Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

He is a handsome fellow Paula and I love his waistcoat    
Laurie :hug:

What a gorgeous little kitten Paula.I love cats and kittens are always sooo cute.
She looks so mischievious in the first piccie-just like she is looking for something naughty to do.You will have to keep an eye on your pins and needles and threads too-kittens get into everything.
Laurie :hug:

Congratulations Sophie on your new teaching position :dance:  :dance:  :dance:  :dance:
Laurie :hug:

They are all great Jane-I love them    
Laurie :hug:

They are all gorgeous Jane-have fun at Hugglets
Laurie :hug:

They are all gorgeous Yvonne but I have a really soft spot for Florence    
Laurie :hug:

I have been feeling pretty stressed over the last few days Jenny but I have been walking the dogs on the north norfolk coast at Weybourne these last few days for a couple of hours a day and it has been lovely and you feel so much better afterwards.Where it is a case of mind over matter it is easier not to be in a position where you give yourself thinking time as the more you worry the worse it gets.I do have food intolerances and find it doesn't help one bit if I eat certain foods as it makes my anxiety a lot worse.
I hope you get it sorted out Jenny
Laurie :hug:

Unless you are trying to replicate an old style bear like a steiff I don't think that your own style can be a bad thing as long as he still looks like an older looking bear.
I had the same problem as you Daphne with Brewster whose picture is in my earlier post.He came out too cheeky and cute looking to have too much of an old appearance but my other 3 bears were little cuties but they could still look aged.Once I had seen Brewsters face I knew that he wasn't going to turn into an elegant looking old bear
That can be the harder bit of creating an older bear-getting the look in the face that is just right.These bears have a mind of their own sometimes and what look you plan in your head doesn't come out in the bear .
I love your 2 bears Denise they are great
Laurie :hug:

I have added a photo of 3 older style bears I have just finished and they are all just under 7 inches.These were all suited to aging.The other photo is of Brewster and he was supposed to be an older style bear but came out looking like a cheeky little so and so and he just wouldn't have looked right to do too much distressing as it wouldn't have suited him
Laurie :hug:

I use the copic markers and I think you always end up learning the hard way by trial and error.I think that you should make sure you think about what colour and how deep a shade you will use and whether that colour will compliment the bear.Always go for a subtle shade as it looks worse if the colour is too dark.I practised a few times by cutting two small pieces of mohair(of the same mohair that you are using),shading these and tucking them behind the try eyes then if you don't like the look because the colour is wrong or it is too dark you can take those out and try another colour or shade a bit lighter.I have tossed a few bears out when the shading has been wrong and it is so frustrating as you have wrecked a perfectly good bear.Try not to cover too large an area around the eyes-you just need the colour peeping out from the eyes. 
I hope this helps.
Laurie :hug:

I think the best way to start is by selecting the right mohair Shelli.I love the schulte sparse felted mohairs.You need the right mohair otherwise if you try to age a piece of fabric that isn't the right sort it will just look all wrong.Your style also needs to suit an old bear although saying that a lot of styles can still look nice if use the right mohair.The hardest bit I found was daring yourself to have a go as when it takes a while to make a nice face you can dread it if it turns out wrong.I used to practice on my rejects and then use them to see how far I could go before it looked too overdone.A couple of my first bears that I had aged before xmas I took to my local bear shop and I was worried incase I had overdone them but they were sold in a few weeks so it gave me a bit more confidence to know that what I had done was ok.Once you do the older style bears they can be very addictive and I love making them now-they are my favourites
I will look forward to seeing your creation Shelli
Laurie :hug:

That is sooo cute    
Laurie :hug:

I don't really have a lot to offer as I use the copic marker pens and they work ok for smaller areas but I find if I use them on too large an area the pens dry out too quick.I also trim off areas to make them look old and shabby.I would like to get an airbrushing system or try my oil paints but if I do this it would mean that I would have to do all the distressing at the same time if mixing colours to keep the colour the same.Another thing to try which I haven't done yet is to dye your fabric in certain places with a similar colour to what you have but duller to give an aged effect.I have some small bears I have just finished and will add photos as soon as hubby has taken them.Maybe some more tt's could add photos of what they have done or even what bears they they own that have been distressed and aged?
Laurie :hug:

Thanks Tina
Penny has sorted out my email address :dance:
I wish I knew more about computers than I do.Yet another thing to add on to my list-I need a lot more hours in the day
Laurie :hug:

I had a website done for me a couple of months ago and I failed to realise until a few days ago that my e mail address is wrong for people to contact me.There is a letter missing in my address and it is my fault really for not noticing it.I only have basic knowledge of computers but wondered if any of you would know how to change my address.We have managed to change website details but can't seem to find how to change the address.Any help would be really appreciated I have contacted Penny but she may be on holiday as I have had no reply.
Laurie :hug:

She might be grumpy Paula but I love her    
Even though you found it hard to work with it is a lovely colour mohair and she is my favourite of your Hugglets bears so far   
Laurie :hug:

I do find that I forget what I have got when it is all stored away but what a lovely surprise when I open the box-it feels like I have just bought it all over again
Laurie :hug:

I always roll my mohair as I can't stand any creases in it
I then store it in a plastic tub to keep it clean and free of dust
Laurie :hug:

That poor cat-I hope the puppy didn't sit there too long  
Laurie :hug:

I love all your bears Jenny and this one is gorgeous-I love his eyes    
I am hoping to go to Hugglets so I will see you there.
Laurie :hug:

I have just finished decorating the living room and that is enough decorating for me at the moment-it seems to take forever and you spend all day on it .It looks great now that it is finished but I was glad to get back to my bear making as I have my first show in Norwich at the end of September and I have only 3 bears finished at the moment
Laurie :hug:

I like to use pro bar in Germany too and find them very efficient in dealing with your order and delivery.I did spend about £20 on their samples (around 400 I think) as I like to know what I am getting and it can save you in the long run as it is so hard to tell from photos what the mohair is like.
Laurie :hug:

What a little cutie your new puppy is Sarah-he looks like a little tinker and full of mischief     .I expect he will keep your other dog busy-whether he likes it or not
Laurie :hug:

She is very pretty in her pastel colours Paula.I love Moonstar and Solly too      
I haven't had a lot of time to post recently as I am doing my first bear fair in Norwich end of September and I only have 3 bears so far.I am hoping to go to Hugglets so I will see you and the bears there
Laurie :hug:

As long as you have been making your bigger bears the same way as your smaller bears Jane so the sewing is accurate the problem should be in your stuffing.I have found that I can get two different types of polyester-one stuffs harder than the other but lumps up very easily and the other is a lot more springy but won't stuff so hard.In the head and feet areas I often use the more springy stuff even though it doesn't stuff so hard as it doesn't seem to distort your mohair as easily.The other thing is to take your time and not rush as the quicker you try to work sometimes you just don't get the results that you want.I hope this helps   :hug:  :hug:  :hug:
Laurie :hug: