Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I almost forgot!! :|

Congratulations, Rita!!

Eileen

Shari,

Does your fabric store do mailorder? I'd love to find a Canadian source for the really nice faux furs.

My great great grandfather was born in Scotland too. He came to the US and ranched in Tennessee. My grandfather moved to Texas and tried to ranch in the  Texas panhandle during the depression--I don't think he was exactly the brains of the family.

Eileen

Thanks again, Judi :D

I surely do need those serrated scissors--this looks like a venture into a beauty supply store.

What a good idea for covering those leather strips. Is there a glue available that doesn't dry out the pelt?
A few posts have suggested otherwise, but . . . I can see that a water-based glue might dry the pelt, but what about fabric glue? It's designed to be washed, so it shouldn't absorb moisture.

By the way, does anyone know if the problem of a dried up pelt is a matter of water loss or oil loss? I know that moisture can rot a pelt, but do furs actually have much of a water content. I need to know how furred pelts are tanned, I guess.

I'm supposed to be working on T.S. Eliot, :P

Eileen

I almost envy me too, Judi :D

I got 10 pieces, mostly coats, some wraps, for $200. That's $200 Canadian!! I probably could have talked the man down, but I wanted really good vibes. He buys old furs, most of them very nice, some not, and sells them on eBay under the name Rockho. If there's anything anyone wants in particular, let me know and I'll call him. He's happy to deal.

Among my finds was an ultragorgeous Russian mink hooded jacket. It's got those pesky leather strips between the pelts. :mad:

Judi, have you got a method for eliminating the strips? Maybe some way to resew the pelts together without destroying them?

Eileen

Welcome, Shari :D

I absolutely LOVE your bear. Please tell us all about him. Are there more where he came from?

Eileen

Danni, you sly foxy chick!! Congratulations :D

Eileen

Millie! Thank your lucky stars :D

Shelli, it takes me a long long time to lay out pattern pieces on fur, because you've got to consider both fur and skin sides, and match color, pattern, texture and sometimes thickness.  I think this is the hardest part of working with fur. Once the little beasts are cut out, the rest is relatively easy. In my brief experience, lined fur stands very well up to all sorts of needle sculpting, turning, and other tortures. I've even done it a second time on the same head, without wrecking the fur.

If the little pelts are well matched--and on a high-quality coat they are amazingly well matched, considering their size--you don't have a problem with nap.

I have a local furrier who's promised to let me help clean out his garage full of bits & pieces, plus a seller of used furs downtown who will look out for any kind of fur I need. It's well worth searching for these people--very nice, and not very expensive. No shipping!!! :D

Right now, I've got a cold room full of furs and a headful of ideas, and not enough time to do either of them justice. Too many students--I thought I'd get some time off in the summer, but new ones keep calling.

One of my daughters was trying to get past my furs to her storage shelf, and said it was just like The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe--she expected to find snow, a lamp post and a satyr on the other side, not pots and pans!! :lol:

Eileen

One flaw to be aware of is the location of splits, or places where the seams have opened. If they're around the pockets or the shoulders, don't worry too much, because both spots are under a lot of stress (hands and hangers). Elsewhere, splits can mean weak skin, which can mean that the whole fur will come apart when you tug on the seams.

Also, examine the photos carefully for guard hairs on the fur. Sometimes they're almost completely worn off! I bought one of those--not for very much, but the photos were fuzzy. It looks good sheared, though :rolleyes:

Eileen

Glad you saw it Laura! :D

I agree, Daphne! I love being at home too. I've got my garden, my dogs, cats, bunnies, fish etc., most of my family still (in and out, mostly out) and my bear mess, with my online/visiting students to pay for some of it!

Like a pig in spring, :lol:
Eileen

I'm with you, Laura,

But my husband actually believes that we save a bit by turning the computer(s) off from time to time. We humor him. It takes so little to make him happy--closing the cubboard doors, turning off the TV when nobody's watching, radio ditto--not to mention the odd bottle of Glen Morangie!! :D

I'm so glad you like Smartdog, Sue Ann. Everybody should check out Smartdog. My brother-in-law sent it my way a year ago, and I have a look at it at least once a week--it makes me smile no matter what. Love that sweet dog--completely clicker-trained.

For those of you holdouts who haven't, it's a short clip of a woman and her dog dancing to 'Better Shape Up' from Grease. Wonderful.

Smartdog and Gollie Power!

Eileen

Does he EVER, Penny :lol:

I booted up my computer at 4 this morning, ready for a little teddytalk with my coffee.

First message I opened was from a foreign student with very underdeveloped English skills, wanting to know if I could please explain The Wasteland to her in the next hour. I said "not likely" and sent her a link to Sparknotes and Eliot's audio reading.

