Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Going slightly OT here - have any of you thought about this - and made any 'Living Will Provisions' for this?

What is going to happen to all of your STUFF... Your Stashes after you're gone?

We talked about this quite a bit about 7 or 8 years ago in the mini world.
I realized about a year ago that most of those ppl who I'd delegated to be on my ~ CALL THESE PPL IMMEDIATELY AFTER MY LAST BREATH List ~ are no longer in the bear world and it needs updating.

Seriously - what IS going to happen to your Treasured Goodies?

I Collect Collections!
I've sort of indicated who I think in my family should receive some of them, based on what type of personality they have (kids & grandies) I've begun gleaning out now so my DD & DILs won't have such an overwhelming job, depending on which of us goes first - me or my DH.
I KNOW Don will probably call in a dumpster before calling in the Dr or funeral home for me.
Our oldest, ever a practical boy, says "Dumpster? - Heck no, I've got a Bic. (lighter)"

Katy, that's a great idea!
Would you be interested in some ideas for some simple costuming/dressing ideas that take very little actual sewing, like seaming and finishing?

I wrote a clothing line series last year for a group for miniatures like this and the ideas could be easily adapted to any size. I'm involved for the next month in bear work however; if you can send me your address off list I'll be happy to mail you print copies, which I'll print off after the middle of June. I'm sure your sewing circle might like these too, as they're easily adaptable to doll clothes or whatever.

As you're way over in Scotland, please just ask them not to offer my trademarked pattern work anywhere for sale! You're free to use the items in anyway, just don't sell the patterns.

Absolutely! It's the greatest ice-breaker!
I had an absolutely STELLAR moment yesterday - we're here visiting in AZ (see you Thursday, J, J & A!) and Don's camera quit.
He researched a new one and decided to get one at the Best Buy near where we'll meet: I took along a couple of in-progress pcs so I could check on the macro capabilities, then needle on them during the drive - - and if he decided he had other browsing to do in the store.

I was focusing down to an inch & a half on one grizzly and the sales girl came up to us, asking "Oh, do you make these needle felted bears?"

I about fell over!
I've never known a complete stranger to recognize this genre. She recommended I put them on etsy if I didn't have another outlet, as she sees & buys the BEST Artist OOAK work there. I did tell her these weren't $20 beanie-baby types and she replied "Oh I knew that. And I've seen handmade leather belt and purses there for well over a thousand $$$$... so yours would not be out of place there."

It was so nice to find that someone outside your usual circle of friends is becoming aware of a relatively new fiber art format!
One of the largest Fiber Art Shows agents in the Northern Illinois area host a series of DIIP (Do-It-In-Public) spots in coffee-houses, bookstores, etc... throughout the year, where everyone is free to drop in on the chosen day/night/Sat/Sun and bring their spinning/knitting/weaving/embroidery/lucet/tatting/bear-work/feltwork  — anything involving textiles and it really makes others aware that these aren't little old granny crafts but that their alive and thriving!

I used to look around huge arenas as we attended concerts or sports events and think "Gosh, if some ppl were to start just a few rows of a scarf or simple sweater and pass it on, and everyone worked just a few more sts or a few more rows before passing it on again, there would be a continuous supply of snuggy warm hats/scarves/sweaters for those in need and it would cost the rest of us nothing but a few minutes of our time... by the time the event is over we could have produced up to 50 items, while we were doing nothing anyway!"
Too Polly-anish? Oh well - I still think it could work....it just hasn't been implemented yet.

We're so Lucky to have 'busy' work that travels easily in a purse or pocket!

Off Topic!!

Great for Sarah - you look like Best Buds - Good Luck on your campaign. And is that to turn her into a Bear creator or Collector?  - 

I just noticed your business name and loved how you worked your initials (I'm assuming) into it - very clever!

I like alliteration myself, I named the printing/publishing portion of my business  -
TB³ of RKR4CDS

The title of the first book on bearmaking (minis) was Tried & True Tips for Better Bear-Making so it was a double T & B combination that lead me to the branding of using the 'TB³ of RKR4CDS©' when I write anything.

