Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Sandy,
So sorry to hear that Magic did not make it through this horrible ordeal.
Donna

Daphne,
Try using polyester stuffing.  I know others that have used it and it seems to work just fine.  Everything I have is off white, so I am no help.  Are we having fun yet????????
Donna

Heather,
I'm being nosey here.  I love how you did the needle felting around the eyes.  Are the whites of the eyes needle felted also?  How did you get the color to match, did you trim fur off the mohair to needle felt?
Donna

Jane,
I am so sorry to hear about Holly.  You and Holly are in my prayers.  Keep us posted on her progress.
Donna

Tracy,
What a wonderful gesture, you will reap rewards for this!  One thing our family did in the past was to pay bills like gas and electricity.  We were in a small town so the pharmacist let us put money towards drugs that were not covered by medicare.  Food managed to make its way into the refrigerator and cupboards.  It won't be anger, it will be embarrassment.  You just keep doing what you can and don't worry.  Do you have any friends that know of jobs for Dad?  Hang tough, you will all come out on the other side of this problem stronger people!
Donna

Matilda,
I have made egg shells using fimo or sculpty clay.  You can make them any size you want.  I used foil to make the base.  Then you can color them if you want.  You make the little shell for the head at the same time.
Donna

Dude is not a bad thing!  At our house it is Dog.  I think I would rather be a Dude than a Dog!
Donna

Heather,
You did a great job on the fox.  I like yours better than the one on the pattern cover!  It must be the whiskers!  Do you want to share with us how you did the whiskers?
Donna

Daphne,
If you have to do needlefelting on all 6 bunnies you better invest in a needle knob that has at least 10 needles in it to help speed the process along!  I think I saw a knob that held about 21 needles and I thought that I would never need that many but I think you might!
Donna

I agree with Sonya.  Don't replace the bald mohair.  Just patch up the backing, check the stitching on the ears, give new pads over the old ones.  But the first thing is to get rid of the bugs that have eaten it or are eating it.  You don't want them in your new bears or mohair!!!!!!!!
Donna

SueAnn,
You ask for the dimensions of the purses.  They are roughly 10.5x8 and 3.5 deep.  I'm glad Scott saw it as a playdate....I saw it as a workdate!!!!!  I love the waste basket covers and the desk top bags myself.  We didn't get any pictures of those.  My camera was not cooperating and the storm was coming in and I wanted to get home for the dog.
Donna

Shari,
You take care of yourself and don't try to do too much.  The thing you need most right now is rest.   Glad you are home.
Hugs,
Donna

Daphne,
I am so glad to hear your Dad is doing okay!  I have an idea!  Take one of those many bunny heads you have around the house now and put it on a body that is very soft and squishy.  Put velcro on the paw pads and wrap it around your Dad's head when he is out in the garage.  The paws will absorb the blow from the front and the body will help keep his head from bouncing on the cement.  He sounds like what we went through with my grandfather.  Bless his heart, let him keep going and doing as long as he can.  Will keep your Mom in my thoughts and prayers!
Bear Hugs,
Donna

Heather,
That is such a nice note from your co-worker.  When you do repairs or make a bear for someone out of grandma's old coat you are entering their lives in a way that changes you and makes you a better bearsmith.  I think it does something to your soul that is then passed on to your bears.  I know you will do a great job and your co-worker will be thrilled.  Have you ordered your eyes?  They were probably amber in color.  Does your co-worker have a picture of the bear in it's early days?  It might be good for you to see a picture of it before it was so loved.  Will this bear be passed down to the next generation?  Get a good picture before you start work and then one when you are finished.  I find the people enjoy having these.
Bear Hugs,
Donna

Daphne,
You and your Dad are in my thoughts and prayers.  You be safe on that drive to him!
Bear Hugs,
Donna

Glad your doing better.  Take care of you!
Donna

I have been through the Feb 2006 Teddy Bear & Friends at least five times looking for the ad and don't see it anywhere.  Paula, do you have the April issue already?
Donna

Shari,
You are getting great positive thoughts from everyone here.  Try not to let fear creep in with all those positive vibes that everyone is sending your way.  We will all be thinking about you and praying for a good surgery and speedy recovery.  Know that your surgeons hands are being guided by a bunch of bear artists that expect perfection!
Bear Hugs,
Donna

Thanks everyone!
I am still waiting for my copy.  I'm afraid I gave Scott a hard time about getting in the magazine when he didn't even know I had done it. 
Donna

You can also do a sculpting stitch on mohair bears that goes from the outside corner of the eye to the outside stitch of the mouth then back up to the inside corner of the eye.  This gives the bear a nice little poof at the cheek area.
Donna

