Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Daphne, dyed white NZ roving is a pure white. You could try that. I'm out but Miekles carries it. Neysa

Thank you ladies,

Anything I can do to help I'm here. If I don't answer email me. This looking for a real job stinks and is hard in this economy! I don't want to end up at Walmart!

Neysa

Dilu,

you can needle until the needles won't go in. I felt pretty hard, it makes a more stable piece. Getting softer as you go??? Judi any suggestions?

Neysa

Good Morning, I've been scanning posts. Still looking for that "real job". None around.

First photo - batt, second is roving

Simple terms:  Batt cleaned carded wool - fibres going in all directions the best for felting. Althow some wools are too soft to felt. Most "core" fibre is too soft. Use your wool or use Polyester Stuffing that you use to stuff your bear.
Roving -  wool that has been cleaned, carded and combed - this is what spinners use beacuse all the fibres are going in one direction and they can pull off small strands to spin. This is definitely harder to felt

Batt felts easier. Roving needs to be worked with - pulling fibres into diferent directions before feling or felting with layers going in different directions.

You don't need to card your wool batt before use.    A very early post topic discussed this shortly after this needle felting area started.

Does this help anyone?

Excerpt from my book in progress... Felting is sculpting using wool batt or roving. Batt is cleaned and carded wool; the wool fibres are going in all directions. Roving is basically one step beyond wool batt; it is carded until all the fibres are going in one direction. Roving is more often used when spinning.

Carding takes place after the wool is washed, carding is either accomplished with a carding machine, drum or hand carders. Cleaned and carded wool is readily available. If you want to card small quantities of wool try using two metal dog brushes, you need two, to work the fibres back and forth mixing them together. Carding machines and even hand carders are a little pricey. With a carding machine, drum carders or hand carders you can also mix different colors or wools together to create your own blend. 

Neysa

Thank you! The issue includes the pattern and directions to make him and felt his face and paws! Neysa

Shelli, I was felting and I think it was in Teddy Bear Review. I like my bob too...but hubby likes it long. So what else is new ... men and long hair.

If anyone is interested in my Pen & Ink cats email me and I'll send you a PDF of all the latest. Prices are $10 & $15 matted. They'd make great Christmas presents.

Neysa

Good Morning everyone!

Check out the January 2006 issue of TB&F magazine. "Chinese New Year's Dog" page 64. It's my Spaniel with a felted face and paw pads.

Neysa

Matilda, I love it! So will your friend. Neysa

Hi Everyone,

I've been looking for a job in the real world and haven't been here for a while.  No job yet our area is soooo depressed! Wet felting... it's really messy. The comment about the TV show and making scarves and purses is how it's done. Lots of water, soap and friction... by hand or machine or both.

My advice trim those fuzzy's with your scissors and use your wet fingers. Felting is a fuzzy medium. Boy I missed being here!

I've also been painting caricatures of cats to matt and sell.... just another area to be creative in. Like this one.

Neysa

Oil Pastels and Prisma Pencils work great too. So does your wool... using other colors to inhance.

Looks great, isn't felting wonderful!!

Good Morning, I bought eyes from VanDykes years ago when I carved decoys. How about their eyes that light up... wouldn't that make something interesting! Like the old bears with the blinking eyes. Neysa

Good Morning,

I have also found when photographing pink or burgundy colors that if you add something to the picture ... say flowers the camera reads all the colors and most of the time your hard to photograph colors come out truer.

Quality of photo's here is not to clear I pulled them from my website.

Neysa

Judi, thank you, you're not so bad yourself at being a photographer. (my degree is in photography). Sometimes even I can't get the shot I want. Pink is the hardest color to photograph. Having Photoshop or IrfanView helps with correcting colors, reframing etc...

Sometimes I bounce the lighting. I think with digital camera's life is a lot easier. You shoot - download to the computer - view and possibly redo.

(Last mail) The first picture is just natural lighting with a black table cover. The second is using my gray fabric as the backdrop, regular lights above and "true light" aimed at the critter from the side.

See picture here for my simple setup I've pictured to angles so you can see my really ugly floor lamp over my desk. Also my camera flash is on for my inside shots an most important I use a tripod. Neysa

Vicky, welcome!

Star needles felt faster - they have 4 sides with barbs. The lower the needle number the better to start with. Low numbers first (barbs are higher on the needle - for needling deep) Higher numbers for finishing and making your critter look smooth (higher number needles the barbs are closer to the point  for shallow needling). Higher number needles such as the 40 T (T meaning 3 sides of barbs - higher number smaller holes)

Wet felting is aloud. This is what I do when I am teaching classes and making a pin (it will work to for heads, bodies...  I take an egg sized peace of wool roll it around in my hands to heat it up (heat, friction, moisture - wet felting -  causes the wool's natural "barbs" to open and lock together) so does working it your hands; then I place the wool egg in a piece of panty hose, pull the hose tight around the wool and knot it, I then add more "eggs". I put these in with my clothes to be washed &  dried - put in the dryer too (sometimes up to 4 times). I find this cuts out about 20 minutes from my classes felting time. Getting them started faster.

Felting doesn't have to be rock hard, but I feel the firmer your project the longer it will last.

Neysa

Matilda, you can get good photo's without spending alot of money. White poster board to bounce your lighting off of will work too. I like to shoot outside in the morning on cloudy bright days without bright sunlight. I use my black table cover and set up my camera with my back to the sun. I also shoot inside on my work table with regular light bulbs... but the trick is to have a "true light" angled closer to the critter. I'll give you two photo's as examples.

The three critters:cat, rat & pig were taken outside; the group shot inside (this is not purfect but you get the idea).

Neysa.

Marion, what a great bear face, my kind of critter! Neysa

Ginnie, what size needle where you using for the legs? Neysa

Nutella with a spoon, on a banana, French bread.... When it wasn't available here I used to bring jars of it home from Europe. Talk about heavy suitcases. Now my local store carries it. It's pure heaven. My husband won't try it either, better for me! Neysa

Millie, keep her, your her hope for a good life. She's a beauty! Neysa

He's fantastic, I have a hard time shooting some of my critters to. When the colors make it hard to shoot I use IrfanView it is a program that allows you to correct color etc... I know it better than Photoshop. You can find the program by putting IrfanView in your search engine. I have decided that digital is much better than regular 35 mm. My digital has macro capability too, it's great for small critters. It's a Canon Powershot SA 40. Neysa

Julia, yes they are Pabol Eyes. Here's all the info i have

Manufacturer:
NO.43-1, Wan Shou RD., Wen Shan Dist.
Taipei 116, Taiwan
Republic of China
Tel. 886-2-2938-5826 (Rep)
Fax 886-2-2938-5827

Please get us more information if you go there... such as can we order directly, minimum order, etc...  Neysa

Ginnie, the Sculpey parts are exposed not felted. Bake Sculpey first then needle other areas. How about trying another wool or try felting a thin sheet on your foam and  then needle it to the armature???? Tough question and problem. Anyone else??? Neysa

Here are the other eyes they are made in China... contact information: (I've never purchased any from them but have purchased some while in Switzerland one year, they have more than I pictured)..

Mr. Chestin Lu
Lu Enterprises
139-36 58 Avenue
Flushing, NY 11355
Tel. 718 281-4513   
Fax 718 281-4496

Eye size to put a hole through... the smaller the "shaft" on the eye the smaller the needle you use to melt the hole. My 5mm German Plastic eyes have holes in the shafts already. All the German Plastic eyes are that way.

I have an address for plastic animal & doll eyes I'll look for it and attach a picture. Neysa