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Posts: 14
Has anyone purchased from BearyCheap.com?
Is their mohair a good quality? How about their plush?
I purchased some plush from Joanne fabrics and it was horrible to work with. Not that soft and very messy after.
I like silky soft like the Charlie Bears are made from.
I also just made a bear from Alpaca from Intercal and it is not as soft as I thought alpaca should be.
I would love to hear opinions and where people get their mohairs from. Thanks.
Today's little one.
desertmountainbearIn my opinion alpaca is very thick and dense like a real bear's fur, but it is not the same kind of soft as mohair. Mohair is silky. I have both mohair and alpaca here made in both German mills and I don't think one is softer than the other. I also have both raw mohair and alpaca for felting. They are both beautifully soft, but again the mohair is silky soft.
I also have mohair from all the mills. My favorite for density and softness is Norton, England's mill, but sadly it is closed. You can still find some pieces here and there. But with Norton the backing is looser so you get the bad with the good. I do not know what country you are in, but I can honestly say I love Helmbold fabrics for price and quality, and they are sold by Intercal.
Just my opinion.
Joanne
ps, your alpaca bear is beautiful. You can not get that thick dense look with mohair.
Sophie Z'OursI have purchased a few times already at Bearycheap and love their fabrics.
Their mohairs are very good quality as well as their plushes.
They sell Hembold mohair.
They always have some great discounts.
Concerning plushes, I used their poweder purple and powder blue and they are the softest ever. I also bought a few others : Ice pink which is extra soft too, pink cloud, which is great quality for tiny price, and I think the two others I bought are grape and antique white, also ultra soft.
They have a nice backing.
The only negative point about these furs is all the fluff produced when cutting the pieces. But I guess it has nothing to do with quality : it is just linked to these kind of furs.
I am not a big lover of synthetic plushes (I much prefer mohair, just my own taste), but as I make custom bears for children ; these are the ones children love and cannot resist!
Do not forget to visit their clearance center! Lots of bargains there.
I also love Intercals's furs. I purchase at both, depending what I am after and who has got the products!!!!
Beary hugs,
Sophie.
I've also used Beary Cheap for plush fur & found them to be really good & the service is great too. Very friendly & helpful when my package seemed to take ages to come. Turned out the stupid Post Office had had it for over 2 weeks & hadn't left a card or even tried to deliver it so nothing to do with the company at all! I'd definitely use them again so hope this info helps?
Hugs,
Julia x
PS Forgot to say that the picture of your bear you've posted is gorgeous! x
I have used fur from Beary Cheap. I like their stuff............
Posts: 14Thanks all for endorsing Beary Cheap.
I am in the U.S. so I imagine shipping would take some time.
I love intercal's stuff. I have lots of it, but I only had this one piece of alpaca and I thought it would be softer.
I am going to try some more alpaca colors.
One day, I want to move into the country and OWN alpaca's, lol. I am an animal lover. Been a slight farmer all my life and I have visited Alpaca's at a show and just adored them. They have these HUGE black eyes that are so sweet and innocent looking. Petting them is like petting a LARGE teddy bear.
Posts: 14Oh and thanks for your compliments on my "YET UNNAMED" little alpaca girl. 
Since you're in the US, Terri, you could try a piece of alpaca fabric from Edinburgh Imports. I've only bought it once, but I was happy with it.
And if you like silky-soft, try the various kid mohairs as well. I really like Helmbold's Kid 3/W from Intercal.
Becky
Posts: 14Becky, I have never tried the kid ones. I need to find out more about them. Are they alot different from regular mohair?
In general, kid mohair is a finer, softer fiber since it comes from the kids (should be the first cutting from a young goat). It also has a nice sheen to it.
On the other hand, some regular mohair feels soft and has a sheen, and there is probably some kid mohair that feels kind of regular. I think you'll like the kid 3/W if you decide to try it, and it's one of the most affordable kid mohairs, too. (My avatar bear was made from it, and the two musical bears below that are from kid mohair as well.)
Becky
Back Road BearsYou can get some wonderful German synthetics from Edinburgh Imports. They are more expensive than Bear Cheap's but fantastic quality and sooo soft. I buy from both places and find both synthetics lend themselves well to different projects. Obviously buying from Edinburgh you'll get your order much faster too.
Becky is right about Kid mohair. If you want super soft, shiny and just oh so wonderful to the touch you can't beat kid mohair. Schulte makes the most dense kid mohair material available. It can be found at Edinburgh. Helmbold makes a less dense but still soft fabric you can get through Intercal. Again, both are great depending on the look you are after.
You can get sample packs from both Intercal and Edinburgh. (Beary CHeap too for that matter I think!) I find this is a great way to get a true FEEL for the materials before you go and spend money ordering yardage you may or may not like once received.
