Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I just received mine the end of last week here in CA.  Be patient it should be there shortly.
Donna

Help!
I am thinking about doing some business with a company in Europe.  To get a wholesale account with them I need to give them my VAT.  So my US sales tax number will do me no good in Europe?
Thanks,
Donna

Is a VAT the same thing as a US resale number?
Thanks,
Donna

I saw them in person yesterday.  The pictures as good as they are, don't do them justice.  Patty's work is amazing!  I saw several going to new homes.  Good job Patty!
Bear Hugs,
Donna

These are private auctions.  They do that to keep the bidder id unknown.
Donna

Help!
I have myself so confused now!  (Well, really that is a pretty normal state of being for me!)  I will be making some pincushions for a project that a group of us are doing.  I was told that wool or cotton should be used for the stuffing.  I was told that polyester fiberfill will cause the pins and needles to rust.  I went to the internet to do research and there are all kinds of differing opinions on what to use for stuffing.  One article says that polyfil acts as a wick to draw in moisture to cause your pins and needles to rust.  I have a pincushion a friend made a year ago that was stuffed with polyfil and nothing is happening to my pins yet.  Other articles said that pins and needles are made out of different materials than in the old days so there is no need to worry.  I know when I lived in Kansas that many of my pins and needles did rust but I don't know what was inside the pincushions.  Have any of you made pincushions and what did you use for stuffing and why?
Thanks in advance for your help!
Donna

It is really too bad you could not make it to the Grapevine, Tx show this last weekend.  I was there with lots of mohair.  And it was being sold at half price!  What a deal you missed.
Check the ebay stores for mohair also.
Donna

I wish you were closer so I could drop by for your events!  Wishing you much luck with this new adventure.  I'm still waiting to see the birdhouse Bill has built!
Bear Hugs,
Donna

I can answer the third question.  I have cut out the pieces and then dyed them.  You do run the risk that they will shrink at different proportions.  I found the best way was to trace the pattern out onto the fabric with a permanent ink then cut out around the pattern and dye that.  Make sure that you have all the pieces traced and that the ink is permanent.
Viscose will dye very nicely.  It may take the color a little richer than the mohair which I think would give it a very pleasing look. 
Have fun!
Donna

Hi Judith,
I am still digging ( that doesn't make me sound very organized, does it).  So far I have come across one little piece that measures 11 1/2 x 9.
You might want to move this request out to the general section of the forum.
Back to looking for more fabric.
Donna

Hi Dorothy,
I stayed in that room one year.  I was very comfortable in the little alcove.  If I hear of anyone needing a roommate, I'll send them your direction. 
I must warn everyone that Dorothy has a great sense of humor so if you stay with her you will be smiling all weekend.
Donna

Debbie,
I know you can color cernit with powdered eye shadow before you bake it.  Just use a brush like you would on your face and brush it on.  After it is baked you can scratch it off with your fingernail if you try hard so you could spray it with a sealant if you thought it might get rough treatment.  I don't know how close in their chemical makeup cernit and fimo are to each other but I would think it should work on fimo.
Donna

It is recommended that you do heat set the copic dye.  I use a blow dryer.  Some people put them in a very low oven.  I have done it both ways heat setting and not setting.  I only had one that the color faded until I heat set it.
Donna

Horse hair works great for whiskers.
Donna

Heather,
I think this is definately your best creation yet.  Enjoy her, she will be grown and gone before you know it.
Bear Hugs,
Donna

I will miss your long winded, level headed posts trying to keep us all on a positive, upbeat track.  Kudos for a job well done!
Donna

Paula,
Please count me in on this one.  It sounds like such fun.  It will be interesting to see what we all end up with.
Thanks for the idea.
Donna

Wendy,
Most people have trouble with them right at first so don't get discouraged.  Once you have it figured out, it will be a breeze to do these joints.  When they were first introduced to me, for the life of me, I could not figure out how they would not be turning in the limbs.  I finally gave in and gave them a try and am so glad I did.  They are easier on your hands and wrists than cotter pin joints.  And they give you a more consistent joint for tightness. 
Now, for the locknut moving down the screw that is in the limb (the one acting as the bolt head), it can not move unless you have the wrench or spanner on it.  Once you have the first locknut in place with the tip of the screw past the nylon in the locknut it will not move as long as you do not put a wrench or spanner on it.  If it had been inside a limb, you would not have seen it or been able to get to it.  Was that part of your problem?  I hold the wrench with one hand that also is holding the discs, then with the other hand I turn the allen key.  That way I feel the dics coming together as I tighten down the bolt.  I'll try to get some pictures taken for you.   That will force me to work on a bear, this is good!
Donna

Wendy,
Have you used nuts and bolts for jointing or just cotter pins?  The set screws are very much like using nuts and bolts.  Get out you sets and have a look.  Each of the screws will have one end that has a hole in it and one end that is flat or closed.  You will put your first lock nut on the end that is closed or flat.  Your lock nuts will have a nylon insert inside the nut, you will want the end of the screw to extend slightly past the nylon.  If you do not get the screw past the nylon it will come off after you have the critter made.  Begin twisting the lock nut on the screw by hand, once you have it on the screw you will insert the allen key in the hole of the other end of the screw.  By holding the allen key in the hole of the screw it will not allow the screw to turn.  Then use a wrench or pliers to tighten down the nut onto the screw so that the screw is slightly past the nylon in the lock nut.  You now are ready to put the washer and disc on the set screw and put it through the arm or leg.  Sew your arm or leg closed.   Now put your set screw with the arm attached through the body of the critter.  Put your disc and washer on.  Put the other lock nut on the screw and tighten down as much as you can with your hands.  Put the allen key back in the hole in the end of the screw and hold it so the screw does not turn while you tighten down the nut with a wrench or pliers.  I like to put a wrench on the nut and I have a bit that goes in my ratcheting screwdriver that fits in the end of the screw and then I hold the nut so it does not move and I tighten it down with my screwdriver.  Let me know if you need pictures.
Donna

I use set screws so I am not wasting time gluing my discs to the bolt or having to smell the awful fumes.  Set screws got together just like the nuts and bolts but there is a hole in one end of the screw that you put an allen key into to prevent it from turning.  The nice thing about the set screws is that you can sew the arms and legs closed before jointing them to the body just like cotter pin joints.
Donna

Hi Laure,
So sorry to hear this has happened.  Hopefully the bag will show up.  The first thing that came to my mind was what would an architect charge for a set of building plans.  Realistically our patterns are just as valuable.
Good Luck with this,
Donna

Kathy,
They are tooooo cute!  I love them.
Donna

I was just going through some of the supplies that they have at Bearcrafters store on ebay.  This Old Bear by Cindy Anschutz has a page of antiqueing your bear.  There is a pattern also that would give you an idea of how the old bears were designed.  This is not on the store sight yet so send a message asking about it if you are interested.  It sells for $10.50.
Donna

Patty,
My chiropractor told me to set a timer to go off every 20 minutes.  When the timer went off I was to stop sewing or whatever I was doing on the bears and put my hands up in the air and move and wiggle everything.  Even shake while the hands are straight up in the air. 
He also has me put my hands on the door frame and lean forward through the door.  He wants me to do it every time I walk through a door.  His theory is that we keep our hands bent and in one position for too long of periods of time and need to stretch them back out the opposite direction.  I also use arnica gel when I have overdone it.  If you don't understand the exercises, have me show you tomorrow at the show. 
Bear Hugs,
Donna

Aleta,
I know Darlene Bennett here in the bay area sells them.  Let me know if you need her number or email.  Have you checked your area for the glass beads they use for sand blasting?
Bear Hugs,
Donna