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florida So finally AP exams are over and theres only about two weeks left of school, yeah! 
. finally I can get concentrated on making some bears! But I have a few questions I've been wondering for a while and hope I can find some answers here 
. My first question was I've seen a lot of bears with "micro beads" in them and weights, I think it'd be an interesting texture to add to my bears, but im worried that the beads might leak out?! Perhaps this is a silly question, but do you guys sew some sort of bag and put it in the bear or do you just dump the beads straight in there like you would with polyfil? My other question was if you have fabric that the ends are fraying how do you use fray check..? The bottle I purchased didn't really have any instructions on it... I'd assume you could just take a paint brush and brush it on the ends, is this correct? Will it make the fabric stiff, and if so is this hard to sew then? Thank you so much!
YorkshireHi, if I use the small glass/steel beads I place them in a little cotton bag. I draw my pattern onto my fabric and then follow the lines of the pattern with the fraycheck (it has a nossle). I wait for it to dry before I cut the pattern out. It does make the fabric stiffer but I haven't had too many problems with it. There is alternative products which have been mentioned in the past if you click on the search button above and type in fray check. Hope this helps but I am sure someone with more experience may give you further advice.
florida Thank you Ali I will look into this more!
Hi,
I pour the glass beads straight in.... but I use them in the feet. I use stainless steel bb's in the tummy (and those are too big to "leak" out.) I don't have a problem with them leaking out.
The Littlest ThistleI put the glass sand in pop socks and tie the end off.
For Fray-check, you use scissors to cut a tiny bit off the end of the nozzle to open it (like you would with superglue etc) and use it straight out of the bottle. Squeeze very gently, and keep the bottle moving so you don't end up with puddles that could soak through the backing onto the fur itself. I just use it at the openings rather than round the whole bear. YOu can also use watered down pva glue too I believe, but I've never tried it in that way.
Little Bear GuyFor steel shot in the tummy I use pantyhose , I buy them at the dollar store and I just cut and knot the one end then fill with the shot and them tie another knot. With smaller bears I will put stuff in around the joints first and then pour in the shot. I rarely use glass beads as I find them far to messy and I do find they work out through the fabric so I stick to shot.
hugs
Shane
florida Once you've applied the fray check do you just let it sit and dry or does it require heat (like a blow dryer) to work?? Thank you all for your help! :hug:
BrisbaneOnce you've applied the fray check do you just let it sit and dry or does it require heat (like a blow dryer) to work?? Thank you all for your help! :hug:
I just let it dry. I actually use leather glue as a fray stopper. I find that some fray stoppers dry really stiff and hard. The leather glue doesn't do this. I would test out your fray stopper on a bit of scrap fabric first to see how it drys.
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Therese
desertmountainbearJust let it dry. I also use pantyhose for bb's. I use silicone pellets in bellies and pour them straight in.
Joanne
I'd put it outside and let it dry, if it were me. Fray-check is really volatile/vaporous, and I don't like to breathe it in.
Becky
There's different types of fray stop/ fray check, some are like Becky says, is rather volatile smelling, then theres the white glue based types. Like Teeeej, I use a glue. I'd leave all to dry in their own- usually trace pattern, fray stop before cuttg, move on and trace another one or two then go back and cut out, by which time it's almost dry.
Finding the right fray stopping stuff usually involves some experimentation, as with lots of things in bearmaking! don't ever be afraid to experiment