I still use this on the cover of ever pattern:

    To       Be
    The     Best
  +Teddy Bear
              TB³

It's really fun to play with words and names. Before I used titles for my bears, which I do now, I used maps and the dictionary to name my bears!
hggzzz
B

You are Welcome - and I too haven't been here for several weeks due to my workload, but had a few minutes while waiting for my printer to finish a job so I decided to pop in!!  It must have been your telepathy that was nudging me.

The mattress st comes from my knitting background, so I cannot take credit for it. But I have gathered several sources in the past year, from my links to the sheep/yarn/fiber/knitting word, who curiously enough, have all had occasion to post information about seaming and they all gave photographs or drawings of the Mattress Stitch, and ALL showed it as I do it - going back across into the same hole on the opposite side you exited from and then up under 2 threads (only one when beginning and ending) and across to the other side, to enter the same hole you last exited from on that side.

The seaming thread forms a Z rather than an H. In the print/publishing world, the way that the Mattress St is being taught would be called a factoid: an assumption or speculation that is reported and repeated so often that it becomes accepted as fact.  In this case, the current method for teaching the Mattress St actually creates puckers unless one takes very short sts forward because the impulse is to run the needle further forward with each stitch than would be beneficial.

And may I ask who is the sweet-faced girl in your avatar with you, Richard? The rest of us are always curious about seeing who we are in our pix!!

hggzzz!

Excellent suggestion, Carolyn!
Like you, there are at least 3 reasons why I also like to put my closures at the top of the miniature limbs:
- stuffing
- jointing
- ease of closing
Stuffing: pushing the stuffing down into a column and continuing to tamp it down as you stuff is much easier to control and get it evenly/firmly stuffed (especially in the area of narrow ankles) than it is to stuff when the limb is shaped like what I always thought of as a 'canoe' - higher at both ends and lower in the middle, where most pattern designers placed the closing spots. I always had a difficult time getting the seam closed on the back of very firmly stuffed legs because it was difficult to get the needle tip to emerge back out of the fabric again. Some designers even placed their openings along the front edges (in the area of the 'knee') then the foot was in the way while try to sew!
With standard back openings you then had to keep both top and bottom ends back in place while adding a bit more stuffing at that center point and sew the seam closed, all in a very awkward place - compared to using another choice.

Jointing: when the opening is along the back of the limb it's quite awkward to insert the washer and pin into the exact spot to get the washer right up against the seam. The dot which marked the cotter pin insertion point is now hidden up inside a sewn top-of-the-limb and after sliding the washer up in place, holding it there while you also insert an awl or large needle to spread the fabric - - well it truly is a shot-in-the-dark.
When you switch the seam closure to the top of the limb you can stuff to the place the washer is inserted, slide it into position, actually SEE the spot to insert the awl and cotter pin because you can see whether or not the washer is lined up with the curve of the top edge. Finish inserting the joint, Stuff as much as needed and sew closed, adding a bit more stuffing as needed.

Ease of Closing-
On tiny seams like the top of a miniature limb, using the short, straight needle and trying to get it to go in and out of the straight section of the closing seamline along the back of the leg is much more difficult than around the top of the curve, where the needle tip emerges from the fabric immediately and automatically upon pushing through each stitch.
Just before pulling each stitch snug, the seam allowances are eased down inside with another needle or a finger nail.

Hi Richard, Please do sew together the first head! Sometimes that's the most serendipitous occurrence! It could turn out to be magnificent and more beautiful than the second one that you've cut out.

And for nothing else if it doesn't work out, heads like this as well as every other rejected head, are fabulous for testing techniques that you want to try out but are afraid to do on any current work for fear of ruining it — — practice them on a real head like this!

It's sure not advise, Debora! I'm just not for making more work for myself when another option is just as viable.

My thinking is (and I cannot see the rest of the ted, but I'd consider this) - these would be brand new paws.
Is the rest of the ted in a brand-new condition? So--would their new condition 'match' the rest of the bear?

If not, wouldn't new paw paws with-tiny-little-blanket-stitching-all-the-way-around give it a bit of a quilt/vintage look, which would better match the aged look of the bear?

So you can see that I wasn't just being lazy; I did have reason behind my technique choice!

OT -

Yes, I DID!!   How fascinating, Debora!  And you're a most talented writer: you speak from the heart, which always makes the words shine!
I love your whole story; I was away from TT for great periods of the past 18 months, too, and find this wonderful chapter when I return. How joyous - and in my favorite State. I envy your DDs, now growing up in CO, and am so happy they have each other, and you and Garth. Blessed Family...

