Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Awwww Beebs is gorgeous!

He is gorgeous, look forward to seeing future ones. I'd love to have some like that looking like some of my dogs.

Well done he looks really great, I was lucky enough to get to meet a St. Bernard the other day and wow are they amazing. Such beautiful dogs, all ninety something kilos of them lol.

It is personal preference and it depends on the bear of course.

Nose shine looks great on an embroidered nose and even more stunning on an embroidered and waxed nose. I love nose shine 

Awwww she's so gorgeous!

Karen your bears are so special and the clothing etc you choose for them is absolutely perfect and is so "them." They always look great! I love your bears. And that is proof that the right outfit on the right bears is just as perfect as a bear without an outfit!

Awww she's gorgeous! And "minuet" was the part of the name of the first piece I ever learned to play on the piano. How special

Well done, your cats are sooooo well made and just amazing in every way.  :clap:

I love bears in overalls, but that's really the only clothing I like on bears besides maybe a cute jumper or a hat. But that's in bears I collect.....

With bears I make, I sometimes like to put a hat like a night-cap on them, but usually no clothing items. I do love however to put a special bead or key or both around their neck with a ribbon or something..... depending on the bear. I don't really feel that bears were meant to be totally dressed up. If the outfit doesn't seem to suit it just looks "over done."

But I think whatever the bear seems to tell you it needs, it should have (within reason) and also, whatever makes the artist and then the customer who buys the bear happy. That's really what it's about. Whatever makes you happy as an artist and as a collector to add something to your bear... Bears are here to make us smile and be good friends. Whatever makes us happy to add something to them or take an accessory they may have come with away, I think is ok. The bear won't mind as long as it's person is happy. That's my opinion lol.

Hi Sheree,
Personally I prefer to use lock-nuts and bolts when the bear gets too large because as you mentioned, the cotter pins aren't strong enough and possibly won't last for bigger bears. Lock-nuts and bolts are much stronger for larger bears and hold everything together better.

I have a small and medium cotter pin turner, mostly I only need the small one though as I prefer to make bears from 8" down to about 6" and sometimes even smaller. I don't use the medium cotter pin turner very often, however mum (Robyn) uses it a lot as she makes larger bears. When her bears get over 14" though she uses lock-nuts and bolts.

You might still want a medium and large cotter pin turner if you want to make wobble-neck joints in larger bears...... It depends on what you're planning to make.

Hi everyone,

Well we finally have a General Mailing List! Yay! It has taken some time to work out how to add it to the website but it's finally there 

If you'd like to be added to the GJOYful Bears general mailing list please go to our website and provide your email address, here's the link -
http://www.gjoyfulbears.com/mailing-list.html

We also have a "Waiting List" for the Cafe A 'La GJOYful Collection bear cubs, all the information for our waiting list & the chance to subscribe to it are here, on our website - http://www.gjoyfulbears.com/waiting-lists.html

For those who don't know, our "Cafe A 'La GJOYful" Collection is the most popular of the GJOYful Bears collections & ranges. Here are two bear cubs from this collection (though future cubs will vary in color, accessories & names etc).....

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask

Thank you so much for stopping by to read my post 

Awww what a gorgeous mouse! Is she still available for adoption?

Have heaps of fun Jessie! I'm sure it will be a great day Can't wait to hear all about the day and whichever doll or bear comes home with you

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!
     
That is sooooo sweet!

When we were stocking shops with our bears, Shop exclusives meant that the bears the shop received were specifically designed and made for the shop in question and that the pattern or design (bear) they were buying from us to put in their shop, would not be reproduced or available anywhere else. Agreeing to a shop exclusive design or two just means you cannot make the design you made for that shop under the exclusivity agreement you came to with that shop, for any other shop and/or at all. The design cannot be reproduced basically. It's an OOAK. That was what it meant when we were selling bears to shops anyway.

I personally would recommend finding a shop that was happy to stock whatever you were happy to make, that way you can stay inspired making the designs you'd like to make the way you'd like to make them and not become "swamped" by what the shop owner/s order from you for their shop. Finding a shop that likes to stock what you like to make also is great because you don't have to worry about all your "shop exclusives" looking similar (which happens if you have already developed, intentionally or unintentionally, a "signature" look for your bears).

Linda, that's so interesting about the alpaca fur! Thanks for sharing. I had no idea that the open weave backing used to be the norm lol.

Linda, do you know any other way of fray stopping seams without using fray stop? The reason I resorted to fray stop is because I am allergic to most craft glues (which everyone seems to recommend for checking the seams), I don't know what it is about them but I always end up sneezing repeatedly and if I touch it I get blisters. This doesn't happen with fray stoppa, however I got my "Fray Stoppa" from a lady who makes it herself & it doesn't dry crispy..... so perhaps it has different "ingredients?" I just don't like the sound of fray stop eating the frabric away, that sounds awful & I'd hate to think something I'd made wasn't going to last at it's new home.

