Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

LOL Shelli! That helmet really suits you....eeek! (Bit of trivia - did you know that viking helmets never really had horns?!)

I'm fascinated by family history and have done a bit of digging myself. My Uncle started me off. He told me that we were descended from Anne Hyde, Queen of England. I scoffed a bit at that because it's the sort of thing most people would like to hear! And I haven't traced the family line that far yet. But I did find out that the Hyde family (my maiden name) has a rich history in our local area, and there's a farm just a a few miles away where two Anne Hyde's lived (one was nearly Queen, and the other was Queen of England in the early 1700's). So who knows???? It might be true!

There's just got to be something wrong - though for the life of me I can't work out what that might be! The seller has good feedback. The photos are comprehensive. The listing has had over 3000 visits. And while the seller doesn't explicitly say 'this machine is in working order', just one or two of the accessories alone would be worth more than the selling price! The buyer (a newbie, with no feedback) is in the US and obviously thought it was worth the shipping costs. Wouldn't it be great if we could find out what happened next?!!

Oh my...that poor seller! They've been on eBay a while too, so you think they might have known to put a reserve on it. And it was in the UK (kicks self for not seeing this!).

Great photos, Fran! I love family history. You can never be quite sure what you'll find out...!

I found out a while back that I'm sensitive to alpaca :(. It made my skin all blotchy and itchy, but luckily it wasn't bad enough to stop me finishing the bear I was making. Some mohair and other fabrics make me sneeze but it's not too bad.

Howard is delightful - he looks like an intelligent bear with plenty on his mind!!! And the fur is wonderful too  :thumbsup:.

Gina & Kathy, I love your snow pictures! I wish I could send one in too, but we still have no snow here.... 

I really like the snow Shelli, but as you say it can entail a lot of hard work! It's an unusual winter when we don't have snow for a week or more, and there's nothing nicer (for me!) than to wake up to a crisp new fall of snow forming a white blanket on the ground...(where's that cocoa?!!!). But my love for it can turn to hate when it becomes slushy (yuk!) or after a day or two when it freezes and forms a layer of ice (aargh!). Both can be very dangerous and slippy underfoot.

My theory about the UK - we have very defined seasons in general, and are pretty much used to a small amount of all types of weather. Especially the rain! So we get used to it and generally ignore it, and are not best equipped for it when it happens. Now, in places where it snows a lot and it lasts for a long time, well they seem to have all the proper equipment, don't they? Proper snow shoes that help stop you sliding, properly padded outerwear to keep you warm...etc. Here, we put on our anoraks and reach for our umbrellas and we're ready for anything! Or so we think, hohoho :lol:

I will be interested to hear from others about this

Hi Estelle, thanks for the compliment  :redface: :)

Like many people here I use a lot of the sassy bears fabric, at http://www.sassybearsandfabrics.com/fabrics.htm . It's the smokey long pile halfway down the page. I've also been using some of the sassy long pile, the next item down. Stephanie, who lives in the States and is the owner of that site is on this board, so she might be able to help you regarding it's availability in the UK. I have seen it being sold on eBay UK from time to time. But I prefer to buy it direct using my Paypal account to pay for it. The service and delivery times are excellent!

But if you are wanting to pay by cheque, then I'd definitely keep my eye on eBay! It's usually in the artist bears section.

I can't really provide tips, Shantell, because drawing a pettern is just that for me....I just sit down and draw it! I was discussing this with a friend recently (who incidentally is a writer and very creative) and when I explained that I can transform a 3D image to 2D in my head she looked at me as if I were some kind of alien!!!! I realised then that this isn't something everyone can do. I honestly didn't realise it before!

So I don't follow any rules. I draw freehand what looks best to me, add darts where I want 'chubbiness' and the proportions (head to body to leg/arm length) are not precisely measured in my bears. Of course, I don't usually get it right first time and the patterns are constantly being tweaked :D, but this part of the fun!!!

By the way, I like the sound of the flexi ruler. At the moment I make my first pattern out of thin card and just bend it along the various seams (head gusset, for instance) to get the correct fit

Hi Stephanie Mattie is just adorable and it's no wonder he won so many awards :love:. I can fully understand your excitement!

I've seen the frosted long pile on eBay, and have been sorely tempted to buy some. I didn't realise it was you selling it (duh!) because I haven't seen it on your site yet - I'll look forward to buying some! I've been playing with dying the sassy white fabric - succeeding in producing a hot pink that I'm going to use in a panda, but it isn't 'frosty' like yours. It was good fun to do though!

I'll look forward to seeing your fabric on eBay again....  And more of your bears!!!!

