Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I just loved working with this gorgeous kid mohair!

Thank you, Susana.  And YES, aren't textiles just the most amazing inspiration sometimes?  There are so many terrific ones nowadays.  Makes me wanna take up quilting, actually. 

Awesome!!

I was inspired by a really cute abstract poppy print, lots of red and orange and black on teal-green, for my releases this time around.  It's fun to begin with a fabric that way!  I also gave mug rugs and fabric rose brooches a try because I'm finding myself increasingly in love with fabrics of all kinds.  We'll see how they're received by my collectors; fingers crossed. :)

Hope you'll pop by my website's AVAILABLE page {http://www.potbellybears.com/p/available.html} for a peek.

Thanks for your interest!

Thank you Ekaterina & Richard.  I appreciate the kind words.

As in "Mr. Fox."  :)

Available on my website now.  I hope you'll stop by for a look at all his photos; there are lots more.

I LOVE these.  So clever!

Thank you all!!

Sweet GERT landed on my website today at noon; she's brand new.  Her wee brother CHIPPER has already found his forever home.  I hope you'll pop by to meet these two scruffy siblings!

Just popped in to my former favorite online teddy haunt for a visit, and saw this thread had some recent posts.  It started in 2005 -- wow!

I have to say, most of these first bears are really amazing and all of them have a naive cuteness and simplicity about them that makes them really lovable.  You should all be so proud.

Someone should start a thread for "First bear, most recent bear."  It might be really fun to compare how far even the newest bear maker has grown.

Thank you all so much!  It's always a special pleasure when a bear is great fun to make, teaches me something new, AND pleases people.  I really appreciate your kind compliments.

Just posted to my website.  I hope you'll come by to meet him!

They're really fun, these pincushions!  I surprised myself with how much I like making them and try to fit one in between every 2-4 bears.  This one will be shipping to a supremely lovely collector in the northeast US later today!

Thanks for the nice comments.  This was a fun one to make so it's gratifying to hear she's also well-received.  She's going to a really wonderful collector on the east coast.

Thank you so much ladies!  I'm really excited this guy goes to a long-time and very lovely collector overseas.

Thank you both! 

I like this fur too, Debora, and actually originally planned to rough it up and distress it, but just couldn't mess up it's prettiness in the end.  I don't usually do pastels but you're right, it's fun to work in soft color.

Thank you both!  Valentine's Day does lend itself to a pretty & feminine color palette, doesn't it?  I had the perfect creamy little glass stand to suit that whole red/pink/white V-Day thing, which was lucky for me.  D, you should try a pincushion some time.  They're really satisfying -- I'm loving learning embroidery to decorate the little cushions -- and take about half as long as a bear, or less.  Which isn't 10 minutes or anything, but does produce a slightly quicker turnaround; that's satisfying in itself sometimes.

I really appreciate the supportive words, gals.  Thanks again.

Thanks for the kind words, ladies, and for the encouragement.  It's good to be making bears with joy and enthusiasm again.

Superbio.  That's like "superb" but  with some Harry Potter-type magicalness thrown in.  Of course, magicalness isn't really a word.  But this bear has a lot of it anyway. 

This guy is awesomesauce on fantastatoast.  Seriously.  If that actually existed, this cat would be it.  I love your kitties.

My love affair with pincushions continues.  This is my first ever miniature rabbit and I think he's a charmer and hope you do, too.  I made his little heart out of Paperclay.  He's available now in my Etsy shop; there's a link under my avatar.

I invented a new eye technique with Juliet, and I'm really thrilled with how it turned out.  She wears the cutest little ruff.  It's hard to let some of them go...   She's available now on Etsy; you can find a link under my avatar.

I'm super excited about this guy; he features a new elbow joint design and cute trapunto felt pawpads.  He's available in my Etsy shop (link under my avatar).

I think it's so costly because Robert McKinley was a genius with Paperclay, because it's out of print, and because it's one of the only books out there just on Paperclay (that I know of, anyway).  It's got some good tidbits and pointers.  I'd offer to copy it for you -- it's quite thin -- but, ya know, that's illegal and all. 

;)

I'm glad to have been of even a little help.  Enjoy the learning curve.

Eek!  And I just found that book for you on Amazon, used.  I feel the need to say that while yes, it was a pricey book when I bought it, I did not pay $400 for it, or anything close to $400 for it.  Criminies.

http://www.amazon.com/Sculpting-Dolls-P … 0916809781