Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

That is a great idea, Judi. I will be away for the next week, but I will home again on Friday the 30th and I can help after that.

Sue-Anne, I think of you evertime I hear the news reports of Rita. Take care of yourself, and every precaution that you can.
Hugs, Terrie

Another very worthy cause. At least you can explain to  people what is happening, the poor animals must be scared to death, as well as starving.

28"!!!! Wow that is a large bear! I love his bright eyed "I'll do anything for you" look. He is adorable, Julia.

Marie, my schedule used to be just like yours and people thought that I was absolutely crazy to get up at 5:00 in the morning just to do bears before I went to work but I never once set an alarm clock, and that was always my favorite time of the day.

Now I am extremely lucky to be a full time bear maker. I still get up between 5:00 - 6:00 and I work on bears until about noon. In the mornings I make new patterns, take pictures, make any website changes, work on bear faces and check in with Teddy Talk:) I do all of the hand sewing in the evenings, while I watch TV.

Housework??....you mentioned housework, Shelli:) Any of that kind of stuff gets done in the afternoon but I hate housework and only do what has to be done.

It would be terrible to live in a world without music! I listen to music all day, in the house I have a soft rock station playing and in the car I have a country station on. Then when the kids are home, they have the rock music videos on. My favorite movies are also all musicals with "Chicago" coming in first but I still watch "My Fair Lady" at least once a year.

A friend of mine has a funny story. A few years ago she had gone home to England and on the way back she sat behind a bunch of "really super blokes" who played in a band. She said that they were such a nice bunch of young men and they all had such a great visit on the way home. When her son asked what the name of the band was, She said that she really hadn't asked them but they must have been "The Inks" because the back of their jackets all said "INXS". Her boys couldn't believe it!!:lol:

They look adorable all sitting in a row! What a cute picture!

Louise, it is great to hear from you and to hear that you are feeling better!:)

Wow!! That is exciting!! Congratulations Matilda, Good for you!!!!!!!

That's hilarious!!!!!:D:D:D:D

What terrific news!!! Congratulations, Lynn!!!!!!!!:)

Heather, I buy steel shot at a sporting goods store. You can buy it in 10 pound bags and you can buy it in a variety of sizes. The store that I go to is Wholesale Sports, but I am not sure if they are a chain or not. Walmart in Canada doesn't sell steel shot in bulk. They will sell you shot gun shells but then you have to take them apart and they are a lot more expensive than buying the shot in bulk.

He is a gorgeous bear, Paula, and what a great history he has! That is really something to be proud of.

He really is stunning, Judi. I just love your bears!!

Very best wishes, Jane. It will be nice to have it all behind you. We will be looking forward to hearing from you when you get back home.
Take care of yourself!

Hi Garnet,
I hope Louise is feeling better really soon. If there is anything that I can do to help either of you with your bear show that is coming up or with anything else at all, please call me. I am only about 10 - 15 minutes away. Best wishes to you both.

Sincerely, Terrie

Wow Heather! What a lucky find! What kind of backing do they have? Are they on wires? I don't know anything about them but I sure like the look of them. Good for you, it is always nice to get a good deal!

Welcome Chrissie, I am sure that you will like this group, there is always lots going on.

My, my, my but you have lots of good questions,:) they really made me stop and think!

I have sewn and done crafty things for as long as I can remember. I made my first teddy bears (and dolls) for my children when they were small. After they out grew toys, I didn't have to make bears childsafe any more and that is when I started to create my own.

Iam not sure how long it took me to make my first bear but I am sure that I spend a lot more time making one now. After I make a bear, I put him on a shelf that I walk past often and leave him there for several days. When you put him aside for awhile you really notice anything that may be wrong with him. When I am happy with the way he looks, I consider him to be finished.

Ideas just seem to appear! I find inspiration in people and animals for facial expression and posture, and inspiration in the fabric itself for what kind of a bear it should be. It doesn't get harder at all, in fact it gets harder to find the time to make all of the ideas that are running through my head.

I don't actually collect bears but I do have a couple from other artists that I admire. Mind you, I am a real sucker for the tiny polymer fairies!!:)

I am sure that everyone will have different answers to your questions and that they will all be interesting to read.

She is SOOO cute!!!!!

Kim, I agree with Laura, stay positive, you just never know who is watching your listings.
I had a phone call from a lady last week who wants me to make some bears for her from her Mother's fur coat. She told me that she got my card from a friend of hers and has had it for 5 years!!!

Boy, do they ever sound like an unprofessional bunch! I would think that kind of harassment would turn off more potential customers, than it would bring in.

PS...I am also enjoying all the new phrases in the English language!:)

I don't know if my bears have a certain Terrie Bear look or not, but I just make bears that I like. It seems that if I make a bear that I am happy with, there is usually someone else out there that likes him also.

Thanks Shelli, I  somehow missed this information.

Thanks Marion, I will give it a try.....and it is so nice to hear that you like my bears!

Hi Marion, I am not on your list. I don't know how to make a banner and I am not sure how to link to someone else's site. They all look great on your webpage and I would like to put everyone on mine. Help!