OK, back 'On Topic' now!
One good point about padding over the original paws is that they've survived the drag-around-toddler-drooley-stages to this point and are more likely to be treated less roughly in the future (13 yo now you said?) so the original paws underneath, while not completely undermined yet, would serve as 'underlining' and help reinforce the additional layer.
I myself would opt for 'not fixing what ain't broke'. (yet - - -meaning completely removing and replacing, which means opening seams, unstuffing said arms, unpicking paws, re-stitching new paw pads and re-assembly)
Some wouldn't do it any other way- some would wait and see [fingers crossed], some would head off the inevitable this way.
I guess it depends on a personality-type!

Well, See?? Cat, you were meant to be doing this!! 4 years - Kismet - and Serendipitous - 

Oh my Goodness! I never heard about him until today - the reviews of this 4 yo book are Wonderful!!
http://www.katedicamillo.com/books/edward.html
I must get a copy for myself, too.
Here are a few if you're not convinced - the covers alone should do it tho.....
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane - 2006
       
http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-re … ard-tulane

http://www.amazon.ca/Miraculous-Journey … 0307245934
(Look at the sweet pic on the cover!)
Book SummaryReviewed byMatt Berman

Edward Tulane is a three-foot tall toy rabbit, beautifully made, with a wardrobe of exquisite clothes. Like any toy, he cannot move or talk, but he can think. And despite being loved by a little girl, Abilene, he doesn't love anyone but himself.
Abilene's mysterious grandmother tells them a story of a princess who cannot love, and she whispers to Edward, "You disappoint me." Soon after, while on a cruise ship, Edward is thrown overboard by some mean boys, thus beginning an odyssey that carries him through many years to different owners, through humiliation and damage and pain, but enables him gradually to open his heart to others.

This lovely, lyrical, almost Dickensian tale is certainly a classic in the making. How is it that, at a time when so many authors don't seem to be able to get their readers emotionally involved with their human characters, Kate DiCamillo can have her readers breathless and weeping over a toy rabbit that can neither move nor talk? This is the author's secret, and the key to why this book should last long after others have faded away.
Yes, it is at times mawkish and overwrought: The stunning cruelty of the world to a little boy named Bryce, for instance, left unresolved by the author, borders on being too much. But by that time, even jaded readers won't mind -- they'll be too swept up in the rich and powerful story, enhanced by the gorgeous drawings and paintings by Ibatoulline. The whole volume, in fact, is a treat, printed in perfectly sized type with plenty of white space on creamy paper -- a beautiful edition well worth the slightly higher hardcover price. Don't miss sharing this near-perfect bedtime book with your middle-graders, and don't be surprised if you find your older kids listening in at the doorway.

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6–Edward Tulane, a china rabbit, is the main character in this thoughtful tale by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick, 2006). Edward is dearly loved by a young girl named Abilene. One day he is lost over the side of a boat. His journey leads him to a older couple who dress him like a girl rabbit, a hobo and his dog, a young girl and her brother and, finally, to a doll shop. Along the way, Edward learns to love the people he encounters. He also learns that family members can be cruel to one another; that hobos have family that they love dearly and don't want to forget; that no matter how much you love someone, she may still die; and that no matter what happens in life, never give up on love. Tony Award-winner Judith Ivey infuses each character that Edward encounters with a unique accent and aura, and accurately portrays their emotions. A beautifully crafted telling.–Veronica Schwartz, Des Plaines Public Library, IL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From AudioFile
Newbery Award winner Kate DiCamillo constructs an old-fashioned story about a vain and selfish china rabbit who learns the value (and price) of love. Edward's journey is difficult--and even horrifying, as when he sinks to the ocean floor--but Judith Ivey's steady and compassionate narration makes one confident that everything will turn out all right in the end. And Ivey's skillful accent changes, from a New England fisherman and his wife to a Southern hobo and his dog, help communicate Edward's physical travels across the country better even than the text does. However, listeners may want to seek out the print book to see Bagram Ibatoulline's evocative illustrations, which are not included with the audio packaging. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Couldn't you Blanket St new, matched pads on top of the originals by hand, catching both a bit of the mohair fabric and a bit of the ultra suede along the seamlines, for assurance?

