Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Hi Shelli and Amanda
When you lay patterns on the diagonal it is called the bias.   Great for [INVALID] full chiffon and silk skirts....but maybe not for bears.

When you go to stuff you will have parts stretching out that perhaps you don't want.

There are ways to protect yourself from too much stretching.

One way would be to cut muslin pieces on the straight grain and then do your bias pieces on the mohair.  Take some "quilter's spray adhesive" easy to find in fabric stores or Walmart.  Spray the muslin lightly and then lay your mohair pieces over the corresponding muslin piece.  Then sew as usual.

The muslin will protect your mohair from stretching out of shape when you start stuffing. 

The quilters basting spray is a very light adhesive that is used to hold all 4 parts of a quilt together so that it can be more easily pinned and sewn, or quilted.

It wont affect the texture of the mohair if you use a light amount.

Hope this helps answer a question or two....I can see the advantages to a bias cut on parts of a bear, like the two side head pieces for really fat cheeks.  or just a tummy piece for a santa fat roly poly....its worth a try to see how it would come out.  If I were to deliberately to this I would not use the muslin.

When you start sewing with a bias piece that you haven't backed with muslin handle the piece carefully....no pulling or stretching.  However if it should stretch when you pin you can finish your pinning and then use your steam iron to steam heat shrink the stretched parts back in place

This will only work if you haven't washed and machine dried your mohair....then the shrinking has already taken place.

OK

Now get back to work Dilu!   Some people will do anything to avoid doing housework-

Thanks Kim

I've been wanting to change my jointing on the little gollikins and bears-

Dilu

Daphne-you have no shame.....I really like that in a bearer!

You made me laugh

I'll add my voice to to yours

Are you listening INTERCAL good people?

Black for gollies and the wonderful browns for other critters-

And for the quirky:  colors    COLORS   yayyyyy colors!

Dilu

P.S.  Sue Ann do THEY read the site? 

Hmmm  Marie,  the HMS Pinafore? 

Thank you ev eryone for the links.....I am going to try them now.

Thankl you for the kind workds also,

MJ I don't recognize your avatar, so then I look and see 10 posts. 

Thank you for joining us, and hello.  I'm glad you are here

DiLu-subdued cuz am not quite awake....yer......need coooffeee

Poor Nanc

How awful and incredably frustrating.  Thank goodness they can reconfigure and clean you up.....well not you but your computer.

I wonder about the files you are backing up- will they be safe.  We have experienced that some of these annoying things, like aol for instance, attached to files that had nothing to do with the internet and corrupted those files.  Ouch.

I am really glad you are still under warranty-

Hope it only takes the one night cleaning.  would hate to loose you for any extended time.

Take a deep breath, and remember you really saved a lot of us from the same program.  My hun had been looking into a spyware program-now he is thinking more seriously about problems.

Good luck

Dilu

Here is my latest gollywollikin-  he's cute but he needs a little toy boat....I think......

I did a web search but am just flogging around in the world wide muck---does anyone have a good source for accessories and such for dolls and bears?  (needs to be an e-source)

Fine point?  OHHHHHH that would be tooo tooo coool.  The way I go through black wool and mohair......I really am grateful for this ......but it's not a fine point.  It is so much easier to use than the chalk pencils which I thought was pretty good.

Now that I know there are fine points I will begin the quest.....to dream the impossible dream.........

Oh 2  inches long.....still goes.....see above.

Dilu

How long is that fur?  3" ? does it come in black.....oh oh oh

yes.....I would LOVE to have some for gollygeewhizzikins hair!
If it comes in black....

Now you didn't say what it was like to work with....was it difficult like really long ugh Synthetic?  Or was it ok like good mohair or was it worth the trouble like recycled fur?

This is an important consideration.  Also whats the backing like?  Is it a nice tight weave?

OK so to sum it up:

I would use it for golly hair in black no matter what....hard or easy to work with

For bears I would probably use it if it wasn't aS UGGY synthetic.

Hugs to you and Intercal!

love the bear-too too cute...

Hey Intercal people- I'll make a sample golly for you if it comes in black!

Dilu

Yeah Winney- I use it alot on my wool and angora sweaters.....I figure, (who can understand my logic) if it works for relaxing my hair, and making it smell good why won't it work on Lamb Chop?

(Also my theory behind how I treat mohair.)  Hey but the closet I store it all in smells great!

Eileen, I laughed so hard....honey.....busted.....yep!  been there and had to tap dance a wee bit with my explanation.

I try really really really hard to be good.  But it is soooo hard!

I mean. so you get a color you don't have, well....don't you need the thread and who knows what size you'll make so shouldn't you have a wide variety of eyes, and what about nose floss, and felt well....It would be like buying a special occassion dress without the shoes and panty hose, and

well  I think we all understand your situation......

and you are right...sitting on the floor surrounded with all that exciting stuff.....better than Christmas because its stuff you really needwant!

Hugs guys gotta go honey came in with a box from Wisconsin.....can hardly wait!!!

Dilu

:D

I got a new Sharpie marking pen, its called metallic silver, It gives a real clear smooth line on the back of black mohair and, unlike chalk,  it is totally smooth- also it is permanent.

Just thought I'd share- for anyone who does dark furs.

I gave one away-now I need to buy some more-

It's like lipstick-  you find a color you really really like anbd the next time you turn around its been discontinued.....

