Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

No, US bears, you are not crackers...I think that is the best way to name a bear too.  Once in awhile I just get stuck and don't understand what they are saying to me.  Usually if I put it away for awhile and come back it comes a little clearer.  I do not use a name book..I do for babies but the bears just don't seem to fit!

Where do you all find names for your bears?  I do not care for the "cutesy" names.  I want respectable names for my bears...

Sandine and Nancy should be very excited about their trip and the beautiful outfits you gave them for the trip.  That just makes them feel very special.  All Teddies, like all children, like to feel special... I am sure everyone will get along great and have a wonderful time...

Oh probably not...how about a nice travelling outfit for Molly?  I think she deserves it to meet her new beau!

:crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

  I can only hope that someone turns in this creep...Sara was such a sweet gentle bear.  He probably wants to hang her head on his wall and talk about what a great hunter he is!  This just makes me ill...I feel so bad for the ones working there!

:crackup:  I never thought of an idea book...I used to keep a small book by my bed because I would solve programming problems in my sleep and I'd wake in the night and say that's it but if I didn't write it down I would not remember in the morning.  I solved many, many problems that way.  Perhaps and idea book would work for me....

Those pictures are breath taking!  How I would love to be able to go there and see the bears in person.  I have been very close to black bears and they are amazing.  Where we used to camp there were a lot of them.  One time a mother brought her twins to where we were camping...what a treat that was.

KJ Lyons...I bought a pair of bikini clippers and they work great for me!

:crackup:  Well, since I have been laying around ill for qhite awhile...perhaps I had better work!

I just wondered if any of the rest of you keep projects swimming around in your head?  I have so many in there I could never do them all and every day another one pushes it's way in....Even my husband is afraid to let me near Home Depot for fear I will come up with a projectr for him...Ha, I probably would!

Oh, that is hard and I have not been making bears for many years like some of you.  I love my big needles that were so hard to find...my tiny expensive sissors, but, I have to say to me the most important part of my kit is my small needle nose pliers!  My wrists are not as strong as they used to be and I pull that big old needle through with them.  Also use them on my joints and many other things that come along...don't touch my pliers!

Mine did not have the extra piece...the toe was rounded like that but the whold leg was straight and the dart was where the half circle cut out is on that piece. As for putting the joint through the seam...I marked the seam where the joint went and reinforced each side of it and left out a couple of stitches so there was a small hole for the joint.

  Well, yes, I have that one!

Yes Claire, that is exactly the way this leg was.  I did not want the seam in the front.  Soooooooo, straight front leg, dart at ankle and voila...

OK guys, share the "best of the best"!

Yes, the dart worked great...wish I could show you but it is just at the ankle...do not take any out of the side seams...just a half circle.  The foot turned out great.  I could even put baby shoes on her.

I have done legs like this...before sewing them together I took a dart at the "ankle" point.  Then sew the foot pad on as normal.

Does anyone knnow of someone who would knit for the bears?  I would love to have some hats, sundresses, sweaters etc. for my bears.

I bought a book by Ted Menten...Teddy Bear Studio...that gave me the courage to start designing my own patterns.
It has basic patterns and shows you how to make them any way you want.  Also has a lot of instruction in other areas of bear making.
I would highly recommend it!

I did trim the fur but I guess I am just not strong enough to use the cotter pin joints...I will try the bolts!

Patience is what I am not full of!  You'd think after raising four children I would have lots of it but no....

Thank you Sue.  I am sure I would not be happy unless I took him apart and redid his joints.  I even thought of wrapping yarn around the joint to tighten it but I just could not even try it!

When you finish a bear and see something that should have been different do you take it apart and redo it?  I finished a bear I really like but the legs are too loose...I tried to tighten them as much as I could but I think they should have been done with bolts instead of pins!

OK, I would sure love to see one made from beginning to end...every little step!  How fun would that be?