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Posts: 8,574I am working on a challange bear....not due till end of Jan, but I have to do a golly to go with him, so I thought I'd better get started now.
So I am picking our the seams.. Usually I do it after they are all together and stuffed.....but this is a smallish bear; 8-10 inches, and the fur is full and long, so I thought he would stuff better if I got the fur out now.
Which way really is easier? Which way to you all do it or does it depend on the fur fullness and length or what?
Enquioring minds......
Back Road BearsIt depends..... (is there ever a simple answer????)
If it's long as you are working with then I do it first.
If it's short, stuck in the seams and going to require a lot of picking then I find it easier to do after the bear is all stuffed.
If there is a lot stuck in the seams I may pick out a majority before stuffing then go back and clean up the seams after it's stuffed.
I ALWAYS pull the fur from the seams of the ears BEFORE sewing them on... this can change the look/shape of the ear and thus how it is placed on the head.
Wild Thyme OriginalsMy completely anal retentive way of having neat fur-free seams is this...
I cut all the hair to almost the edge of the seam allowence before I ever sew. After sewing, I pick out any hair trapped in the seam form the INSIDE first. Then turn, stuff, and finally pick out any wisps that have gotten caught from the OUTSIDE.
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
I do what you do, Kim -- inside... then outside, after stuffing -- but without the clipping beforehand.
Kim-Bee BearsI pick my seams out AFTER I sew.... I hand sew though so I dont get much in the seams to begin with
Wild Thyme OriginalsMaybe it's beacuse I hand sew, but I find that my seams are not as tight as I want them to be if I don't clip out the vast majority of the fur before sewing..... probably because the fur itself adds extra thickness to the fabric layers, and then when it's removed I think that the sewing could have been tighter... does that make any sense? I think I'm having trouble explaining..... Anyway, I bet with machine sewing, this isn't really an issue.......
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild tHyme Originals
Upstate New YorkI do both inside and outside prior to stuffing. Not sure it's the easiest. I'm gonna try pre-clipping seams one of these days.
'Bear' Bottoms OriginalsHuh, I've learned something new....
I always picked the seams after stuffing, but while I sew, I always tuck the fur in as I go along with the needle, That way most of the fur is pushed out already, and I can get good tight stitches that aren't going to loosen when I do have to pluck those few renegade tufts...
Kimberly W.
Kim-Bee BearsKim, thats the way I do it.... 
I just didnt know how to word it LOL - That is one of the reasons I hand sew some still is in the seams but only at a few spots and is easily plucked out...
Wild Thyme OriginalsOh, someone better at explanations, please jump in at any time!!!!!!
With minis in short vintage rayon, I don't even think about picking seams! Just tuck it in with the needle as i go... brush the seams a bit after ward with a toothbrush or wire brush afterward.
With longer pile mini fabrics and mohair, I do a bit of trimming of the fur in the seam allowances.... some people clip, some don't.... I like it because there is so much less for me to pick out from the inside, and as I said in my earlier post, it's just easier to get my handsewn seams tighter that way. You don't have to clip, you can just groom it all out from the inside seams.
If you don't pick out from the inside, you can, depending on the pile length and type of fur, get sort of a bunched up excess of fur in the seam itself once your bear is turned and stuffed. Sort of like there is too much hair growing along the seam line, because the tips of the fur that is actually "growing" on the seam allowance, sticks out through the seam....
Please, someone better at descriptions needs to give this a whirl. It sounds like mush to me, and I'm the one writing it!
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
'Bear' Bottoms OriginalsI know what you mean, Kim B. Wow, it's snowing outside.... Oh, where was I? lol
OK yes...
On minis, I tuck the fur in between the backing with the needle as I sew along. On big bears, what I do with the longer and or thicker furred bears is I go along as I am stitching and about an inch or so in (where my stitch is actually going to fall) I part through the fur and tuck in the fur that will be on the right side of the bear. This is probably the same concept of your trimming Kim B., I just don't actually cut mine for fear of clipping in too far and then having a 'bald spot' somewhere along my seam! I am not that experienced!! lol So anyway, I just part and tuck as I go, sewing along that part I've made. When I'm done, I turn my piece, check my seams to make sure it all looks good before stuffing. I almost always stuff before I pluck, and I only pluck little bits at a time in the areas where there managed to get a bunch of fur stuck in the seam. I pluck with my needle, and if I get too big a hunk, it won't pull out. Nothing wrong with big hunks, but on a bear they can be worrisome. 
