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I have just listed this tiny little elephant, named "Peanut", on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi … 0371813044
He is just under 2" tall, fully jointed, wired trunk, white embroidered eye accents, ultrasuede foot pads, and a tiny braided tail.
You know, Karen, the weird thing is I have actually been selling BETTER on ebay the last month or so than I have for a while. I almost hate to say it and jinx it but everything I have put on lately has been selling - only one bid on each one and mostly NEW buyers for me - but at least they are selling! Have also sold a couple this month on Bear Pile too! The fact they are mostly new buyers is very encouraging too as that means collectors are finding my items - not just people from my email list.
Here's hoping your talks with ebay will bring some positive results!
To be honest, I think that artist teddy bears are SUCH a small part of ebay that they don't really care what we think or how their changes affect us!
Ebay sets the categories but they really have no control over where people choose to list their items - although maybe if people complained they would remove the auction if it is clearly in the wrong place, I don't know! I collect antique dolls and continually see reproduction dolls listed there - even though there IS a category for reproduction antique dolls - I think the sellers think more people will see them if they are mixed in with the antiques or something!
Rhonda, I draw my patterns with no seam allowance and then sandwich the fabric, right sides facing, and trace around the pattern pieces leaving plenty of space between each for a seam allowance as the traced line becomes the sewing line. After sewing all pieces I then cut them out and proceed as usual. I do find some fabrics tend to "slip" more than others and once I have identified this I often baste the fabric together inside my traced body parts before I machine sew and this helps prevent the problem (and it is still way faster than totally hand sewing!)
I don't know about the nylon thread - I have always used cotton wrapped polyester, like Coats Koban.
I don't think you need to worry too much, Rinn, as long you are doing your own thing and you know you aren't copying. I think the main thing is to avoid any kind of blatant copywright infringement. Usually even if you are doing something similar to someone else you put your own spin on it and it ends up coming out different anyway. I took part in a 5 artists-1 pattern challenge with Teddy Bear and Friends one year where 5 of us made bears using the same commercial pattern - you wouldn't have believed ANY of the bears were made from the same pattern! (and we weren't allowed to change the pieces at all!)
Just have fun and don't worry!
And listings will be FREE - IF you start at 99 cents or less! And if you start between $50 and $199, as I do, you will save a WHOLE dollar over what you paid before!
I think this will be just great - IF your stuff doesn't sell!!!!! :crackup:
I'm glad I'm getting really close to quitting this and moving on to some new ventures!
Wow the two bears look so different and it is such a cute pattern design. If it wasn't for the mailing part it would have been fun to participate. I hope you can show us pics of some of the entries!
They are all just perfect - glad I can't be there, I'd never be able to decide which one I liked best!
He is just the cutest! If the rest are anything like him you should have a great show!
He is fantastic, Tami! Love his feet and his cute little open mouth!
They are all Soooo adorable! I love the little bears in the first pic especially! Wish I could be at the show. Have fun and I hope the sales are good!
Teddy bear workshops ARE fun and exciting and I love your enthusiasm! So glad it is working out for you to go. Please post a pic of your bear when you get him finished - we'd love to see him! And have FUN!
I have listed this miniature bunny rabbit to start on ebay tonight. He is 4 3/4 inches tall, fully jointed, face shading, bead eyes with embroidered accents, wired ears. He looks so sad because his little white wicker basket is empty.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi … 0370454836 (link won't work until the auction starts!)
Yes, that's what I'm saying, Shane!
Still not clear what you're suggesting, Tami - if the three is the regular, Masters, and Manufactured - that is really only spot for an artist to enter a miniature as they couldn't enter all three! Or am I missing something? Unless miniatures could enter in the vintage, classical, realistic, etc. - but would they have ANY chance in the judging there - it is MUCH harder to get the same kind of detail on a 2" bear as on a 24" bear! Or were you suggesting a size breakdown in each of these new suggestion categories only for miniatures and then all other sizes together? - but that would add a LOT more categories than just 4 more - see I am confused! 
So then would you only have ONE category to enter miniature bears in, Tami - cutting in half what we have now! Miniaturists also make classic, vintage, and contemporary teddies so it would not seem fair to cut them out of those classes and not really fair to judge them against a 24 inch bear either! But again I think a lot of this WILL depend on the numbers of entries they are getting in each class.
Another thought here - if they create a "realistic" class it could include all critters - not just bears - that shouldn't be any harder to judge than a realistic class with all other animals except bears!
Again just throwing out ideas here - and not trying to step on anyone's toes! 
I think the sponsors would know what categories need revamping by looking at the number of entries trying to get into each category?
That's exactly it, Karen, and no matter what each of us throws out there as to what we like to see, the number of entries in each category SHOULD point the way for what needs changing!
Hey Shane, didn't you see that several of us suggested for animals that they compromise by having a breakdown in sizes - like they do now in bears dressed and undressed. That would only add one or two more prizes depending on whether they went 6 inches and under and 6 inches and over or if they kept to the 3 size categories they have now. Making a section for Classic, Vintage, and Contemporary bears - with I assume the same size breakdowns as now - and what about the dressed and undressed??? - could add TWELVE categories!!!!! I don't think that is going to be feasible either.
I am sure everyone is just throwing out ideas of what they like, knowing that not all of it will be possible, but just in their excitement that the idea of a change is being offered. 
Glad to live where there are lots of deer..................
wow, Ellen, you can still say that after this incident! That is the one thing I HATE about living where there are so many deer! I don't even like to go out after dark as it is just too easy to hit them - so far we have only hit one and that was even before dusk so we saw him in time to stop with just a small bump but it still threw the deer up onto the hood - straight at me in the passenger seat! - and then he slid down the side into the ditch and was gone by the time we got out of the car. No damage to the car and he didn't appear to be hurt but I was sure plenty shook up!
Wow, he looks so real!
What a darling set!
I like your ideas, Jenny and Melisa of having sort of an "honorable mention" section for creations that came really close to the nominees (I am sure lots of years it must be REALLY close in the judging!) - perhaps that would be more feasible for the magazine than my suggestion of thumbnail prints of the entries?? I like the idea of all the entries being shown on the web site and the digital edition too - but as was said there are a surprising number of people who don't do internet! I can't really see too much value in just a list of names of entrants in the contest, Jessica - might be too much like a list of losers??? without the photos there for people to say "Oh that's so cute I can't believe it didn't win!" but that might be just my opinion!
Thanks so much for the kind comments! I am delighted that this set got a bid right away!
Way back when (in the old days when I began teddy making ) the Golden Teddy's did have a section for hobbyists - can't remember when they discontinued it and if there was a reason??? But I think most of the people here aren't talking about hobbyists but rather artists that have not entered competitions before or who have not been making bears for a lot of years yet.
Since so many categories would be needed for each animal separately, perhaps just adding in a couple more size groups for animals would help as far as making more places for people who make other animals to enter.
I agree,Wendy, that it should be all about encouraging NEW design ideas and techniques. I was very disappointed one year, (in a different competition) when I called to clarify the rules to figure out which category I should enter a very unique design in, to be told, gee they weren't sure, perhaps I could just enter something else!
I have listed this set to start on ebay tonight. Winthrop is a 5 1/2" elephant, anime type, fully jointed and wearing a hand knit scarf and toque. His little toy penguin, Willy, is 1 3/4" tall with jointed flippers
