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AlabamaHi there!
I'm new to the forum and I'll try to post an intro later. I was hoping that someone on here could give me some advice about what size joints to get and point me in the direction of where to order them? I'd prefer to get a kit with set or tap screws (or really anything other than cotter pins), but I can find my own hardware if needed.
I'm making the 30" bear out of the Simplicity 3787 teddy bear pattern and it calls for 4 7/8" joints. However, when I measured the pattern pieces for the head, arm and leg end covers for the joints they were: arm 4", leg 4.75" and the head was 4.5" (not including the seam allowance). I checked because the last time I made the 25" version of this bear I remember the joint discs not fitting those places very precisely, but it was literally my very first sewing project (first time even using a sewing machine) and I just assumed that I had done something wrong or my piecing wasn't accurate enough.
What size joints do I really need to get? A friend saw the original bear (named Hydro) and commissioned me to make one for her upcoming grandbaby, so I would like to have a neater/tidier finish than Hydro's joints. I used cotter pins on him and never got them as tight as I would have liked, so the joint cover fabric shows more than it probably would have had I used some sort of screw type hardware.
In the past I have ordered from Edinburgh Imports, but I don't see any joint discs or kits larger than 4" from them. I'm located the US, so if possible a US vendor would be better just for costs.
If it helps at all, here is a link to a picture of the pattern:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/117232052/s … ref=market
And here is a picture of Hydro (the one I made):
Thanks so much!
Katherine
Welcome, Katherine!
I think you'll have a hard time finding joints any larger than 4", but besides the supplier you already know about, you could try Intercal Mohair (our site sponsor; I'm assuming you're in the USA).
From your measurements, it sounds as if 4 7/8" (if that existed) would be too large - especially once you consider the seam allowances. My advice is to sew up the bear and then measure the joint size you'll be needing. (For the arms and legs, measure the tops of the inside-out limbs before you turn them. Remember to leave 1/4" or so of space between the disk and the seam.)
Let us know if this did or didn't answer your question, and good luck with your BIG bear! 
Becky
P.S. I'm sending you a private message.
AlabamaThank you so much Becky! That helps a lot! I wondered about the joints being too big as well. Those measurements were assuming I kept a perfect 1/4 seam allowance and as much as I would like to say I can do that, in reality that's just not the case. The fur this time isn't quite as thick as what I used last time, and I've upgraded my machine a few times since then, but I'm still likely to drift a bit in places.
I'm really looking forward to this though. I've been wanting to do a really big stuffed animal for a while lately, and I had forgotten that the first time I used this pattern I made the medium size and not the largest. I'd still like to make something even larger at some point, but maybe this will scratch that itch in the meantime.
I PM'ed you back. :)
-Katherine
I'm happy to help, and I hope the project goes well!
Becky
Posts: 1I am new to bear making and would like to know where to find the joint discs in the US.
Thanks so much for anyone's help.
Past Time BearsCGGreen: this is a link to the disks that our sponsor, Intercal, sells. They have both fiberboard and hardboard disks and are located in California. http://www.intercaltg.com/catalog/suppl … fiberboard
