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Here's one for the mavericks out there who've made a bear's head with the pile direction on the gusset going forward (toward the nose) rather than back.
I really like the effects you can get with scissors -- with those "bangs" hanging down over the bear's eyes. My question is: Do you have any problems with the fur on the back of the head (i.e. do you do anything special like split the gusset horizontally so that you don't have fur running up the back of the head instead of down?)
I've got some pretty long mohair that I'd like to try this with, but I wonder what the contrast in fur direction will look like.
Thanks!
Becky
Emo BearsYou got it in one! that's how I do it, with the gusset split so you get that change, see my avatar bear for one made using that technique. I love fringes. 
Past Time BearsBecky, every one of my Past Time Bears has bangs. I quickly learned when I first started designing my own patterns that bangs would be a 'look' or 'style' of my bears. Guess I decided that since I've worn bangs all my life, my teddies would, too. I don't do anything different with the gusset piece. When the head is finished, I just brush the gusset hair and try to blend it in with the hair on the side pieces.
Thank you both! 
I'll give it a try as Sue Ann does it, and if I don't like the effect in the back, I'll try it Julia's way.
Becky
Fulrfun BearsIf it doesn't go theway you like you can dampen it, add a little hair gel (which brushes out nicely afterwards) and comb ithow you want it to go. I bought a bear off ebay in my early days of bear making that had been cut out ready to sew and when it arrived they had obviously cut it out the wrong way (all the fur went the opposite way to what it should) I just wet the fur and combed it while it was wet and you would never know the diffference.
That's a great idea, too. Thanks, Clare!
Becky
UPDATE:
I tried this both ways, and with the fur I'm using, Julia's horizontally-split gusset idea works best. (The pile is long, so it's very affected by gravity in the back with the pile running "uphill." And it's semi-sparse, too, so changing the pile direction by wetting it would leave a bald area.)
Thanks again for the help! I'll post a photo when she's done (Look for a fluffy lilac-colored bear).
:hug: :hug: :hug:
Becky
Baildon bearsHere's one for the mavericks out there who've made a bear's head with the pile direction on the gusset going forward (toward the nose) rather than back.
I really like the effects you can get with scissors -- with those "bangs" hanging down over the bear's eyes. My question is: Do you have any problems with the fur on the back of the head (i.e. do you do anything special like split the gusset horizontally so that you don't have fur running up the back of the head instead of down?)
I've got some pretty long mohair that I'd like to try this with, but I wonder what the contrast in fur direction will look like.
Thanks!
Becky
Thankyou Becky for this post, I am really interested in the design of heads at the moment and spliting the gusset sounds a great way of getting a different look. will try it. Hannah
Now that's an idea for my design book! Sounds great...
Posts: 1Can I ask, at what point on the gusset do you create the split, top middle?
Wagga WaggaMonica Spicer has a lot of patterns where she has split the gusset. I believe it is usually between the ears, so about top middle.
