Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Oh my! Sorry to hear that, how awful for you :(. Do you plan to get another bunny or is too soon to think about that?

Aww, thanks Jenn  :). I still feel a little sad that Bluebell wasn't immediately loved by her new owner....

Thinking about it, this probably was the most specific commission I've ever done. It has made me resolve to do things more on my terms in future! I hope my being open about this episode will be helpful to others - although I also hope it doesn't happen to anyone else!

Jenny, I love when you said: It's like having a backseat driver who doesn't know how to drive if they tell me what to do..... That's exactly it!

Thanks again everyone. And Pen...go easy on the sweeties!!! (Although the Reese's peanut butter cups look yummy... :P)

Oooh, sorry to hear about the Dr's...I hope you're not in agony for too long then!

As for the soup, it's my probably my 'mothering' instinct kicking in. Whenever my daughter complains of feeling poorly I reach for the soup! LOLOL

He's a lovely bear Marie - a very sweet expression! He'll be given lots of love, I'm sure! 

This is what I use, and I lay it on a table so that the back of the sheet is bent (curved) and resting against the wall behind. It creates a nice, seamless backdrop. Cheap too!!!

Soup through a straw, so you don't have to move a muscle?! Or does it just hurt anyway?

Sounds horrible Pipa. Will you see a doctor about it after the weekend? I hope it clears of it's own accord....but if it doesn't, go and get it checked out!!!! 

Yay!  :dance: Thanks Heather - I'm going to have fun reading these!

Here's the link again, to the uk site that sells Kool-aid, in case anyone misses it in the other thread:  http://www.americansweets.co.uk/KoolAid.htm .

I don't blame you for keeping Tumbleweed - he's adorable! I love the laid back pose, what a charmer he is!

Yes, this place is full of wonderful tips and I'm learning so much too. A huge round of applause to everyone for sharing and supporting  :clap: :clap: :clap:

I use both pencil and marker pens for shading, it depends what mood I'm in! And it also depends how dark I want the shading to be.

Pencils build up more gradually and are therefore more controllable. You can even use the tip of your finger to blend the colour more, and I've had no problems on light shades of ultrasuede. I use Karisma Colour pencils, which can be found on eBay I think (although I buy mine from a local craft shop - about £1.30 each). Anne of Starlite Bears recommended them to me - thanks Anne!  :)

With pens, I use acid-free permanent markers, various makes. I start gingerly at the very outer edge of the pad with short strokes moving slightly inwards. Then I use a copic blender pen to 'drag' the colour further inwards at the same time as 'diluting' it. It kind of blends....I found it a bit nervewrackiing at first, but like all things beary it just takes a little practice :cool:.

What I'm planning to try next are the oil paints as recommended by Shelli. They sound and look fantastic.... 

Oooh, such an elegant looking bear! I love her expression, and pearls are the icing on the cake! She's gorgeous 

Awwwww, fantastic bear....he'll sell, no doubt about it!

Ooooh, he's a gorgeous bear, just ready for a cuddle!!!

Thanks, Sue Ann, for posting the link. I used the 5/8" semi-sparse variety and loved working with it  :).

Danni, you found her! Thanks for your comments    :redface:

Yes, I think they all look great on that flyer! I love getting that e-mail through and drooling over the latest pre-pac...

I've never used a light tent  :redface:. I use a large sheet of coloured card, laid flat on a table and curved up the back of the shot against a wall. I take photos in the conservatory where there's lots of light, and use macro mode on my camera.

I just recently bought a new camera so will be playing with the white balance on that....a new gadget!.... :dance:

I like the word 'mystical' best. Hmm....Mystical Bears, Mystical Things, All Things Mystical, Wing's Mystical Things...

Morning!  :dance: Thanks again for your messages!

Louise, I totally agree with you about customer service! I guess that's why this upset me so much. Judi, you are SO right about live-and-learn! And sometimes we have to learn the hard way, . Matilda, I love your attitude. I'm forever trying to more assertive.... Danni, there's a photo of Bluebell (and friend) in the showcase section  .

Now, a note on Koolaid....thankyou Dilu for your fantastic description of how to dye mohair with this stuff. I'm going to print it out for future reference. I've been hearing about this method, but since I live in the UK it's hard for me to buy it. Or so I thought! I just found this website, which might be useful for others too: http://www.americansweets.co.uk/KoolAid.htm . It costs about 50p a packet plus postage, and even better they accept paypal! Yay! So I'm definitely going to try this, just for fun... (and might have to succumb to some of the other tempting US chocolates while I'm ordering from that site! I can feel the weight piling on already  )

Thanks again everyone  :D

Shelli, I understand what you're saying, and you're right of course! Thankyou for reminding me I shouldn't do that to myself - I'm not in search of martyrdom, LOL. The whole episode upset me, and when I better understood what was happening I admit I felt some relief, hence the comment.

