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Posts: 3ok heres my question. How much material will I need to make a 17 inch bear. It's going to be made out of mohair. And what size parts for the movement joints. I am not very good at this kind of thing. Thanks so much.
From my experience you would need a fat quarter of material. However this would also depend on the shape of the legs and arms. If they are bent they take up more room and therefore more material.
As for joints it is hard to say as you have to go by how big the shoulders and hips are.
Hope this helps. 
Jane
Past Time BearsHi, Stars and Planets . . . welcome to the board! For a 17" bear, I would probably use at least 1/3 yd. to 1/2 yd. of fabric. As for the size of the joints, that would depend on the size of the shoulder/hip areas of your pattern . . . like Jane said. Good luck!!
Hi and welcome.
I make 17" bears out of a fat quarter yard of mohair, but that's with careful pattern design and placement. 1/3 yard is safer, and as pointed out previously, if you're doing bent limbs or a particularly big body, even 1/2 yard. It all comes down to individual pattern design and proportions, unfortunately.
I tend to use 1.5" to 2" disks in my 17-inch-ish bears, but the rule of thumb is that you want your disk to take up as much space in the shoulder joint area as possible so that you don't get "poofy" shoulders and thighs. So you'll, again, have to let your pattern choice dictate your disk joint sizing as well.
Hope this is at least a little helpful!
Patsy Lake BearsHi and welcome, like Shelli I can get my 17" bear out of a fat quarter but I designed the pattern accordingly and agree with the size of discs to use ..... are you going to design your bear or use a commercial pattern if so you will get all the information in the pattern
Posts: 3Hi all. yes I'm going to design my bear. and those are all helpful suggestions thanks so much :0).
Gatehouse GalleryYes, I get 17inches out of a fat 1/4, but its my pattern and I'm really good at squishing arms and legs onto the mohair. I don't know about discs because we work in mm's and cm's 'down under' and I use 35mms for arms and 45mm's for legs, but mine are designed to wear clothing and have longer legs than bare bears, therefore different proportions.
Upstate New YorkIf your body has 4 pieces, you won't be able to use a fat 1/4. If only 2 pieces, and very careful placement ... maybe. Good luck.
Kim-Bee BearsI have never made a bear that big but I would like to in the future... thanks for the useful info gals!!!! :hug:
Estelles canal bears and Tod TeddiesI should have ordered a fat quater then I orderde a fat half, never mind i get to make an extra bear :dance: :dance:
Posts: 3yeah i will like to have a little space in between so I can make sure I draw it out correctly. That is if I mess up, which I'm hoping I won't. That was a great idea drawing the pattern out first on paper :clap:. Well I guess you'd half to, so you know each size.
Out 'n About BearsI would say a little more than a fat quarter for a 17 inch bear, and for my bears that are just over 16 inches, I use 50mm and 45 mm discs.
Helen
Posts: 8,574Wooo Hooooo Stars and Planets.....Now al we need is the Sun ibn the morning and the Moon at night!
Welcme to the board, Miss S and P. We will love having you here and hope you will love being here......it will be exciting to see pics of your bear when you get him done.....no presurre thought, oh no, not us, none at aLL...... 
DILU
LuxembearsI agree with all the other ladies here. Just really wanted to pop in and say "welcome".
Also, a 12" really FAT bear will take more mohair that a 17" very skinny bear...so just things to keep in mind when designing. I like to have extra mohair on hand. It can be most frustrating to design a bear then find out you don't have enough mohair. If this happenes, size don your pattern.
Best of luck. Hugs, Judi
