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Our Blue IguanaHi guys... just this week, i gave another try at sort of a miniature bear (it reach 6") ... but i seem to have a hard time like where to put my fingers when i stuff the head! With bigger bear, u get a grip at the nossle but what about the mini? the head keep slipping from my fingers :crackup: but my hands are not that big....
I keep looking at my collection of ingrid bears and they look soooo cute and adorable... but mine dont seem that cute... one im naming "bad hair day" bec i use long mohair the it looks like the bear was having a bad hair day.
Any good suggestions? I just want it to be cute and my goal is 3" in the future... any words of wisdom? :pray:
:hug:
Hi Ming ,
On my tinies I usually make the gusset longer than required on the back end (as it tapers to the "neck")
so that I can easily hold the head by this excess piece - only needs to be just over half a cm. When I close the head I just
neatly trim this piece off level with the rest . I wonder if anyone else does this ???? 
Mini Hugs , Ruth
AM BEARSThat's a great idea Ruth! I normally balance mine on three fingers, holding it gently around the muzzle and face while I stuff like billy-o...like most forms of juggling it gets easier in time I suppose.
Good luck with your quest for wisdom
Andrea
Ruth that is a fabulous idea! I stuff my mini bear heads by putting them on my work table. I love the "tail"idea though!
Our Blue Iguanathanks girl for all those lovely suggestion and encouragement 
ruth i never thought of the "tail" idea, ill give it a try tom... wish i can joggle on my 3 fingers, is it me, or my fingers big? when u hold onto the nozzle, it just would slip at times 
but i love all ur bear! it's soo cute as well...
hope others have other suggestions that i can try? really want to make a 3" bear...
:hug:
Our Blue IguanaI have made a bear but dont know if you will consider it mini bec its 6" i think... what do you guys think of it? does it look ok? the hair was pretty long so it took me sooooo long to trim it 
:hug:
She's a cutey ! Very nicely done 
Mini Hugs , Ruth
Our Blue Iguanathanks ruth :redface: but it's not that small and yours is still far cuter than mine
ill try smaller soon. hehehe thank you for the encouragement :hug:
KezjoyKritterzaww Ming, shes a sweetie..i love the embroidery!! When i stuff a mini, i usually just cup the head in one hand and stuff with the other..it is a little tricky, but with practise it does get easier
Kerrilyn
Chaska, MinnesotaMing: you bear is adorable. 
As for your question about how to stuff the head for a mini, I do what Andrea does, I hold it with my three fingers and stuff away...I also use these tweezers I found at the Minnesota State Fair that taper into very sharp points so when I stuff the bear, it packs in the stuffing. This allows me to create definition to the small face. Here is what they look like:
Our Blue Iguana:redface: thanks Kerrilyn and michelle for your compliments... and your right, if you get used to it, you will definetly improve. I guess I better concentrate on mini first. It hard to swing from mini to about 8"~ 12" bear....
yes, i tried the three fingers, but the head just keep jumping from my fingers 
i think the head is alive! now how do u position your fingers hehehe seems like my fingers are tangled
I have difficulty with tweezers because the stuffing just wont go in at times, i use my fingers at times and clean chopsticks!
thanks you ladies... :hug:
Pandy Potter BearsWell done! :dance: We all start somewhere and I found working down size wise helped. Saying that my heads are big What stuffing do you use? I use kapok and that seems good to use. As my heads are a 4 piece pattern I seem to just cup them in my hand. I do put steel shot in the heads too, so that helps with the weight and feel when stuffing.
Its all a learning curve and I must say when I restarted making miniatures after a years break it felt as if my fingers had gone bigger, it really felt odd and like hard work. I think time and plenty of sewing really helps. You'll get there, just keep going down one size at a time. :hug:
TeenytinyteddybearsI made a 2" bear. I am not sure I would ever do it again, although when I look at her I am sometimes quite keen. The tail idea is brilliant. I didnt use mohair though I used Ultra suede. I just find the mohair falls apart if the bear is too little or is that just me? The smallest I have made in mohair was 3" and even that needed lots of trimming and inventing seams. If I used the South African liquid to stop it fraying it became too stiff to work with.
But your little bear is too cute.
Our Blue IguanaHi Amanda, thanks for the compliment. Sorry took so long to write back, been so busy at work lately and trying my best to update my website before Aug 1. It's a good idea to go down one size at a time that way, its a good transition. Like conditioning yourself I use polyfill (im not sure if i spell it right.. it's ordinary cotton). putting steel shots is good idea, but im afraid the load will be too much, later, it will really timber! :crackup:
Right now, i do get abit hand of it... practice practice!
Carolynn thanks for your compliment.. hope your ok in the phils? I used to live there and will go back there soon.. would be nice to meet someone who's in the Phils and love bears! Well, i use the fabric frayer from sassy and when it dries up, its not too hard... you may want to try it?
my smallest was 3" and my fiancee got it so i cant see it... sigh.. 
I call it mr.mole because i put lots of black moles on its face!
MadebyAnnaHello
I hold my bear head with twp fngers...one on each temple . Sometimes I place the head upside down on a flat surface and stuff too.
I like the idea of steel shot in the head too.
Our Blue Iguanahi annalong,
well, its alittle less tricky now since i make smaller bears but once in a while, head stuffing such small thing is not easy. Gosh i really admire what you do also.. your bear is so cute. I mean stuffing and making it look adorable and cute is difficult at times. its just so tiny...
my latest try at it, it turns out ok.... Im practicing on making heads and experimenting with different gusset design.
:pray: that my bear will be adorable..
Teenytinyteddybearshi Ming, too scared to order anything here cause I have waited months for a parcel from a friend, but anyhow. Where were you in the Philippines??? Would be great to meet up with someone. I am in Davao but get to travel all over. I am busy on a set of 3 inch bears but soooo want to try a smaller one despite what I said in the last post. Found a bit of purple stuff lurking in what I packed and thing it would be cute. I was looking at old posts in the library and found one that Daphne posted ( http://www.teddy-talk.com/viewtopic.php?id=4372 ) going to try that. Not that I have had a problem, but may be nice to try.... Also, I found a very old post that I cannot find again about stitching the leg and leaving the top open (and the arm too) this works for me for the tinies. It comes out soooo much better than leaving a bit open on the outside of the leg. You can just sew around the washer then. The leg seems to fit into the body so much better. I wish I could find the post so that I could credit the author. It has been a very big improvement.
Our Blue IguanaHi Carol actually i used to live in Manila. I will drop by there on this coming Chinese New Year which is around End of January...
I have to research on what Daphne said.. very interesting and im always open to differnt ways to teach my student.
You can try to search old thread by looking at the guy with waving hands on top.. I find with minis, I still like sewing openings at the back instead of near the disk, it gives me more room to stuff properly. Ill PM you instead....
hugs
