Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

This is Milo...he's made in wonderful Helmbold vanilla alpaca.
He's the biggest bear I have made for a while...he is 23 inches. He found a home very quickly...but I thought I would show him off anyway..

I'd say that looks a bit far gone. But why not try a bit of talcum powder and brush it with a tiny teasel  brush....one bit at a time...you never know

Even with the shipping it's a bargain....Tissavel costs lots of money.

Why don't you draw your pattern onto a piece of newspaper and measure the size?

Thanks so much John!

This is WHIMSY....this sweet bear will be available at 6pm UK time on my website
www.threeoclockbears.com

Just one thought Joanne ....would it be possible to make a mould from one of the claws you made out of epoxy resin. Using that dental stuff...then you could make as many as you want using the polymorph .....no need to sand it then.

I don't make claws...my bears would look daft...but would one of those electric filing tools work. I have one which I used to use on acrylic nails when I did them years ago. It's similar.
They have lots of tools that fit to smooth and grind

Never use fray stop. I don't think many mohair fabrics fray much. I stay stitch all my openings ...then they don't fray.
Some of the mini  woven faux furs fray ...then I would paint the whole of the backing with a PVA solution ...let it dry...then cut out.

Facebook can your best friend...and your worst enemy. I have had troubles with it..mainly because I am a person who has opinions on lots of things....not just beary...and do tend go write about it. I found that when I friended all who asked I think they supposed I would just be a fluffy beary soul who chatted about bears all day..and that is not me. So I opened a Three O'clock Bears page that people who don't want to read my random ramblings and rants can follow. It's an easy thing to maintain now...and I update it every day...with anything and everything can think of. Work in progress, the dog just to stay in the news feeds. Now I have upwards of 2000 linkers and have sold bears to lost of new customers. That's down to the effort of maintaining that page. And it's not hard to do.
I don't say yes to every 'friend' Who asks me on my personal page .. I check out who the are first...I check if we have mutual friends...do. Know them..if not I decline. I don't want snoopers and freaks following me. I have had some very odd people latch on to me over the years...and I worry about that aspect. I understand why you don't want it I. Your life but in all honesty it is the way people communicate now and if you want to join this online selling thing it's best to engage in whatever the buyers do to get seen.
As much as we don't want it in our lives it's a fact that its here to stay

Most doll stands are adjustable and can accommodate bears as long as the body  is not too rotund. I have used them and , especially on dressed bears , you can pretty much hide the stand under the clothes . Size wise you need to measure the bears height to under the arms which is where the stand needs to grip. Remember the bears are a bit heavier than dolls and so you need strong stands.

He's lovely

Love him!!!!

Thanks so much.....I love making teddies

What I have done with plastic eyes is that I heat up a needle on the gas stove till its red hot and then holding it tightly with a pair of pliers make a hole in the stem of the eye...then you can attached the threads through the hole just like you do with normal glass eyes.

Just lovely!!!

Wow...fast work

No..I don't heat set it. These paints and pens are archive quality...when you read the blurb on the side it says it doesn't need heat setting. But I guess you could do it with a hair dryer.

Just wet it and blow dry it with a hair dryer.

I have used it for nose templates ....eyelids....teeth....in fact it's a great product with many uses!
The good bit is  that you can just keep melting it again if you go wrong.

If you are weighting the body you need to make sure the legs are positioned just very slightly back from the centre...I find it happens when the bear is weighty and the joints are not firm enough too,

You have a few minutes...but if it sets before you are done you just heat it up again. You need to use almost boiling water though...it goes clear and it becomes malleable. I think you can colour it with paint...but as for painting on it ...not sure...it might not work. But you can tint it ...you would have to research that ...I have not done it myself.
But once hard you can file it and make sharp claws...and with a hot needle put a hole in the end so you can sew it in.
I think it has many potential uses.
Here is a link to a YouTube video...it seems you can stain it with powder paint....
I read you can melt it in Rit dye too...
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=u9TkpoTz … 9TkpoTzFMo

I just tried polymorph ,...a type of plastc which when you put in hot water it melts....you can form it into claws...it's very strong....I really think it's ideal for teeth and claws.

Wonderful

Thanks so much...I love making these little ones