Mandie ...that's a great idea about a disclaimer! I'm going to write one for my site....thanks 

Thankyou Vicky. I do feel better than earlier this afternoon. I'm realistic enough to realise that we all have knock backs sometimes and that people have different tastes - but as Heather says,  it still sucks! No, I didn't send a sample of the fabric and I know I should have (hindsight is a wonderful thing  :doh: ).

Heather, well I think I now know why this lady is acting a little out of character. She replied to my e-mail saying that she would like to keep Bluebell, says she will be loved, but makes it clear that she's 'settling' for the darker blue. Then at the end she mentions there's been a death in the family today...  So I think she's feeling very sad at the moment. And maybe this is why she's less happy with Bluebell than she might have been. If she's using me as a punchbag that's ok, I really don't mind under these circumstances.

So Bluebell stays in her new home and I'm still on good terms with the collector! Thanks everyone, I really needed to talk about this and you've all been wonderful  :clap:

OK, here I go, confusing you even more  . My method for minis:

For a 3" mini bear, I use long pile fabric. Like others, I prefer the sassybears fabric with the grid backing or vintage upholstery fabric  :love:

Mark out my pattern - my patterns are cut out in card and I hold them gently in place while I trace round them. No pins, which can distort the shape.

Cut out with very pointed embroidery scissors.

I sew the pieces using backstitch, taking the smallest allowance I can for the fabric. I use a very fine needle to do this, and hold the fabric pieces together - again, no pins. Yes, I get some slippage sometimes, but not very often now that I've had more practice  :cool:.

Turning - strangely enough I use a pair of scissors to help me with this!!!! They are blunt ended enough not to do damage but fine enough for the fiddly corners. The long pile fabrics slide against one another and i find this (and a lot of patience) helps.

Stuffing - I use heavy polyfibre for extra weight, and a small amount of glass beads or steel shot in the tummy.

For the neck joint - a 10mm hardboard cotter pin serves me well. I attach the completed head to the body, then stuff the body and sew up.

Joints are attached by threads, strong ones doubled or trebled. I pull the limbs in as tight as I can and do a 'double knot' to hold them, with a dab of glue just to be safe! I prefer the sculptured look that thread jointing gives.

For eyes, I use 3mm english glass eyes with the pre-crimped loops. You can even get these in the coloured variety! I buy mine from http://www.christiebears.co.uk/ .

I hope this helps a little....I think you should just 'give it a go' and I'm sure your little 'uns will be as gorgeous as your big 'uns! Look forward to seeing them!

Oh, nearly forgot!!! Lighting....I find it extremely important to have good lighting when making minis!! But maybe it's just my failing eyesight 

Thankyou Shelli - you brought a big smile to my face    What would I do without this place?!!

Oh, I really appreciate your support.... :redface: Kate, it's funny you should mention your lack of enthusiasm for commissioned bears because I find the same thing. They take me longer to make, and I enjoy them less. Not good!

I've e-mailed the collector with a comprimise, suggesting I make her a minibear in the exact fur she liked most alongside a small refund, in exchange for the navy Bluebell. Or else a full refund. The colour she requested is just proving too difficult for me to find in a suitable mohair (she originally stipulated size too). I'm sure she'll understand  (fingers crossed!)

Wow, I just came back to the computer and found everyone's wonderful replies....thankyou!!!!

Wanda, I agree, the customer is right no matter what....and much as it hurts I'll offer to replace this bear with another one that the collector will hopefully be happier with. Sarah, thankyou for the hug, I needed it! Ellen, I'm inclined to agree with you and am thinking carefully about taking my 'commission' page from my website. Jenn, I really do hope this particular bear finds a more suitable home! Laura & Deb, colours can vary a lot can't they? Perhaps I should have sent a swatch.... Kim & Kim (LOL), thanks for your support - I could go the route of dying mohair but even then I wouldn't be able to guarentee an exact match. I do think this lady has a strong vision of what she wants and it will be hard fulfill that. Marion, I'm going to check out those dyes, thanks (though I don't think I'll use them this time, maybe in the future). Thankyou everyone!

Will let you know how it turns out....

Aww, thankyou Kim, I'm starting to feel better already. I'll make sure I've calmed down completely before I respond to the customer!

Yes, I'm going to do everything I can to put this right. And I would much rather re-sell (or keep!) this bear than have this lady unhappy with her....

But it makes me think again about commissions, and whether or not I'm really happy to do them.

By the way, here's the original fabric that the customer chose for colour: http://tinyurl.com/75alf (scroll down to 'bright blue') and here's the mohair fabric I chose: http://www.intercaltg.com/colors/1115n.html . But the mohair was much darker than this when it arrived.