I treat sewing supplies like lipstick- if I really-love-it-can't-live -without-it- I buy a lot. :lol::lol::lol:

Dilu

Good Luck to you Hayley....last time I thought I'd stay away I ended up getting on around 1AM PST. 

My honey said....'who are you kidding?' 

Soo god luck to you.... we will miss you though.  Miss Penny is in Spain and I wonder when she will get back too......

Don't stay away tooooo long

Dily

hI Daphne

Love the pics.  My husband sees them all the time on his hikes- but I don't see them very often....and I wish they would visit....

When they uh water....it keeps the deer away from the flowers.

Just when I think I have one the deer wont eat.....boom....gone

So far Lavender is OK  they leave that alone.  My deer love petunias though...so it was nice to see yours....also is that nasturtiums- oh darn.....I've tried 4 different spellings-none look right!

I've printed up your pics. cuz I am sure honey never got to see a bear water the garden!  Fulfilling a much needed service your guy is!

Hugsandthanks

Dilu

Paula,

Off topic, but every time  I see your avatar I smile....he is so cute.....and I am very partial to kitties.  About a mile from us is a wildlife refuge for "The Large Cats of the World."

It is fun to see the big kitties....they take them in and rehab them
and then try to place them at zoos, or keep them if they can't, but at least they are safe and cared for.

Dilu
( shhhh don't tell anyone.....but yours is cuter!)

Thank you Judi....I would never have thought to do a bio

Hey Winney......race ya to the bio page......

Dilu

Thank you Daphne and Jane.....I do have serious asthma that I keep in  check rather religiously...I had no idea, andlast night ordered some from Edinburgh.... :lol:

Hmmm......I was going to split it with a friend...guess she just got a windfall.  We were just going to use it for noses....I don't think we could make enough bears if we did one a day for the rest of our lives and use it up.

Thank you so much for the heads up....you can not possibly know how grateful I am

Dilu.....sigh....3"....

Eileen

I am absolutely brutal to my mohair.....I figure if it is a hot house flower it doesn't belong here....only room for one hot house flower in this house....ME :lol::lol::lol:

I have taken sparse that I got on sale and washed in hot and dried in hot and got it shrunk up to nice fluff. 

I also add hair conditioner to the final rinse....It makes the smaller bits and pieces  easier to turn....especially the small bears that I tend to make...

No, I use whatever hair conditioner is on sale....nothing special.

Since I never buy mohair that isn't on sale, I figure I can play around.  I saw some yesterday on the other site in So. Cal, the one that starts with E

black 3" mohair.....OH what glorious golly hair it would make....3 inch....but  $308.00 full price and the sale....not so good....but 3inch golly hair...sigh

I'm kind of like Nancy....what would happen if......:rolleyes:

Also since I never know what I am going to do with the mohair...well except the dedicated golly hair...(3"!) I can adapt patterns for what it seems the fabric will do.

3" ! Maybe  when things get quiet around here I can drop some hints.....

I love playing with dyes and colors and even the koolade colors.  So if I have a piece that is going to be abused that way I then I give it a rinse in hair conditioner afterwards.

I also use hair conditioner if I shrink up a sweater a wee bit too much...pull it and stretch it and let it dry....it really helps.

OK

I blather on too much

probably because I can not get over that  3"  mohair. :/

sigh 3" sigh

Winney- go to the bear page and read what people who have bears you like and admire write.....then get over being bashful....then I hope its ok to be quirky.....I have had more hits this time than I did last November....when I did not have any

This time I'm up to 12...sigh.....:(

But 12 is better than none...big breathe  :)

We have been brought up to be modest and not toot our own horn.....welll, honey..... now is the time to toot away!

Dilu

Thank you Paula.....http://cakewalkcreation.com/

Hmmmm  not sure if I sis this right.....some of this stuff is still pretty new.....

Thanks Paula

Dilu

let me try that again-isn't it supposed to be blue?
http://cakewalkcreation.com/

Hey!  I did it!  wow....:D:D:D   Can you tell it was my first successful?

ok ok get a grip.....don't let them all know you have never ever really grown up......

Dilu

PS  I am about 2 hours away from the closest Michaels and JoAnns- so do I just google shrinky dinks?

Is there a special name for the tag type?

Yikes I would never have sent out a quilt without a label, and here I have been sending out gollies not even thinking about it....

honestly.....

Someone needs to get her head out of her....uh......tushtags.

I am sooooo far behind the curve on this.....I haven't even cruised over here before now.....but

WHAT ARE SHRINKY DINKS?

do you write up what you want on the computer?  Is there special software or do you use your own?

I'm sorry ladies.  Trying to get caught up in a hurry

Dilu

Shelli how is it possible you are so beautiful!  My goodness....and that wonderful spirit of yours shines right through those beautiful eyes.  I am glad you get another night.....I hope for more...

Dilu

Has anyone tried out the new sharpie silver pen, supposedly for writing on dark stuff?  I confess I haven't opened the package yet....but I did wonder.....Oh well

Di

Rita, this is the most perfect rose I have ever been able to grow-It is a Mr. Lincoln, and the fragrance is heavenly-

I wish I could send it to you.....or bring it to you......but thisis close as I can get.

Dilu

Rita-listen to your doctors and nurses.  I am so glad all went well......wonderful.....Seeing you post again is wonderful too...I can't find your e-mail, please send when you feel up to it and I will email the baseball cap to you- nope- did not forget you!

Get well, you sweet thing you, and know that all your friends here are delighted you are doing well!

a not so exuberant gollygeewhizzikins hug to you!

Dilui