I know what you mean about having too much fur in the seam. I did that on a couple of my earlier bears. Then I had to turn it back inside out and reverse pluck (or pluck from the inside to get some of that fur off the outside of the bear) Oh yeah, I never close up my hole until I've plucked.... I never know if I might have to unstuff and turn it back again for some reason or another!!!
Geez, how can bearmaking sound so.... gross?!?!? lol
Did that make any sense?????
Kimberly W.
'Bear' Bottoms OriginalsKim B. using a toothbrush on the minis, what an excellent idea!!!!! Never thought of that. I usually just kind of run the tip of my needle (not too hard) along the seam so the tip rakes out any stuck hairs.... fur on minis is never hard to get out... My seams are easily and quickly done with the needle technique
Kimberly W.
Posts: 8,574Hey the toothbrush idea is great! Thanks Kim.
I did the muzzel and feet pads by hand so that I could control the amount of fur caught in the seams....will see how it goes.....am going for a "Cousin It" kind of fur things, but will have a good face.
Hmmmm that's rather opinionated.... I hope to have a good face... 
Wild Thyme OriginalsA nice stiff toothbrush works really well for me on upholstery velvet or vintage rayon, or any other mini fabric, especially when it has a flocked fur and you want to be careful not to damage it. I also have a wire golf club cleaning brush that works great on more sturdy fabrics. On mohair I like to use one of those "pin cushion" cat brushes. Cheap and easy to find at the local drug store!
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
Kim-Bee BearsOOHHH i never thought of the cat brush thing... i have a wire brush for my doggies I still will use my finger brush for seams and areas where I need to be careful (around the facial features) but for the body that would be perfect! There are so many things you can use old toothbrushes for... this is a good idea, never thought of it! 
My dear Kim, 
If you're anal retentive then so am I. I sheer 1/4" from the seam edge of the fur before I sew, pick from the inside, brush the outside before stuffing and then check for tucked in strays after stuffing. I use a super tiny stitch when I machine sew my bear parts. To try pulling the hair out of the seams after sewing for me would be an effort in madness!!
Hugs, :hug:
Aleta
Back Road BearsI wish we could get all of our bears and their seams together and inspect to see if one technique has a different, I'll say it, BETTER, result than another.
In the end my seams are tight and no fur is trapped in them. Yet I don't cut the fur in my seam allowance except head and ears and I don't pick inside and outside and in between. I'd really like to compare my K.I.S.S technique to everyone else's. Perhaps I should be doing this differently and don't even realize?!
KIRSTEN... are you there? I have one of your bears..... how do you do it?
Past Time BearsI'm not sure one way is better than another . . . as long as the fur gets picked out of the seams, I say whatever works! Since I make mostly larger bears with longer fur, I do as many of you and push the fur back from where I'm sewing. I use my awl to do this as I sew; then, after turning the pieces right side out, I inspect the seams to see if any fur has been caught . . . if so, I use my awl to pull it out. I will inspect again after I stuff to see if I missed any. That is my FINAL inspection!
Wild Thyme OriginalsDaphne,
I think that this is one of those "there is no right way as long as it gets done" kinda things. There are some pile lengths/bear sizes that I really feel like I don't have to mess too much with at all, and others that I find need serious picking over inside & out. Plus, I really think that sometimes it's the density, curl, etc... of the fur. I've seen bears before with just bunches of excess hair kinda "tuffed out" at the seams....(NEVER ONE OF YOURS LOVE!) Sometimes you see bears that look like they have no seams at all, some have a more traditional "teddyish" look, with sorta visable seams where you'd expect them.... other bears, the seams are part of the look... they are darkened and accentuated! That's one of the truly lovely things about artist bears, lots of variety, lots of ways to do things, and very few wrongs or rights... just so many ways to do things... one is bound to suit you!