Ultrasuede® used to wear like iron (unless it's the Facile line and in a skirt or coat worn/sat in often) so I'm wondering - - did you treat with Kool-Ade or any other chemical?
Perhaps the more recent Ultrasuede®, in order to make the Hand more pliable than the original from the 70s or thereabouts, has lost that inner strength???

Oh oh, how could I have forgotten the Mouse Hole, too!! You are SOOO talented that way, too! We all LOVED that!

I can hardly wait until we see what you'll do in your Forever Home - I know that you'll eventually have one.

hggzzz

PS - is yours the 'Bear Bottoms' large bear on eBay right now? I always think of you as a miniaturist. That's one VERY nice (baby/cub) polar bear!

This might make a difference, whether it's for a mini or a standard ted - I'm a miniaturist: stuff head to almost completely finished, sculpt eye sockets & any other needle sculpting for muzzle.
Do the shading now as you cannot get in under nose and eye areas evenly later.

Insert Eyes.
Place the last bit of stuffing in, adjusting for any offset from pulling up with the eye tying-off threads in the open neck.
Insert disk assembly & close Neck.
Attach to Body.
After finishing body & limbs, go back to stitch Nose/Mouth, then attach Ears.

The Nose and Ears are usually so small that I need the Body in place to give me something to hold onto while stitching!

Here're a few cute links - I'm just drawn to Polar stories....

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthp … a-Zoo.html
or -
http://tinyurl.com/yeptv4v

there are 12 pix - I lv the underwater ones - #6 & 12!!!

You're welcome Kimberly. It just made more sense to me than all of the teachers I had in bear-making classes who insisted that the pile be pushed down inside the seams... and their bears always showed stubble.. so I just kept my big mouth shut and followed my own path.
Don't even get me started on my own personal journey of teaching the correct Mattress St, as comes from the Sewing/Knitting/Other Textiles world!!!!

say - didn't you used to live in my neighboring IN?? When did this NC move happen? Am I ever behind the times!! Was it before or after that AMAZING custom Star Wars painting job you did!!??!!
And you'd just gotten the kids' rooms so nice, too. Now you've started all over again...LOL?!

hugzzz
B

One last point—Kimberly, you mentioned thick fur. If you truly want to keep the fur out of the seams when you trim the pile in finishing your bear, especially in places where it will show, try this experiment.
You could create a practice muzzle/head if you feel you have the time or just make a 3-gored ball shape.

On one seam of the ball PUSH all of the nap back into the inside as you stitch the seam together and then st the sram in your normal manner.
On the second seam, PULL as much of the pile out of the seam from the area near the seamline - depending on the size of your bear, from 1/4" in on a mini up to an inch in for a full sized bear, (this is assuming that you're using a regular length of nap up to about 3/$" to practice and not a Mongolian Plate!) - then stitch over this fur with your regular stitching.

On the 3rd seam, if you have anything more than the fabric for a mini (like the usual upholstery fabrics that're used) trim the nap uoo most of the seam allowance and then PULL the rest up through the seam while stitching over them.

Turn the ball right side out. Partially stuff the ball.

Now with the finger tip brush and a dulled/ball-tip needle if that help, brush the fibers back up out of the seam and pull them to the right side of the fabric. Finish stuffing the ball very firmly as you brush and lift the fibers - mark the seams 1, 2 & 3 if needed.

The fibers that are ROOTED on the outside of your bear are now fluffed and in place on the bear's outside.
Any that're rooted in the seam allowance are down inside the bear where they belong!

There will never be any of that short stubble showing along the seam line, especially in the nose-to-eye line where it's most obvious and where there is No way to eliminate them, even with the sharpest scissors or pointiest tweezers.

Also, sewing over thick fur, no matter which way you are later going to pull the nap-towards the inside or the outside-is going to create looser stitches once the fibers have been pulled out of them.
Trimming most of them out of the way if they're thick or long and pulling them through the seam line, toward the inside (eventual stuffing area) to begin with, makes for clean seams and tight stitching.

Too bad everyone doesn't live in the Netherlands - I get the fastest shipping there from the Midwest!
My latest was a pkg shipped last Sat arrived there on Tues. It's always that fast....

