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For artists and collectors sponsored by Intercal...your mohair supplier and Johnna's Mohair Store
:redface: I did forget the thingy--need I add more evidence of my absence of mind? 
The person below me is dying fabric today, and making an unholy mess!
Cool topic, Dilu,
I'm making a mohair bearsuit/bunting for my first grandchild. I've got 8 weeks, and the Mom & Dad can't decide between polar and grizzly.
I"ll post a pic when finished 
Guilty on both counts! :redface:
On an ideal day, I steel myself to clean the bathroom, but once there I forget why, and treat myself to a spritz of "Happy" instead.
Hi Amul--
All my bears start out looking like dogs . . . very upsetting, until I realized that their heads are really very similar!
It helps to study pictures of skeletons and skulls.
Right now I'm making a white rat that (so far) looks more like a polar bear.
:dance: Bingo!! :dance:
I've got two, a Jack Russell and a Border Collie!
JUDI ALERT--watch that litterbox snacking!! Our Jack Russell developed a lump of litter in her digestive tract after too many years of this habbit, and it took 5 enemas to clean her out
Definitely good advice!
After a few wrong-size disasters, I keep a stash of joints in all different sizes.
Even so, I sometimes need to shave a bit off the outer rim to get the right fit.
I'm working now on a design for a bear standing on all fours . . . it's been through many revisions, as I experiment with balancing the bulk between body and shoulders/hips. I wanted him to look shouldery but not hippy--smaller discs in the forelegs and larger discs in the hind legs did the trick.
He's gorgeous 
I agree--you don't want to lose that unfocused slothy look. It's essential.
When I have trouble designing a body, I usually look for pictures of an animal's skeleton. It really helps me to get the proportions right to see the relative sizes of the bones and how the beastie is "hinged."
Looooved the slothlets--now I want one 
Wow, nice work, Natasha--you're really branching out!
The more skills, the better
I've only been at it for 2 years now, but I'd love to be fulltime!
Right now I'm selling enough to pay for my ads and some of my supplies, but my tutoring has to pay for the rest.
Since I have only a few students this summer, I've been able to experiment, concentrate on new designs and improve on some old ones---it's bliss to be at it almost all day!
It's very expensive in the beginning, when you're building a stash of mohair and other supplies and not selling much. By now, my stash is big enough that I think I can cut back on the tutoring a bit.
I had so many students last winter and spring that I 'bearly' got to my critters, and rarely had time for Teddy-Talk. It was awful.
I really admire those who can juggle young children and/or jobs and still make bears!
Gutermann is made in Mexico? Aaaaarrrghh.
Still, I use it all the time now. It's the only thread I've tried that doesn't break or snarl. I use it for basting--pulls tight without snapping--and hand sewing, even on 4"-ers. It also works really well in my sewing machine.
For needlesculpting, I use artificial sinew. Sometimes along with wood clamps!
Bobbi's right about quilting thread--I have a lot of it (once and future quilter) but it won't take the stress of tight stitches and stuffing.
Dilu's the expert on sewing machines . . . she might know how to solve the bobbin problem.
Thanks, Sarah--so true! I'll be doing a fair amount of babysitting, I hope, to help keep the new Mom and Dad sane, but there's no question I'll be ready to hand the little angel back sooner or later!!
Patti--you've got two months more experience than I have at this potential grandmothering. I'm sure I'm suffering from bloat and morning sickness!
Late February--right around the Dad's birthday on the 28th and the Mom's on the 15th! Another Aquarius, I guess!
I think I'm suffering sympathetic pregnancy symptoms.
Yes your babies are forever your babies--even when I look at my almost-30 daughter, I see her as infant, toddler, little girl, teenager, the whole thing. Drives her crazy.
Hang in there, Aleta--I'd just about given up.
:crackup: You're more centered than I am Penny--I admit to some major tantrums over noses! 
Jared and Shane and Judi are right--some days are just not Nose Days, or Ear Days, or Footpad Days, and some are. I've learned at last to recognize these, and I think it's made me much more efficient--certainly more even tempered.
