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BatFinch BearsHi there 
I have a few questions about a few different types of unfinished bears;
1. How many times have you had a bear that for some reason or another you just can't finish it?
I think I have two lingering around and every time I think "I should finish those" it just never gets done! I can't decide what's stopping me from finishing them? coincidentally they are of the same mohair? Maybe I just don't like it? Who knows!
2. Do you ever have bears you're making that you're really pleased with and so you become increasingly 'scared' of making a big mistake and ruining the poor thing?
I think this one's a big one for me, I always get really scared of ruining bears. I'm still fairly new to this (only have around 15 bears under my belt) and well I really don't like to waste things, especially good things! It's so heartbreaking when you're doing something like trimming the muzzle area and you accidentally snip a bit too much off, because it's not like you can sellotape it back on!
3. How do you make those "big" decisions with bears that you think are going really well. eg overcome the fear of choosing "wrong" etc
I guess what I'm asking for is a little moral support so I know I'm not the only one out there who is silly! 
and some advice to get around my sillyness!
Emily x
Sacred Bear Studioshiya! no, you're not the only one.....
1- not often, but I have been "working" on this guy for 3 years......
the painting turned out to be far more laborious than I thought, and I still have 2 more color layers to go.....maybe someday.
2-EVERY TIME!
3-I really don't, I just go with gut feeling, if I mess up I just dissasemble and start again. It inevitably happens sooner or later, so no point in worrying too much over it.
If you just relax and resign yourself to the occasional mistake, you'll do a better job in the first place, so no worries!
Chaska, MinnesotaWell I have several unfinished bears. I don't get a chance to work on my bears continuously, only when I get time. So what happens is that I forget about them or I get side tracked with starting another bear that seems more exciting to make. Sadly the later happens more often then not. So with that said, I hang my head in shame with those poor unfinished bears in my storage room collecting dust. Maybe someday, I will get around to finishing them.
Posts: 233Emily like you I am quite new to making bears and yes I've got at the moment 2 body less ones !! I am always petrified when I first start on one and I can honestly say there is only one bear out of eight that I'm anywhere near satisfied with!
I think the problem is that I know what I want to achieve but as yet , haven't managed it !! Expectation higher than talent being the problem!
However we must carry on until we feel more confident and I'm sure things will become easier ... I seriously hope so!
Copi Khatz CreationsHi Emily,
This is a really interesting topic, I'm glad you posted it. In answer to your questions:
1. I always have several bears on the go. If the 'magic' is just not happening, I store the bear away for a while and come back to it later. Quite amazingly, I have had a few bears that frustrated me for what seemed like ages, and then came good in the end. It's like they have a personality all their own, the temperamental little things - !
2. I had this problem more when I first started, and have got more confident only with time. When I began making bears (around 18 months ago) I would use the cheaper Helmbold value range, so that I wouldn't feel too bad if I made a mess of things. I found it took me ages to pluck up the courage to use more expensive fabrics! Another strategy that helped me (and that I still use) was to make a rough draft in cheap cotton fabric of any new design. I think they call this a "toile" in the rag trade. You have to imagine the fur over the top, but it does give you an idea of proportion. With other techniques such as shading, I do a test run on some spare fur. I have heard that some people use cheap bears for this, too. (The sort that you can pick up in a craft shop or pound store.)
3. With big decisions, I do a lot of sketches, and a few practice-runs (as above). My rule of thumb, though, is always to be bold - a mistake will teach me a lot, whereas always playing safe won't move me forward.
On the subject of mohair, some work for me a lot better than others, and I think you will find that you will get your favourites. I like a good, sturdy backing fabric. A few weeks ago I had to cut a bear to pieces because the backing fabric was so loosely woven that it couldn't support the jointing and everything went haywire... 
That was my biggest disaster so far.
I think that bear making is quite an intuitive activity - some bears seem to just make themselves, others are frustrating, and others assert themselves so forcefully that they end up being a completely different bear to the one I had planned! Good luck with your creating.
Best wishes,
Claire.
BatFinch BearsThanks for all of your advice and support!
I usually have 1-3 bears on the go, and eventually after getting all nervous and silly about ruining some of the bears I tend to just suck it up and get at it. I haven't had any -too- disastrous results yet. But I just wondered how other people dealt with the worry! One of the major things that always gets me are noses, I've to resign to the fact they'll never be neat whilst I do them, but hey it gives them some personality!
