Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

I feel really lucky with my gentlemanly Mousetrap- he always starts his meows of with a sweet little purr: "Mrrrrow?" Very polite and well modulated. 

He's SO sweet! Reminds me of a dark Pooh in shape. 

Holy moley, I just saw this bear on eBay last night! He's in the running for this year's Birthday Bear. What a small world!

Peter, I always LOVE seeing pictures of your bears!

I realized lately how much I've been neglecting TeddyTalk.  My immediate family have been taking turns being REALLY sick ever since the end of Lent, and they've only recently gotten more stable. Now I have a little more free time and a lot less worry, and I'm hungry for some Teddy Talk.  Plus, I'm on the hunt for this year's "birthday bear."

Oh, wow, I am in awe of your giant Steiff! If I ever won the lottery or a giant sweepstakes, I'd buy the biggest cinnamon-colored Steiff that I could find. And maybe a golden one, too. 

That is SUCH a pretty puppy! Irish setter?

I don't have enough bears (or space) for them to have their own room.  Though it would be nice, and I love looking at yours, BlackMoonBear! 

Looks lke he means business! 

Absolutely beautiful!

I'm loving all of these kitty pictures! 

Is this him? http://www.google.com/search?newwindow= … Ibab96M%3A

So pretty. 

I LOVE orange cats! And medium-length hair is sooo nice and soft, without getting as matted as long hair. It's the best of both worlds. 

Anybody remember these?

http://www.abledata.com/product_images/ … 3A0873.jpg

I first heard of Spinoza here on Teddy Talk- he's a big, fat snuggly bear with a tape player (later a CD player) inside him, and a line of cassettes that help children with various illnesses, disabilities, and dealing with grief/trauma. I loved his shape, so I looked him up recently on google, found a used one without cassettes, and then found this video about the company that makes the bears, and the bear's "mission."

http://www.mnvideovault.org/mvvPlayer/c … opup=yes#0

It's amazing the number and variety of people these bears have helped! Terminally or chronically ill children, autistic or otherwise disabled children, children who have lost their parents, or who are struggling through divorce, hard-core prisoners, people in nursing homes. I'm sure most of us are long-time believers in the healing power of teddy bears, but this takes it to a whole new level. The only thing is- it looks like the company that made them has stopped production for some reason. They're available on eBay, but I haven't seen any for sale from websites. What a shame that something that has done so much good isn't readily available anymore. 

Seriously. Poor lady. 

Oh, wow, what a beautiful, regal looking cat!

I just bought some faux fur yesterday to make a rabbit. 

I had a little Manx cat that looked just like this. Super thick, fluffy fur (complete with white "bib"), and she liked to roam in the brush all day. Combing all of the "vegetable matter" out of her coat was a full-time job! 

I darned the holes last night- all five of them. Time consuming, but oddly satisfying.  I used three strands of embroidery thread, since that's what I had on hand and the color matched the fur pretty well. I'm very pleased with the way it turned out- I hated the thought of another favorite bear falling apart on me. I don't think I could handle it happening again! 

This is excellent! Thanks so much!

Some of you might remember my purchase a while ago of a giant Avanti "classic" bear. After more than a year of being my bunkmate, he was looking a little worse for wear. I dismanted him, carefully washed his fur, and was in the process of sewing him back up to re-stuff when I discovered quite a few holes in him!  They don't show on the outside, because his fur is so thick and fluffy, but I'm worried about them getting worse. How do you fix holes in a knit fabric like this, without the repair showing or creating a pucker?

Edited for typo.

Absolutely stunning! Even prettier than an ordinary leopard! 

Wow. Somehow he looks more hairy than quill-y. I was thinking maybe a woodchuck. 

What is that?! 

Awww, who doesn't love ginger cats?  So gorgeous!