The one thing I can always do right is to start a new project!
I like the new category.
It signals official sanction for our personal support of fellow TTers who are suffering or worrying--or even rejoicing over an incoming grandchild!
Although his support means a lot to some of us, it just annoys others. Now that they can just ignore the category, there's no excuse for the kind of cynical and grouchy posting that's meant to hurt instead of help.
Chloe,
I've given some synthetics a soak in warm water and fabric softener to make them more manageable--sometimes the undercoat is a bit tangled.
I've also used this method to help change the direction of the fur--I just combed the piece gently in the other direction and let it air dry.
This wouldn't work on a finished specimen, of course, but it's great when you don't have enough fur going in the right direction to cut all your pieces!
She's precious, Gail
She looks very happy indeed, and seems to have a loyal hairy guardian--at first I thought I was looking at a mop, then a teddy, but I'm only on my first cup of coffee.
:hug: :hug: To your brave daughter!
:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: Thanks, Everybody--you're wonderful! :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
I'm sure you're right, Brenda. It'll be "Are you OK, Caroline my darlin'? Yes? Fine--just hand over the baby!"
My first and (so far) only piece of maternal advice was, "If they offer you drugs, TAKE THEM!" She'd already figured that one out!
What a great feeling . . . anyone have tips on making the world's most amazing childsafe bear?
:dance: :dance: :dance: Huzza
:dance: :dance: :dance:
I thought it would never HAPPEN, but my Sweet Caroline is expecting a baby in February!
My baby is having a baby, and happy as I am about having a grandchild, I'm more concerned about my little girl.
Is this normal?
WOW, Kimbers--just let me know if you miss SNOW, and I'll send you some!!
Don't despair, dear Aussies! I just received mine in Toronto, Canada. It's worth the wait.
:dance: Congratulations, Tami . . . and Good Luck, Shari! :dance:
So true . . . I couldn't stand to spend eternity without dogs and cats. And rabbits and rats. And selected people.
Actually, I got kicked out of Sunday School at age 10 for objecting to the teacher's idiotic statement that animals have no souls. I said that if that was true, I didn't want to go to Heaven. I spent the rest of the hour fuming in the cloakroom, though I was supposed to be thinking about my dreadful blasphemy.
Researchers are still in the early stages of admitting that the "other animals" reason and feel . . . .duh. Some time ago, they discovered that Rats giggle when tickled. Who doesn't? Recently, they've discovered that Rats also weigh the odds of getting a treat when they're not sure of the right response. Double duh.
'
I love your signature too. We can learn a lot from our precious fellow travelers. I love my dogs because they're so good at living in the moment, and I love my cats because they seem to have lived forever, and know what really counts--good food, clean fur, a sunny place to nap in, getting your own way, and having someone to cuddle when (and only when) you feel like it!
Karen, your friend's experience sounds agonizing--she was very fortunate to have a friend she could trust with her personal burden. I'm sure you've been a great comfort to her!
He's PERFECT
Did you say "fingers"? No wonder he took so long. I'm on my third try with a mess of delicate little raccoon fingers.
Pat,
Gentle surface washing will do no harm to the fur, but wetting the pelt might make the fur fall out. You could try a very mild shampoo diluted with water, and use a cloth or a brush to clean the fur without penetrating to the pelt.
I`ve had great results with wood alcohol (methyl hydrate from the hardware store--not the rubbing alcohol diluted with water). I`d try it on a small piece first, but in my experience it cleans very well without harming the fur or drying the pelt. I`ve experimented a lot. A year later, bits of fur that I left to soak overnight are as soft and pliable as those I just surface-cleaned. I`m sure there are many reasons why this shouldn`t work, but it does!
Another possiblility is bran. You can buy it in bulk from the health food stores, put it into a large bag along with the coat, and tumble them together until the bran absorbs most of the gunk. Messy, and not completely effective.