Also, if anyone would like to answer, what brand of leather glue do you recommend? Any kind of leather glue I've tried has been terrible and really, really awful to work with so I'd love to know of a different sort to what I've been finding.

gugu's teddies ~ I'm about to send you a PM

Sheree ~ the bone colored alpaca is the only fur in general (not just alpaca, but fur in general) that I've ever used that I've had that problem with and it's driving me insane lol. I'm also glad it's not just me! And you can be sure, not all fabrics are like this. For me, this is a one-off fur problem. The other alpacas and mohair furs from Gerry's I've never had this problem with.
Big hugs to you - the first alpaca/mohair you've chosen to use happens to be a difficult backing one! If you fray stop the edges you should be fine, I've fray stopped mine and it's fine (so far).
If you are really worried you could line it with cotton or muslin, that will stop it from stretching when you stuff it. I haven't gotten passed sewing my bone alpaca yet, I had to put it aside a couple of months ago to work on custom orders. But I'll be interested in how I go stuffing it. As I said, it's on the face of a black bear cub I'm making and so it will need to be strong to hold an embroidered nose and all the sculpting I do.....
Have you mentioned the problem with the bone alpaca to Gerry's? I might next time I'm talking to them.... I wonder why it's different to the other alpaca furs they have.

Awwwwwwwww       
Love him! Well done! And I absolutely adore those overalls 

Sheree, is the alpaca you're using the "bone" colored alpaca? I have some in 15mm pile or something like that and it's from gerry's, and it is very open-weave backing and difficult to sew. I've had to sew with quite big stitches, it is very difficult to turn too it frays terribly.

Alpaca from Teddy's Bits is generally my favorite alpaca to use, but I got the bone colored piece from Gerry's to be a contrast on the face of a black bear cub - however it's not as easy to work with as the other alpaca I'm using. When I get back to that bear, I'll be fray stopping every seam because otherwise I can just see it unravelling everywhere lol.

This is an interesting post!

I fray stop every bear's pieces, whether it be plush fur, tissavel, mohair or alpaca (I don't fray stop the mini bear fabric or genuine fur of course). I fray stop after I've cut out, trimmed and sewn all the pieces together. When I've done all that I fray stop using "fray stoppa" and a little paint-brush to gloss over the seams. Fray Stoppa dries very hard but it also never lets anything fray. When I do trapunto paw pads, and tightly stuff the trapunto area then sew up the calico, it would fray terribly until there was no more trapunto if I didn't use the firm-setting Fray Stoppa.

Teeeej is right, alpaca frays much worse than mohair. Not sure why but someone probably does

There's so many differences in plush and mohair fur too. Mohair doesn't stretch out of shape, it is great to sew, it's great to needle sculpt etc and holds the pattern shape when you stuff it tightly unlike poor quality plush. However I have to say since I discovered Tissavel faux fur I've been one very happy bear maker  It is just like working with mohair, maybe even stronger though, but it is the softest nicest plush fur I've ever felt. It's like mink, but it's plush. Best of both worlds! I love the backing of it to work with, I can't say enough good things about Tissavel faux fur

Sheree, mohair shouldn't fray continuously whilst you're sewing like that - it always frays a bit, but not so much that it would fray down to the stitching I find. Maybe you're sewing too close to the edge? I leave quite a wide seam when I sew mohair and alpaca.

Please share photos when you finish your mohair bear! Can't wait to see him/her! 

Yes I leave an opening either at the top of the limb, or, more commonly, at the back of the leg or arm. I turn it in the right way through this opening, stuff through it, joint through it, and then ladder stitch it up when finished.
Lenora, I am the same - I like to be certain the bear is well stuffed around the joint, so that it can't be felt from the outside of the bear. I think I'd be too paranoid about it being loosely stuffed around the joint if I did it any other way lol. But I won't know until I try!

Awwww she's gorgeous! Well done, what a masterpiece! 

I always work out where I want the joints to go, then fray stop, then turn the limbs in the right way  and stuff them about half way, joint them and attach to body. And then I finish stuffing the top of the limb tightly around the joint, and ladder-stitch up the opening. I've never done it any other way and to be honest this method never even occurred to me!

Might try it on a test bear and see how I like it Thanks for the ideas! 

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!
                         

He's ABSOLUTELY adorable!!    I wants him! Well done Kim, another gorgeous creation! 

We also have a second account linked to paypal and specifically for online purchases and transactions, it's a fantastic idea which we learned from a knowledgeable relative. It takes the stress out of buying and selling online.

I also use paypal and have never had a problem with them.

Awwwww they're gorgeous! Wish I could come Have a great day at the show!

Awww he's gorgeous! And one more "e" on his name and he could be a girl bear and share the same name as me!  Thanks for giving us the opportunity to win him