI would like to get a copy of the magazine 
What number is the latest issue, we are behind here in Canada most of the time 
Thanks 
Whimzee BearsThe latest issue is Vol 13 No 2. It just came out a few days ago (I think)
Posts: 6Hi
I would love to sculpt mouths but really don't have a clue, I have the 101 bears to make book but I really don't understand how/where the stitches go in order to sculpt a mouth :redface: , anyone know a good diagram or good at explaining a basic sculpt?
Thanks, I would love to progress my work and get more artistic 
Pauline
Plum Cottage BearsI also have 101 Bears to Make--and would like more information on sculpting the mouth. Is it anything like sculpting the eye socket with sinew?
Posts: 186I remember seeing a great thread about mouth sculpting before...and I found it (hope you are able to open it):
http://teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=2907
If you can't open it from the link, try searching for a topic called "mouths" - author is Shantell - last post is April 12, 2006.
As you can see, Shelli did a great tutorial with pics. Pics always clarify things!
Plum Cottage BearsThis, from the library, seems to be the kernel and gist of the discussion of sculpting
Teddy's mouth. On reading it, I find that I've been doing something like that lately--it makes Teddy's mouth smile--but not exactly as Shelli describes it. What do others do to get mouth indentations?
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[Shelli writes:]
The entire point of the board is to generate discussion about bearmaking, most of which comes from someone -- some brave someone, such as yourself -- asking a question. So knock that kind of self-doubting stuff off. It's what the board is made of.
I wish I had some special secret to share on mouth sculpting but for my part, all it is, is lots of PULLING REALLY HARD on the embroidery floss, to create those mouth indentations. I usually mark all endpoints with ball-headed pins first, before taking any stitches, because once you start stitching the mouth, the entire muzzle distorts and it's literally impossible to find the symmetrical other side point without those pins having marked it before hand.
I stitch one side, pulling very tight... then use fingers twisted around the floss to keep that tension, and stitch the other side. When that's done -- the two sides, left and right, of the mouth -- I usually take a stitch from endpoint, thru the muzzle, to endpoint, and back again, to secure the stitching, before exiting somewhere near the neck and tying off.
Nothing magical about it, on my part; just lots of tension. Which, I should mention, hurts like the Dickens. My fingers, especially my index finger, are all sliced up with little vertical cuts, and callouses!, from this process, as well as from the generally high-tension amount of threadwork otherwise required in bearmaking, to pull tightly closed such things as limb openings, and to needle sculpt eyes and nose bridges, etc. Ouch, ouch, ouch!
GOOD QUESTION!
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[Shelli writes:]
Hmmm... Are you using all the strands at once? I think I use six-strand floss, straight out of the ... well, whatever it's called, when they come all rolled up.
So maybe I should amend my statement. I use tension -- lots of tension. But I never YANK or move quickly. I always pull tight, maintaining tension, securing with little stitches back and forth where I just entered or exited. Maybe you're pulling too hard, too fast, without any securing in between?