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
Back Road BearsWell, I know there is no right or wrong... just 'different' but sometimes different is better. I HATE seeing fur in seams if it's not part of the 'look'. So I'm picky about that.
So, Shantell, when you get Riley, check out his seams. He's got matted fur so it won't be as noticable if he does but none the less.....
Daphne
Kim-Bee BearsLOL I am picky about fur fuzz too! If anyone sends me a bear, make sure the seams are picked out, if not, I will do it! LMAO I am picky about that, dunno why! :doh: HA
By the way, Daphne, love the new avatar bear! 
Can try this,
Working with long mohair,on a big bear, take a body part and with a tacking stitch on your sewing machine tack around the edge, about 1/2" in from the cutting line and tack down the mohair, so that when you sew the two body parts together , the long mohair is neatly tacked out of the way.When you are finished, turn the part, the right way , remove the tacking stitch and you should have a bulk free seam.Then carry on jointing and filling.
This is tedious, but it will give you a very smooth seam, and with long hair being more expensive it is worth it in the end. Hope you can understand what I mean.
Also trimming the edges will make for smoother seams, but this takes time, but I will always do this for the head and paw pads and on competition bears. Even with trimming, I will still do the below step to comb out any trapped fur.
I have a cat? dog? metal long tooth comb, and I use this to comb out the seams after sewing on the wrong side, and before stuffing to catch any trapped fur. I then repeat this on the right side. This makes for a smoother seam. This works the best so far for me, except watch out for fabric that frays, in this case use fray check on the seams. Otherwise an awl will also work before stuffing. Again with the awl, I remove trapped fur on both sides of the stitching. Once your bear is fully stuffed you can again check it for trapped fur, some how, I can check a bear over and over and yet I can still miss a place 
Of course with stitching either by hand or machine, pushing the fur out of they way also helps as you stitch, but you will still get some fur caught up, especially if it is a longer mohair.
All I have learnt is that my short cuts have turned out to be LONG EXPENSIVE SHORT CUTS as I have to unpick and redo, so if I am a PROFESSIONAL then I am the BEST PROFESSIONAL UNPICKER
Lynette
Apple Dumpling DesignsInteresting topic...funny thing is I was picking seams before I even knew I should be. I do what Shelli and Kim Basta do. I go over my bear several times because it seems that no matter how careful I am I still find some little wisp somewhere that I missed. I use my 4 inch doll needle and sometimes my awl depending on my mood. I also use a pincushion type brush like you can use on your dog or cat but this one happens to be a doll brush to do an all over grooming.
I actually unstuffed a limb once because I didn't like they way it looked and repicked on the inside.
Pickin' and a grinnin'...
Flying Fur StudiosI actually unstuffed a limb once because I didn't like they way it looked and repicked on the inside.
...
I've almost done that several times!!!!!! But alas, I'm just too lazy.
I do just as you ladies do, I also pick serveral times, as you guys are right, it's tough to get it perfect the 1st time
Kim I like to know that you notice if the seams aren't picked out. Sometimes, as I'm picking I wonder if anyone is ever going to notice.
Wild Thyme OriginalsAll this talk of picking fur out of the seams has reminded me of that funny, funny song.... I think it's in the musical "The Music Man," isn't it!?
I know it's a bunch of women singing it, and it has to do with the sounds of gossiping or something..... Anyone know more about it than me!?
"Pick a little, talk a little,
Pick a little, talk a little,
Cheep, cheep, cheep, talk a lot
Pick a Little More!"
My Mom used to sing it to me and it always made me laugh!
I can just imagine a group of us in the same room, pickin' and talkin', and singing!!! Would that be a riot or what!
I'm an obsessive "picker." "Picking" is one of the few bear related activities that I do while sitting in the same room with him... while watching TV, and he always says, "Are you still picking at that bear!?" I think he's always slighted annoyed when I am being semi-productive while is trying to vegetate!
Beary truly yours,
Kim Basta
Wild Thyme Originals