Helena

PS I forgot to say, how much I love your fabrics (is it obvious?!!!)!

Wow! Leo has a fantastic smile and I love the way you've done the eyelids. Excellent job!!!

Good advice, Sabine!

Is it just coincidence that the PhD's so far have been biology related?!!! I have a theory (discussed with colleagues a few times!) that science is, or can be, a very creative process. So maybe it's no surprise that some of us have a science background  :).

I don't think about my qualifications too much these days - they opened a few doors and closed a lot of other ones in terms of jobs. I enjoyed my last job (in Industry) but can honestly say I'm much happier now, raising my daughter, looking after the family and making bears! And the education I had equipped me for life in many ways, not just in terms the subject I studied. I might go back to it sometime....but not for a while! 

It just seems that however early we have snow forecast in this Country, we are still not ready for it! Gina, I think you are very wise not to venture out....for some reason we don't seem to have that attitude in the UK. And it leads to all kinds of problems (accidents, cars being stuck etc etc).

I visited Texas a loooong time ago and remember it raining....and everyone stayed at home! It was so quiet on the roads! (Why would that be?!) Anyway, I thought at the time they have a more cautious approach to the weather than we do.

Gosh Kim, I just can't imagine 24 inches of snow. A friend of mine in Wisconsin sent me a photo of her house once....well, actually it was more like a snow drift! You could just about make out the shape of the property. With an ice tunnel leading to the door. Brrrrr!

Oh well, I think we in the UK need to get used to it, because the winter is only just beginning! 

Oh, that sounds great Sophie! And what a great dad you have for telling you about it! I'll have my fingers and toes crossed for you... :lol:

As for running your own lab....you never know....it might happen one day!

Dilu - I'll have to remember that one! MTV for geriatrics!!!! 

Oooh, 6 inches of snow sounds like a lot, Daphne. I can imagine how lovely that must have been on Thanksgiving Day! A covering of snow makes this time of year seem magical doesn't it! But I'm kind of with you Marion....I don't like going out in the snow, having to get somewhere, travelling and all that. We've had a lot of dense fog recently which was an interesting driving experience (so many drivers forget to put their lights on!!!).

Anyway it looks like we've escaped the snow in this part of the UK, for now anyway. But forecasters are predicting a cold, cold winter. Brr.

Parts of the UK have had snow, and my daughter was told to take wellies, hat, gloves etc into school today if it snowed. Well, she was so excited and woke early this morning to look out of the windows....but there was no snow! We had tears! Awww....

But for me it was a relief (nothing worse than trudging to school with bags of stuff and an excited five-year-old in tow  :D). And I've just heard on the news that there's major incident in Cornwall/Devon where vehicles are trapped by the bad weather. I hope everyone here on the group is ok, and really hope that the situation gets better very soon.

Hi Sophie,

Well done! I'm glad you are happy with your test grade and hope it helps you with your future plans! :thumbsup:

I understand what you mean about the need to specialise. Do you intend to run your own lab? I did my PhD in microbial genetics, moved to a biochemistry lab to purify animal proteins and then took that experience to an immunology department (to isolate an interleukin-type protein). Then I moved to industry to run a team who were developing assays. In my case, the wide range of techniques/applications I was familiar was a huge benefit. But to stay in academia for the longterm would have meant settling on a particular project, and to be honest that's not something I wanted to do.

Of course, I wish you lots of success and hope you are able to find the job of your dreams, or obtain the grant money you need! Let us know how you get on! 

Sophie, good luck with your job hunt  :hug:

Are you also exploring jobs in the pharmaceutical industry? Hospitals? What about moving sideways into other disciplines? I've worked in departments of genetics, biochemistry and immunology and found a great deal of overlap.....and I learned SO much! I'm a bit of a 'jack of all trades' LOL (master of none!) but sometimes that's a good thing!

Wow, Anne! So beautiful, and the newly married couple are sure to be delighted with them! I love the way you dress up the box too. Very cute 

Anne, I just e-mailed you - been wondering how you are but I guess there's smoke coming off your sewing needle at the moment! It's a busy old time of year!

aww, he's a sweetie Amanda! Love his little eyebrows - they give him a very cute expression 

Helloooo, Danni! Good to hear you're busy making bears - that's a great reason to be busy!!!

Well hopefully the people committing this kind of fraud won't get very far, because they'll be reported to eBay once they've been found out. Incredible though, isn't it?!!! 

Ooooh, enjoy them Dilu!!! You got me thinking about Ritter Sport and I checked the chocolate section of our local supermarket yesterday when I was shopping, but couldn't find any. They do stock it on occasion. I'm going to keep looking, because now you've reminded me.....I can't stop thinking about it!!!