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Posts: 10Here is Bouclé (the French word for curly)! <3 He is my first bear - it took awhile to make him will all of the curls! Let me know what you think of him and how I can improve! Also...How long does it take most people to make a bear? 
Thanks!
Lovely! And much better than my own first bear was! (Just don't tell that to her.) 
To your question, I think the amount of time people spend to make a bear varies widely. Larger bears take longer for me, and every detail (from perfectly embroidered noses to realistic claws) takes a lot of time. I'd estimate that I spend 40-50 hours on a bear, while we recently saw a video (in the General section) on a boy who can turn out a very cute critter in an hour!
Welcome to a wonderful handicraft!
Becky
Northern IrelandReally good first bear,love the curls 
that must have been tricky to sew.
I usually handsew bears between 20cm/10ins to 30cms/12ins and take around 40 hours to complete but machine stitching all or part of the bear would save some time.
I've only made a dozen or so teddy bears and have found the advice and tips shared by experienced bearmakers on this brilliant site helps me to improve my techniques.I find being accurate in cutting and sewing lines gives a better looking finish and I discipline myself not to take shortcuts.
Of course nothing beats practice,practice,practice to get better results and you've already made a great start.
Well done 
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Lovely bear, he is much better than my first bear
I hand sew every single part of my bears, so they tend to take me 2 - 3 days to make a bear depending on its size, and depending how much the fur needs trimming etc.
Well done on your first bear
What a wonderful first bear! So much character, and I'm so impressed you used white fur. I cannot for the life of me make a pure white bear, I'm terrified of adding colour and end up with a blank canvas so well done you!!!
When I started making bears they took me between 12-15 hours. They were pretty basic bears, and I cut a lot of corners without realising it. The more I read up on bear making and the more classes I attended, the more my techniques improved and I became very precise about the way my bears are made. Then I discovered needle felting, painting my own eyes, air brushing (now I'm working on pulled paws- who knows what's next!) so my bears take me ever longer and longer! I'm averaging 20-30 hours per bear these days.
I wish you well with your future bears! You're off to a great start
Posts: 10Thank you everyone for your very kind comments and advice! I think bear-making is something I will do for a long time I now working on my next bear and I might have photos ready tomorrow!