Can you imagine? The Wasteland at 4 a.m. Enough to curdle the cream in anybody's coffee! :P

Shelli--Beatles too: Altogether now. All you need is love . . . Zaps the Blue Meanies :D

Eileen

Poor Rita :(

Your heatwave just goes on and on. I hate heat. Warm yes, hot no. I really sympathize. Time to move in slomo, and forget the unessentials.

Here's a little video that always cheers me up, even in the face of a $5000 plumbing bill!

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/index.php?e=smartdog.wmv

Eileen

I agree 100%--this is a super stress reliever! After a day with TS Eliot and OCD, not to mention dyslexia and sewage in the basement, you ladies are the best invention since chocolate . . . :D

Eileen

Thank you Jane I'm always looking for another ultimate chocolate cake!!

Ganache is the taste of Heaven . . .

Eileen

Shelli,

It sounds to me as if those end pieces are not very well machined, possibly a bit corroded.

If you want to try again with this type of handle (getting your money back first for the other two), you might try a little spray lubricant on the end pieces  before unscrewing them. Let it sit there for a while, then turn the loopy end piece first clockwise (tighten), then counterclockwise (loosen). You might not be able to tighten it at all, but the movement alone tends to loosen a screw more gently. This might be just enough to get the shaft out of the loopy end without breaking the handle or stripping the threads.

If this works, you could fasten the handle through little holes in the box using washers and locknuts, which would give you a stronger hold.

Eileen

Hi Kim-B,

Do get Nancy's book--it's the bible on fur bears. You need to line with muslin or linen, and cut very carefully, trying to avoid getting the pelt-joining stitches in the wrong places. If you're going to trim, I'd check the undercoat of that piece--I had a problem with a mink undercoat that refused to trim evenly. Very clumpy. Like the top fur, the undercoat seems to vary with the part of the animal it comes from.

For what it's worth, I'm working on my second fur bear. The first is mink, the second Mongolian lamb. Both are easy to work with, having nice supple pelts. Thicker pelts might be a problem. I've also started a mohair mini to go with the lamb, and I've got to say that mohair is MUCH easier.

But I love the look and feel of the fur . . . none of mine has shed, including a piece of rabbit I used with the mink, but this might be a matter of the quality of the tanning. I don't really know. Febreeze makes an anti-allergen spray.

I haven't tried the sewing machine on fur, but I did buy a package of glover's needles, which make hand sewing much faster and more comfortable. I no longer need a thimble--the glover's needles have a chiselled tip which flies through the pelt. I also got some artificial sinew, which is great to sew with. It's very strong and just a bit sticky, so your backstitches stay tight, and you can separate the strands into whatever thickness you need. Highly recommended.  Both are available at www.tandyleather.com

Hope this helps!
Eileen

I mean Jane!

What's this, Louise? An unattached male from a bear-making family!!??  I've got a lovely 22-year-old daughter to marry off, also at home. Of course, I was going to hold out for a vet . . .

They say there's a special place in heaven for mothers of 3 boys, you know!

Eileen

Thanks for posting your layaway contract, Shelli--I wouldn't know how to begin. It looks as if you've covered everything, including the flexibility clause! Firm but sweet . . .

Nancy, I'm sorry to hear about your nasty experience with that buyer. It sounds to me as if she got in over her head and decided to blame you for it! Unfit to sell bears indeed!

Eileen

Shelli, your shop is really an inspiration! I love the way you've used your wall space. Very smart.

I'm a terrible hostess too. The only way I can cope is to ORDER people to make themselves completely at home--help themselves to anything they see and, if they don't see it, ask! :rolleyes:

Eileen

Ooooh, beautiful, Shelli!! Did you make the cute kangaroo?? Bunny?

Eileen

Let's all go and play in Sue Anne's mohair Last one in is a rotten egg!!

Eileen

A great tour, Hayley, and a wonderful workroom, Sue Ann--Looks well organized to me! And a gorgeous room to boot. :D

That poor woman, with all her 'glass crap' from eBay. Makes me feel better about my relatively limited buying, though!

Eileen

I used to have a lot of unfinished quilting projects, large and mini. Just before my daughter's wedding, I made a number of blocks into sofa cushions to go with the denim slipcovers I'd just made. Very nice. I've still got a huge beautiful log-cabin to finish . One day. Maybe.   But I'd rather make bears. Some of my minis will certainly become bear quilts.

Eileen

Oh yes! Perfect description Lateral thinking, lateral sprawl, it reminds me of the Mad Hatter's Teaparty.

Eileen