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Posts: 7Hi every one can any one tell me is this a good idea to use faux suede for foot pads and hand pads instead of felt, is it just a matter of taste or is there a reason most patterns call for felt. I don’t like the idea of real suede from an ethical stand but I wanted something a little more special than felt, any ideas will be gratefully accepted
Wagga WaggaI use ultra suede all the time as I prefer the look. I think it is up to you what you want to use, there is no hard and fast rule.
Posts: 7Thank you so much for taking time to reply can I ask is ultra suede the same as faux suede and is it easy to hand so with
Wagga WaggaI think ultra suede is better quality than faux suede but not entirely sure. I find it very easy to work with.
I pretty much use ultra suede for all my bears and sometimes I will make the arms without a paw pad and use the actual fur for the foot pads as well. I will then add needle felted toes and paw pads. Just gives it a different look
Posts: 7Thank you so much for your ideas
Posts: 4Ultrasuede is a specific brand of faux suede, made from polyester. It can make wonderful paws, but in doing some repair work on a bear I made about 25 years ago, I discovered that it has become very weak and is disintegrating, even though the leftover fabric I made the paws from is fine. I filled the bear with plastic pellets, so I think that may be the problem. I am replacing the pellets with polyfil stuffing.
Ted Menten suggested using fusible interfacing on Ultrasuede in his book Teddy Bear Studio, so I am going to do that in the future. In the meantime, I am planning on using Solvy dissolved in water on the bear I am repairing, in hopes of stabilizing his feet. He was never played with, as I made him for myself.
Posts: 7fusible interfacing on Ultrasuede What a good idea thank you ?
Posts: 4Thanks! I am trying so hard to make the best bears possible, for family and friends, and I am so paranoid about messing them up that I do a ridiculous amount of research. This website has proven so useful, and I hope that there will be more activity in the future. Facebook is great, but this is so much more focused.