Hi flowersm - I love the fact that you started with miniatures for NFing - not the easiest to do but you handled it wonderfully, especially keping those stray hairs from the black nose under control - Good Job!

From the pic in your avatar, I see that you're already used to removing the fiber from the backing in certain areas. That's all you have to do to prepare your 'canvas' for needling on your paw & foot pads.
Romney and Rambouillet are very nice fibers to begin with but it depends on the size of your project. If you're doing these paw pads on miniatures, you'll have an easier time of it if you use some of the breeds with shorter fibers.
And if you don't need the fibers to stand up on their own, as a 3-D sculpture would need to do (a whole teddy bear or puppy) even the quite soft fibers like Cormo and Finn will work and they are usually between 3" and 4" long, perfect for this job.
Any fiber classed as a Downs breed will needle up most quickly due to its curl structure but will always remain sort of spongy no matter how long you needle it. It's just like that.

Reading about the different breeds and writing away for samples or purchasing small amounts (less than 4 ounces is usually a basic minimum purchase and it's more than enough for several minis!) will give you much experience about the difference between the many different breeds available and you'll soon have many choices in your stash, ready for whatever project you design and create!

Whatever you do, please always ask for your fiber by breed name; don't just buy 'Wool'. Or Roving. Or Batt.
You'll never be able to find that fiber again if you do like it and you'll never be able to avoid it if you hate it!!

Eileen nailed this one: a stabbing backstitch is especially important with slippery materials and in miniatures.

Instead of doing a 'running' back stitch, which you would enter and exit the fabric in one motion before you pull the needle and thread through the fabric, (which almost necessitates an angled slant to the needle) with a stabbing back stitch, you push it down through the fabric (one layer or multiple layers) at a 90° angle and pull it through then move over that tiny space/length and push the needle back up at 90°.

You'll notice the same application of stitch directions being given for Needlepoint: unless the needle is manipulated this way, the canvas becomes diagonally warped by the tension that the threads put on it and it's almost impossible to block it straight again.

Here're a few links that describe it in terms of other needlework:
http://www.vintagesewing.info/1920s/28-mhd/mhd-02.html  - (LV this one!)
http://crossstitch.about.com/od/learnho … tabsew.htm
http://wiki.allpeoplequilt.com/page/Stab+stitch
Good ole Google -
http://www.google.com/search?client=saf … 8&oe=UTF-8

So, you've seen this in English, Cyndee? On Public TV? on a rented DVD? where can I see it... was it recently?
I just became aware of it today. It has such great close-up shots of their bodies and faces; what great material for a realistic bear designer..
Thx all - B

I'd lv to see the whole film, Maria; can you give me more info on the title/source/etc?? TIA!

From another list -

http://www.flixxy.com/game-of-survival.htm

Film Review: Story-telling doesn't get much purer than this--a short clip from a film with virtually no dialogue and not a minute that isn't fascinating, either for the plot it pursues or the way director Jean-Jacques Annaud gets his ursine stars to do what he wants. The story deals with a young cub who, after his mother is killed in a landslide, bonds to a lumbering male Kodiak. The two of them then must cope with an invasion of hunters into their territory--and Annaud makes it clear whose side he's on. Aside from stunning scenery, the film offers startlingly close-up looks at bear behavior. They say the best actors are the ones that let you see what they're thinking, a trick Annaud manages with his big, furry stars. --Marshall Fine
The Bear has all the marks of a classic. Lauded by animal rights groups for its respect for the integrity of all species, it manages to speak out eloquently against the senseless hunting of wildlife without having to depict killing to make its point. Instead, it emphasizes the ties that bind the human and animal worlds together. --Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Whew! A happy ending! In this contentious world - - I was holding my breath as I began to read your post, thinking that it was going to take an ugly turn... that she was going to ask you to please stop using 'her' name in a commercial manner.

I'm so happy to hear that she's pleased to hear that she likes the association with our wonderful world of bears! Perhaps you can 'dedicate' one design to her as a namesake and bond her more closely, assuring that she'll continue to stay in the Sarian Camp!

I can just smell that wonderful skin and feel it too, just by looking at his pix - how wonderful to be able to hold that precious bundle!
hggzzz!