Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Great cards! I hope mine arrived in time. I sent it off two weeks ago. Here is what it looks like. Not the best pic though. I was in a hurry to send it off.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TT!!!!  :cake:  :cake:  :cake:  :cake: Thank you Kjeld, Quy and all the Intercal crew! I love this place.  And thank you Dilu for organizing this.  :hug:

Very nice furs Kim. Are they very thick and difficult to sew? I'm asking, because I have seen faux fur with a faux leather backing that was quite thick.

Scott, your story is hilarious.    Thanks for sharing! It also reminds me of a movie with Michelle Pfeiffer and George Clooney, with the titel One Fine Day. In that movie Michelle Pfeiffer plays a single mom who has a fantastic purse with lots of useful stuff in it. Clooney asks her "Where did you get a bag like that?" and I wonder what the mom on your flight thought about you. Penny, know that movie? One of my favourites.

So sad      and so amazing. I don't know what to say.  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

Dear Judi, I missed that story, but I feel for you. How wonderful that sweet Luna gives you comfort at such a terrible time. Take care of yourself and your family      :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

Marion, you can needle sculpt the upper palate after the head is complete. Just use some strong thread, anchor in the muzzle, come out in the palate, go from the palate up through the muzzle, pulling the palate upwards. Try to enter into the same holes you come out of to make the stitches invisible from the outside. I think Nancy Tillberg explains that in her book 101 bears to make.

Lovely bears Kim! Thanks for the tip. Turns out, I have that function too, but not the neat layout you chose. The best I can come up with is this.

Hi Marion, this looks like a really nice new pattern. Love the toes and the bent arms. May I suggest you needle sculpt the upper palate a bit? It seems to be bulging down, but that may be the picture.

Shari, I love your style too and this bear's face is simply adorable. I had a look at the completed auction and for my personal taste his body is too skinny. Its not so obvious with his pants on, but without them it looks skinny. I prefer bears with big tummies or maybe the head looks too big in proportion to his body. That's just me, but you wanted an honest answer. I don't buy bears, because I prefer to make them and I could never afford your price, although I agree that a bear this size and quality should be worth that much.
Don't give up, perhaps the right person missed him. Try again. Particularly bid4bears is still small, but growing. Good luck  :hug:

I can't find setscrews in Intercal's catalogue. Am I blind? Can anyone give me the link please?

:hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:  :hug:                :hug:  :hug:  :hug:

Aww Tracy, I know you will miss them, but perhaps you can still enjoy being on your own and do all the things you can't do when the boys are with you? Just spoil yourself. :hug:  :hug:
The toy store is called Hamley's I think.  They got artist bears.

Love all your bears Jennie. Very original.  :hug:

In Germany, we used to pick holes in the top and bottom ends of hens eggs and blow the contents out (makes for headache and scrambled eggs  :D) and then we would paint the egg shells, put a piece of a matchstick with a string (sewing thread) into the top hole (the stick turns so that it blocks the hole) and hang these on twigs of Forsythia (bush with yellow flowers), cherry or other trees, which are standing in a vase with water. They bloom out and so we have flowers and eggs in vase. There are crafted eggs of other types, embroidered, victorian patchwork (styrolite eggs with fabric), manufactured eggs etc. We also put in fluffy chicks and other ornaments. I've made fabric chicks with feather tails. On the side board where I have my easter twigs, I also have sewn hens (tetraeder beanbags) and other home made decorations. Its a lot like Christmas I guess.

Here in Sweden people like birch twigs and ty colour dyed feathers to them.

We eat lots of chocolate eggs (too many actually) and easter cakes. I have a baking tin in the shape of a laying down lamb, 3-D, the tin is assembled of two halves and stands upside down in the oven.

As children we used to search for eggs and chocolate bunnies hidden by our parents.

Our easter lasts from Friday through Monday, with Sunday and Monday being the real Easter days.

Hi Jenn, do you know that we have been discussing a swap in July? The topic has the subject 'New swap for Mother's Day', but we changed it to July, because everybody was busy now. I want to make bears and I want to swap bears. Care packages aren't for me, sorry, but I hope you find others to do this swap with.

Sue Ann - I hate daylight savings time too. We did it last weekend and I have been tired and dizzy all week. Its only an hour, but I feel like being jetlaged.  Go figure.

Tomi, I use the same thread for nose and mouth. When I'm done with the mouth I come out at the top edge of the nose, then in again at the same point and out somewhere else at the nose edge. I go under the already embroidered nose, which has several layers of embroidery and do several stitches like that to lock my thread. Its just like I would finish off any embroidery, by going under the existing stitches a few times (on the back of an embroidery). I do this, because the thread is invisible in the nose. If I go back and forth through the muzzle to lock my thread I need to be really careful about using the same hole for in and out or I will leave a black stitch on the fabric. I can't get knots to lock well, so I do this. You could also go down to the neck and sew your thread locked there, particularly if your head is still open.

Hope this helps. Its difficult to explain. Not a very sophisticated technique really, but its what I do most of the time.

I love bats Penny! Why're you asking?

Kate. I am so jealous right now.  Not only don't I have a garden (just a balcony), but spring hasn't arrived yet at all. Winter was sooo long this year and there is still a lot of snow everywhere. It is sunny today, but snowed yesterday. No green anywhere, though single flowers have been reported from sheltered spots. I'm packing my bags to come stay with you until spring has arrived here    :hug:

Hi Tomi,
I don't make a knot at the end of a mouth. Instead I go back throught the muzzle into the nose, do a few stitches under the embroidery and cut off. It holds well that way. Knots should be pulled through the fabric into the stuffing, but I can't get mine to lock, so I do a few stitches back and forth without pulling, like under the nose embroidery or for claws, through the limb. Does that make sense?

I use colour pencils on crochet bears. You can use copic markers, but I find them too strong on crochet.

I love the first one too! Its cute and fuzzy.  :hug:  :hug: 

Wildcatdancer - I suggest you join a Yahoo group to learn how to make crochet bears. The group Thranimals has classes, free patterns and lots of experienced members, who love to share. For Japanese critters I recommend a wonderful group, Lovejapanesebearies. Come and join us!

Hugs

Good luck with your surgery Dilu! Don't forget to stock up on chocolate!

Your card is on its way too! If the gods of mail and post are with us you may just get it before the surgery (post office says 4-6 days, but its usually more like 10-14 days).
This is her card everybody.

Hugs

Hello everybody,

today the postman brought me a package. I was at work, but hubby took it in. It was from France and eagerly awaited. When I got home (a little earlier than usual  ) I opened the package and freed Colchique, my beautiful unique baby bear from Sophie. Thank you so much Sophie! He is very cute.  

Lots of bearhugs
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