Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

Hooray for you, Bev!!  They're so cute!

Debora

Bravo, Daphne!  :clap: I have a hard enough time making siblings of my work (three's my limit!!). I can't imagine making six exact replicas...of something someone else drew on paper. You did a brilliant job bringing that idea to "life"!  Can't wait to see Mimzy on the big screen (or at least on my little TV in the commercials).

WA-HOO for you!!
Debora

Hee-hee!  Thanks for the giggle, Diane. I have to laugh at myself because I didn't think I quite remembered how to ride this ol' bike. I was thinking about embroidering the nose before I actually started, and I couldn't for the life of me remember whether I started with the thread coming out at the bottom of the nose or the top!  I soon remembered the crazy way I embroider the noses, thank God. 

Thanks for your nice comments--I'm so glad you like her!  :hug:

Debora

What an interesting thread! I was born in 1968, and my name is pretty common: Debora. My mom picked it out of a baby book; it was listed as the English spelling of the biblical name Deborah--just drop the "h"! And no one can seem to spell it. 

My dad always jokes that he wanted to name me Marcia...Marcia Mellow...yes, that's a play on marshmallow. Silly ol' Dad! 

Debora

Melissa, I have been praying for you and your mom and grandma since you first posted. I'll add your sister to my list. I'm glad you've let us know so we can be praying for you and your family. Let them know for us that we're all pulling for them!

Big hugs,  :hug:
Debora

Ha, ha, Jenny! I can just see a row of bear heads on jam jars, just staring at you, wondering why you haven't bothered to finish them.

Whoa--17 pieces for the head? That's amazing! Now you really must finish it and take a picture so we can all see it! :photo:

I have a book of ideas that I've had for, oh, seven years now. I haven't done everything in there; only a fraction has come to life, really. But then, I have difficulty finding time to work on bears at all after I'm finished with my "day job."    Some day I'm sure I'll be fighting my way through an idea, and I'll think of you with your 17-piece head and Jane with her complicated open-mouth design...  Thanks for the inspiration!

Debora

This thread is so intriguing. I just know I'm going to do the same thing as you, Jenny and Jane: fight my way through!    I recently went back to a head I had given up on while I was making a panda about four years ago. Its nose was embroidered and it had a mouth...but I hated it and cut out and sewed another head for the poor panda. And now I've picked up the abandoned head and redone the nose, ripped out the mouth and given it another, added the eyes, and even done some needle sculpting and shading.  Hope it'll look cute when I'm finished--but it's just a head now with no body, sitting there on a spool of Mastex upholstery thread, staring at me while I eat at the dining room table. 

I'll have to remember you all when I'm designing. I am so ready to do that, and yet I have so many bears ready to work on that I can't jump into designing just yet. I did redesign a foot pad pattern this morning and cut it out of felt. Oooo. I know--excitement! 

Debora

Oh, Judi, thank you for your kind comments!  :hug: I'm so touched!

You all are making me want to forget about making dinner and get right to work with the fur. 

Debora

Wish I could come too! Maybe some year... I hope I hope I hope. It looks like a fabulous show, and I sure would love to meet other TTers for some fun. Those I have already met are such neat people--and I'm sure those I haven't are, too! 

Debora

Melissa, I will be praying for you and your mom and grandmother.

Big bear hugs,
Debora

Julia: Thank you for your kind words about Geneva. And you're right: I'll always remember this bear because she'll be going to live with Logan.  Thank you for keeping her in your prayers.

Louise, Kimberly, and Shelli: Thank you for your nice comments. I really do value your feedback and will certainly need it as I move forward and make more bears!

Bear hugs to you all,
Debora

Update: I handed off Geneva to Logan's grandmother tonight. She loves her!  I'm just thrilled. She is so eager to send Geneva to Logan.

For those of you who haven't heard the story, here it is in a nutshell: Logan will be turning 6 years old in a few weeks. She got sick last spring with severe bruising and extremely low blood platelet counts. The doctors aren't exactly sure what's happening; she's been tested for all sorts of things! She has a blood test each week, and every so often she has a transfusion when her platelets go too low.   Her grandmother, a dear friend of ours from church, commissioned me to make Geneva for her to give to Logan for her birthday to be a companion for her. I was honored to do so! Thank you for praying for Logan when you remember to.

I hope to get a photo of Logan and Geneva at some point. When I do, I will share it with you (if her parents give me permission).

Bear hugs,
Debora

Yes, I mean it when I say your bears are lovely and you should do a show. Now, go get busy, girl! 

Hugs!  :hug:
Debora

Thank you so much, Marion and Kimberly!  :hug:  :hug: I appreciate your comments so much. This will help me be motivated to make more bears!  :teddybear:

I'm also touched because you all--everyone who has posted--are so talented and make such fabulous bears.  It's so neat that we can come to Teddy Talk and share our creations, ideas, frustrations, and joys.