Bruce,
Are you still hanging around?  I have been doing bears for 10 years, have I been around long enough to recognize your wife?  Tell us more, we promise not to spoil the surprise!  I recognize Lambert as someone who did sweaters for bears.  Several books.  Is that your wife?
Donna

Daphne,
I was just looking at a realistic looking bear that the feet were fantastic, I hope I can explain so you can understand.  Use pink shiny leather for the pads!  You are going to cut the pad out as one piece.  Use the picture you have to make the shape.  Have the outside toe pad touch the side of the back big pad.  Then cut a small slit in the leather between the back big pad and the toes but don't go all the way out to the the edge of the toe so that it stays attached to the big back pad.  You will then whip stitch or blind hem the leather onto the furry foot pad.  You will be stuffing and padding the leather as you are stitching it onto the flat furry foot pad.  When it is stuffed and stitched onto the furry foot pad then you treat it just like a regular foot pad and sew it to the foot.  Ater you have the foot stuffed and are ready to finish the foot you will use pearl cotton to match the brown foot and seperate the toe pads so they puff up.  If you need to have fur in between the toe pads you can cut very thin little strips of the brown fur and tack them so they lay between the toes.  Where you cut the slit between the big back foot pad and the toes will have fur sticking up through that slit.  If the toes are big enough you could cut slits between them, but I don't think they will be big enough.
If you need some pink shiny leather let me know and it can go out priority mail.
I hope this made sense.
Donna

Heather,
Could he be Ideal?  One other thought on the paw pads.  Is excelsior coming out?  If she is not concerned about a proper restoration, you could just stitch a patch over the bad area on the paw pad.  There is also the needlefelting trick but I am not sure I would try it on an old bear.  You put a piece of felt under the hole.  Then take tiny bits of felt and needlefelt them to fill in the hole.  When you have the hole filled in you take your iron on steam and press the needlefelted area to make it smooth with the rest of the felt.  That is assuming that the old paw pads are felt!
Hey, I see the fox!  Great job!  But I can't see the whiskers.
Donna

I have done a few repairs.  First thing I always do is either put the bear in the freezer for a couple of days or put it in a bag with mothballs for a couple of weeks.  You don't want to infect your mohair if there are any nasties living in the old bear.  I am guessing that the bear is not more than 50 years old which should make your job easier.  You can't do sculpting or try to set the eyes deep because the backing may not be able to hold up to the pressure of the thread.  I would use sinew so it doesn't cut the fabric.   If you want to stay true to the original construction of the bear use the cotton eye cord.  I don't like it because it is so bulky but it is what they used back then.  For the nose and mouth, use #3 pearl cotton.  Don't pull the thread real tight, just let it lay nicely on the surface.  I worry about trying to pop a knot through the fabric on the old guys so I usually lock my thread by going back and forth in the head to lock it.   Are you going to replace the foot pad?  I am guessing it is wool felt.  I usually take the old one off and then just ladder stitch a new one on.  You will need to do some antiquing to make it look old.  If you have trouble getting it to look the same as the others it might be easiest to replace them all.   I use tea to stain them.   I have taken them out on the sidewalk and rubbed them on the sidewalk to get them dirty and roughed up.  I had one really old one that I did the tea staining and then put it under water to get it damp then took it outside to the sidewalk.  After washing it, it was perfect.  I keep thinking that I am ruining the felt while I am doing it but if you figure that it has gone through 50-100 years of being loved it has gone through some tough times.  I hate pricing on the repairs.  I am told I am cheap.  To me it is harder to do a repair than make a new one because you are dealing with someones past.   I usually charge between $75-150 depending on what has to be done.  Be sure to take pictures before and after.  I did one repair where about 1/3 of the leg was gone due to moths.  I should have charged $1000 for that one.
Good Luck and learn from the old construction.
Donna

Hi Bruce,
I do the show in Roseville that is put on by the same promoter that does the Puyallup show.  You are correct, it is geared more towards dolls but there is a fair representation of bears at this one.  You could contact Dorothy and find out how many bears are at the show in Puyallup.  A show that is closer to you would be the Lincoln City, OR show in Oct.  There is also a Portland OR show.  I have not done the Portland show myself so can't give input on that one.  Dale from Intercal and a rep from Edinburgh should be at both of those shows.  Bev where are you?  Give Bruce some help with shows in the Washington area.   If you want info on the Lincoln City or Portland shows let me know and I will have the promoters send you info packets.
One of the things I love about the Nevada City show is the atmosphere of the area.  It is one of the shows that if you go you want to try to extend your stay to enjoy the area.   To me the Nevada City and the Lincoln City shows are the ones where you have a feeling of warm fuzzies from all the people attending.
Are you collector status or artist?
Donna