By reading you guys' responses it's made me think about how some of my bears work out in the end, and I agree with Claire on the point that some bears are definitely very "ready" to be made and just flow and end up exactly how you pictured them, whilst others are much slower to be realised or are dramatically different than expected. i think this is one of the things that I love so much about making bears. You can work for hours on a creation getting slight hints at what the end result might look like, but only near the very end do you get to see the personality start coming to life
I also definitely think it's the high expectations and goals I set myself, and the fear of not meeting them too! Confidence - we need to have confidence in ourselves and let the mistakes be a learning experience, and also let them be a part of the bears personality! (I think I'm having a much more positive day about mistakes and the trying thing, I shall try to keep up this attitude)
It's definitely helped to hear about other bear makers who have struggled with this too you just see all these people making wonderful creations and don't get to see all their hard work!
Emily x
Copi Khatz CreationsHi Emily,
Just checked out your Blog - I think that George is really charming. 
I look forward to seeing your other bears.
Kind regards,
Claire.
BatFinch BearsClaire, thanks a lot for your kind words. 
I am slowly taking photos and writing posts for each of my bears - I'm finding it much more difficult/time consuming than I thought! Though again, with everything practise makes perfect.
I am also biting the bullet and sewing my current bears ears on after too long deliberating where to put them!
Emily x
Miser BearsI just read your blog Emily, Im at about the same stage as you! What started as a small corner of a desk has now taken over the kitchen table completely.
DallyMay TeddiesHi everyone
I usually have about six bears on the go but I wish I could get into my head to start one bear at a time and finish it.
Coraleen 
BatFinch BearsArgh so the bear that inspired me to write this post is at it again, but this time it's the nose instead of the ears. ARGH! It's gone wrong once already and I had to cut the nose thread off. Silly silly thingsss, now I don't wanna try again in case it goes wrong because everytime I do it the material will get weaker 
buuu
Why don't you try a different technique? You might try doing a polymer clay nose. Or a needle felted one.
I remember that my first needle felted face I did on a bear was because I was having so many problems trying to do the mouth like I wanted it to be that in the end the fabric was too filled with holes. So I thought....it is ruined anyways, so why don't I try that new technique I never had the courage to try before! It came out really wellMaybe your bear is trying to tell you something!
Sacred Bear StudiosI agree with Francesca.....it's a clear invitation to experiment. I got exasperated with embroidered noses myself, so I experimented with inset leather/vinyl noses and found I love those much more.
If the fabric's still in decent shape, Francesca's idea of the poly clay (I use Sculpy III usually for stuff like that) would be great, or you could try doing an appliqued leather nose....just make a "cone" of leather, fold it over on itself, and that will make the shape of a simple nose, then you can just stitch it to the surface of his muzzle.
Miser BearsI had ridiculous trouble with Toby's nose, I ended up doubling up the thread and doing it that way. Maybe i should try a different nose technique too
BatFinch BearsThis is the offender bear -
At the moment I've just shaded the area I want the nose to roughly go, (the nose's end result should be a little larger).
Thank you for your suggestions I was going to try doing a polymer clay nose as an experiment(I even bought a small block of fimo today ). But I think I would still like this bear to have an embroidered nose at the end. Maybe I will try the polymer nose for this bear either way!
I will get there, I haven't ruined a bear past "saving" yet, so in theory it should be ok! I was just venting my frustration with the post before (It helps to have a vent to people who understand a little better about why noses are so frustrating)
Miser Bearshehe he looks like a cheeky one! Maybe he is sabotaging your efforts
Oh he's adorable! Even if you put him aside for a while, then come back when you feel refreshed, I'm sure he will come out great!
That's going to be a cute bear! Persevere it will pay off
When I had that problem, I cut a piece of felt to cover the nose area and then used the pearl cotton thread over that. Turned out great!
BatFinch BearsThanks for all your lovely words! I have tried making a polymer nose, though I think it's a little too big - I have to go to work now, but I will update with a picture later on and see what you guys think!
Miser BearsCant wait to see how he is coming along 
He's such a cute bear! Good luck with the nose!
BatFinch BearsI made a blog post about trying the polymer nose out!
but here's a pic of the bear "trying on" his nose
Miser Bearshe looks great 
Sacred Bear Studiosoh wow, that looks perfect! he looks like trouble ^__^