Bear hugs to you all,
Debora

Oh my goodness, Kimberly. I just took a quick peek at some of your 2006 bears on your site--whoa, girl! They are gorgeous!    And your needle-felted mousie is adorable. You have nothing to worry about if you display work like that at a show! Even if you don't sell much, the feedback you receive is so helpful, and the collectors get to know who you are and will look for your creations. But you know, I really do think you would sell a lot, unless it's a very slo-o-ow show where people didn't bring any money (which happens sometimes). It's just such fun, that you should go and enjoy yourself. And maybe there will be TTers there!

Big bear hugs and a nudge to do a show,
Debora

Oh, thank you so much, everyone! I'm thrilled that you like Geneva.    :hug:

Oh, Aleta! Thank you for your sweet comments--and that push to create new things!  I need pushes every so often...so keep 'em comin'!  I would love to see a picture of Little Miss Goldisocks in her home with the Queen of Silly. I don't like the photos I have of her, and I'm sure she's much more content living with you in your lovely dwelling.

Lisa, I love that Geneva is a special name for you!  And thank you for your kind comments about Geneva. (You can see a little more of my past work on my Web site, but it's rather a spare site right now.) I have been admiring your work,  and am very happy to see that you had a fabulous time at the Disney World show and in your travels in the U.S. I grew up in Anaheim, California, home of the original Disneyland, and even worked there for two years while I was in college. It's dear to my heart (yay, Mickey!). 

Melissa, Danni, and Julia: Thank you so much for your comments. I think the consensus is that "soft" is an apt description for Geneva.    I'm so glad you like her!  :hug:

Oh, Wendy!  :hug: Thank you so much for your kind comments! I would be honored to have a Crew member living in Oz someday--and Perth, to boot!  You are so sweet. And I'm glad you found my site easy enough to cruise in. I often wonder about it, and of course, I have plans to make it "better" when I have time.  That really makes me laugh. Time? What's that?

Thank you all so much! I am so touched!    :hug:

Big bear hugs,
Debora

Marie, I will be praying for your mom and your family.  :hug:  I know it's very hard when someone you love is sick. I hope your mom is eating lots of fresh vegetables and fruit--and potatoes and rice--so she gets lots of vitamins and minerals and nutrients to get her strength back.

Have fun at your show, too! 

Bear hugs,
Debora

Happy birthday, Wendy! Hope you have a wonderful day!    :bday:  :cake:

I was born in 1968, so missed the special numbers you're having fun with...but this is one not many people can claim: I was born in 1986 and I graduated from high school in 1986. 

Bear hugs,
Debora

How wonderful that Miss Maggie is wearing your friend's christening dress. She is sure to make a special heirloom even more special! Precious bear, Aleta!

Bear hugs,
Debora

Kimberly, she is simply adorable!  You must make more like her and fill your table, and the collectors will be abuzz! "Bear people" are such fun to talk with, and you'll have a ball (though I know nothing about the shows you mentioned--I've only done three myself!). Clara is a cute name. Kind of reminds me of Cora, the lady who lived next door when I was little. She and her husband were like grandparents to me. But I digress. Make more, my dear! 

Bear hugs,
Debora

Well, if the photos are any indication, your work is great!    Thanks for sharing this fantastic green-eyed guy with us. 
Debora

Well, everyone, here I am, sharing my very first bear in the showcase section! I hope you like her. Introducing Geneva (Geneva was my grandmother's middle name). This is the second completed bear in a series of three Genevas. She is about 11 inches tall. I can hardly believe that this is the first bear I have completed in three and a half years. I'm so glad to be back working with the fur and floss and fluff! 

I hope I've uploaded the pictures correctly. Please let me know what you think about Geneva. You can see a little more about her on the "new Crew" page of my Web site: http://www.geocities.com/new_avenue/newcrew.html.

In my introduction in the New Members section of Teddy Talk, you can read the background on who this particular little bear will be going to live with: Logan.

Thanks for visiting! 

Bear hugs,
Debora

You will have a blast, Judi. "Bear people" are so wonderful and fun to talk with. I exhibited at my first teddy bear show in 2001 at the Nevada City show, and all I can say is wow. I did two very small shows after that, and then I went into hibernation, but I would REALLY like to do a show next year. My husband loved the Nevada City show, too, so he would love for us to do another.

Have a great time! 
Debora

Hooray, Danni!  I was so thrilled to read the article and see your lovely bears featured. You must be so excited!

Bear hugs,
Debora

OH, Marion! Charlie is just adorable!  I love your red bears--which you dye yourself, don't you? Amazing. His style is really fun, too. He kind of has an "old toy" look about him with his different style limbs. And your noses are fantastic. (My favorite picture of him is the last one on your Web site: his profile view in the tea cup.)

Keep them coming, Marion! 

Bear hugs,
Debora