If you want the best of both alpaca and mohair textures Schulte makes an incredibly soft fabric that is alpaca/mohair blend. It's only available from Edinburgh in one color (which is one I personally like) and where it's tipped it produces great results when scissor scultping the face. Here it is: http://www.edinburghimports.com/shoppin … sp?FU1=993
The options are endless.... order samples. Better yet, if there's a bear show near you sometime during the year attend one. Most often there are suppliers there so you can touch and buy exactly what you want.
Posts: 14Ok Thanks again for the advice. I just placed an order with intercal this morning. I also wrote them and requested a sample pack to see the kid mohairs.
They give out freebies and I don't care for real sparce, so I got a couple that are thicker, but not colors that I like. I will probably be dying my first mohair.
I have used pigment inks to dye plush. Do you think that would work with the mohair as well as fabric dyes? I just brush it on the plushes and blowdry to set.
desertmountainbearI use Rit. I use the color formula guide to get exactly what I want.
http://www.ritdye.com/colorit_color_formula_guide
Posts: 285Has anyone purchased from BearyCheap.com?
Is their mohair a good quality? How about their plush?
I purchased some plush from Joanne fabrics and it was horrible to work with. Not that soft and very messy after.
I like silky soft like the Charlie Bears are made from.
I also just made a bear from Alpaca from Intercal and it is not as soft as I thought alpaca should be.
I would love to hear opinions and where people get their mohairs from. Thanks.Today's little one.
The alpaca isn't very soft? 
I was going to order some. I want something that's cuddly soft and I thought that alpaca would be.
What should I order for a super soft cuddly bear?
I love your sweet unnamed girl!!
Posts: 14Snookums, It is soft, but not as soft as an alpaca bear that I have here. I purchased this little one at the alpaca show. It has no personality or design in a bear, but it is like total fluff.
The honey alpaca that my girl is made from is more dry feeling.
Now my friend Jolene says that she got the other colors and they were much softer.
So today I ordered the black, creme and brown at Intercal.
So I will see how those feel.
It messes up pretty easy too, but then again, I am only used to plush bears. I don't have any alpaca bears other then that little one that I got at the show.
My friend, Jolene, said that she asked the company why the honey was not as soft and they told her that there are differences all the time and it depends on the age, health etc. of the alpaca that it came from. I guess that would be the same for mohair.
Trust me it is soft, just not as soft as the other alpaca that I have here and I expected the same. 
Posts: 285Thanks TerryQui!! I'll order some and see what happens.
Lisa
Like Sophie says, Intercal and Beary Cheap both sell Hembold, so if you are in the US you're probably better to go with Intercal- Beary Cheap doesn't have the range Intercal does either. I don't use synthetic plush much so I can't vouch for them, but I think most of them are the less expensive types.
As for soft alpaca, I did feel some gorgeous Alpaca from Japan the other day, at our only bear supply place Bear Essence- it was MUCH softer than any other alpaca I've felt before, almost a syntheticy plush feel. I don't know if anyone else stocks it in the US but I do know Bear Essence will ship anywhere. Not a huge range of colours but a beautiful fabric.
Donna's Duin BruinsIf you want a super soft synthetic with a woven back try Tissavel. Sadly the company has closed but I have a nice selection of fabric for sale while it lasts.
I find the alpaca makes a more realistic bear. Try to get to a show in your area where there will be fabric available for you to see and TOUCH. I know in the old days many bear makers would wash the mohair or alpaca and then put hair conditioner or fabric softener on it to get a better feel. If you are going to dye it you might give that a try.
Donna
Little Bear GuyTerry , when you are talking about the alpaca not being as soft as the bear you have. I think what you have is a bear made from alpaca fur . It is very very soft but it's not the same as the alpaca that you buy that has been woven with a backing. I'm guessing the bear you have was made from the real hide of an alpaca. There is a huge difference in the actual hide and the material that is processed through a mill.
big hugs
Shane
Posts: 14Terry , when you are talking about the alpaca not being as soft as the bear you have. I think what you have is a bear made from alpaca fur . It is very very soft but it's not the same as the alpaca that you buy that has been woven with a backing. I'm guessing the bear you have was made from the real hide of an alpaca. There is a huge difference in the actual hide and the material that is processed through a mill.
big hugs
Shane
Oh MY, ok. That explains it. Yes mine is made from the hide. Goodness, I would never have realized that. Thank you.
I'm guessing the bear you have was made from the real hide of an alpaca.
I don't think so, Shane. Terry mentioned that the alpaca came from Intercal (who don't sell hides as far as I know).
Becky
