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South AustraliaHi All,
I am still a beginner at this wonderful bear making experience so I have a question:
I am just about to finish my first 12 inch/30cm bear, he is an old fashioned style and up till now I have only done small bears.
Before I put him together I was wondering if I should weight him?
Do you weight all your bears?
I have just finished two 8inch/20 cm bears one is just filled with fibre fill the other had a weighted tummy and I must admit I prefer the feel of the weighted one so much so that I am thinking of undoing the other and weighting his tummy too.
So I'm wondering should I weight all my bears in future? And what is the best thing to use??
Thank you.
Little Bear GuyI like a bear with weight to it, a friend of mine once told me when I wasn't putting enough weight in my bears that they had no soul. So I started putting steel shot in the tummies of my bears to give them soul. I prefer a bear with weight when I am collecting as well. It's a personal preference but I don't care for a bear that is to light in weight.
Kitchener OntarioAs a collector I have to agree with The Little Bear Guy. My favorite bears are all weighted. It is so much nicer to pick them up and have a solid feel to them.
South AustraliaWhen making a larger bear where do you weight it?
Just in the tummy or in the feet as well?
When making a larger bear where do you weight it?
Just in the tummy or in the feet as well?
I like some weight in the feet as well. It gives the bear a very stable sit (no tendency to tip over backwards).
For that, you need a finer granulate of some sort and very solid seams (mine are double-stitched with small stitches). I use small glass beads for the job.
I know that some mini-makers weight their small bears as well.
Becky
desertmountainbearI put bb's in the belly. If you are making a bear that you want to stand you can put some stainless steel shot or glass beads, (something small) in their feet, it does help them to stand.
I do not weight all of my bears. I have a pattern that I took from an antique bear that was unfixable, I stuff them with wood wool. I do not weight those. I figure they would not have had anything to weight them so long ago.
But I do weight all of the contemporary bears, pretty heavily.
Joanne
Past Time BearsYes - I weight all my bears, except the ones I make for children. And the ones that I design to stand, I'll put stainless steel pellets (very tiny) and/or the smallest glass beads available in the feet. To me, a weighted bear just seems more stable.
TC Folk OriginalsI weight all of my bears in the feet and the tummy. I make light weight knit bags with very close seams and fill them about half full of BBs. I use these bags in both the feet and the tummy. The bags are sized according to the size of the bear. I make a nest of polyfil in the bottom of the foot or tummy and then lay the bag in the nest, then stuff all around it so it can't be felt from the outside.
I never weight bears for children...much too dangerous. I also use safety eyes and joints!
When making a larger bear where do you weight it?
Just in the tummy or in the feet as well?
I weight all my bears, tiniest ( 2" ) to biggest, in feet and tummy. I like the feeling of a weighted bear, makes it more 'real'
Braille TeddiesI don't weight my flatties because they're child safe, but both of my jointed bears have been weighted with gravel. They're heavy, but they are still squuzzable. I don't do hard bears. My favorite bear is light as a feather, though, although Lenora made him a little heavier than he used to be because she gave him more stuffing.
