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Irene Aug 25, 2006

Hi dear all   Here are some photos of the shulte factory in Duisburgh city. It's a long trip from our home,980 kilometers, but i had a very good time there. It's only the outside factory and the inside of the room where they stock the for sale mohairs. Unfortunately, we couldn't saw the inside because they allow visits just for groups who booked a day . that's say, of course it's a dreamland for a normal bearmaker because you can see all kind of mohairs and wool and synthetics fabrics. I also send you a pic of the 13 meters of mohairs that i bought :dance:  :dance: Now, i don't have any excuses to do not work for my next exhibits. Have all a good day,Irene

Jennie Aug 25, 2006

Wanna se the picture!!!

MerBear Aug 25, 2006

You are so fortunate to visit the mecca of our dreams! I get most of my mohair from them - I'm fortunate in having a German friend who is also a flight attendant and she brings directly to me! I'm so spoilt I even have their sample book  :dance:

Marion

Daphne Aug 25, 2006

OMG...... I'm jealous!!!!
I'd felt as if I'd died and gone to heaven!!!
Just LOOK at all that scrummy yummy Schulte fabric!

Could you go back and get me a piece of that dark colored mohair that's on the left in the next to last picture you posted? 3 meters would be sufficient!  :crackup:

Thanks for sharing pictures you lucky lady!

Tracy Aug 25, 2006

Oh my!!! :dance:  :dance:  You lucky, lucky lady to visit there!!!  I would have needed a drool bib......I'm drooling now just from the pics!!

matilda Aug 25, 2006

Thirteen metres???? did you win the lottery possum????WOW oh WOW!!!!
Wendy

K Pawz GuestAug 25, 2006

great haul!!! and what an amazing trip you lucky girl!!!!

Hugs,
krista

Irene Aug 25, 2006

Daphne, you sure have" the eyes" because this one is stunning . Halas, i didn't yet won lotery, othervise,guess what i would buy the most??? Matilda, i was a good girl belong the year because i didn't bought so much things. So, hubby decided to make me a gift by making this trip to German. They only sell by meter. I was so excited, just like a little girl saying: i want this one, and this one, and this.... There's another room full of wool and syntetic wich i don't use. They also have a furnitures room and magazines. :hug:

bearlyart Aug 25, 2006

Wow Irene, what FUN!   :dance:

I would have been the same way... I want one of those, and one of those, and one of those, oh yes and some of those...

Can't wait to see what new bears you make with your beautiful fabric!  (Love that batiked looking one on the bottom of your pile!)

Bear hugs,
Kelly

Stellajella Aug 25, 2006

Irene, great pix!
I was there last year, it was like christmas and easter and birthday all in one! I was so overwhelmed that I just didn´t know what I wanted.
And yes, the dark one Daphne likes looks yummi! 

I know a very nic lady who makes lovely teddies and lives in Duisburg, wonder why she still hasn´t moved in with Schulte  :crackup:

...looking forward to see the pix, Irene!

Gaby

Daphne Aug 25, 2006

OK, guys I really want some of that dark curly yummy mohair.... it's killing me! I just drove to the grocery store and back and kept thinking about that fur!

Anybody know what it is?????????????????????? Schulte, I know, but beyond that???

lapousmor Aug 25, 2006

I wish I could do the same trip!
But I would need:
1- to have a lot of money to spend in mohair
2- a big storage room to put all the mohair in!

So maybe it's better to be far from them.
Malko has got some family in Frankfurt, but that's still a bit far from Duidsburgh!

I am so happy you had a great time and that you could afford to buy so much mohair. Have fun making new yummy bears.

Beary hugs,
Sophie.

Bonnie Aug 25, 2006

Oh, ho ho! Lucky lucky you!!  You came home with only 13 meters?! Wow, all that beautiful mohair to play with. I'm so jealous. (Where is the 'green with envy' smilie?)lol 
How hard was it to choose without wanting one of everything?  Oh you will have so much fun deciding where to start with all that yummy fur. I'm happy you got to go and  thanks for sharing !  

jenny Aug 25, 2006

Irene..I have been thinking of doing this trip...are the prices less than shops...or do they just have more to choose from?

rkr4cds Aug 25, 2006

Yes, the prices are much better from the source! Not to cut out our suppliers here, but if you're anywhere near Duisburg you should call ahead for hours.

I visited every April for 6 or 7 years, in connection with exhibiting at Teddy Bar Total, as part of the Artists for Artists Tour. We had a personal tour inside - FABulous! We saw the whole first floor production line: weaving the nap between 2 backings about 4 - 5" apart, cutting the nap into the selected length(s), dyeing and a room full of hugh piles of bundled string mohair. Before dying it's all white and is rolled up into bundles 4 - 6' wide, depending upon how much nap was rolled to the inside. 

I thought I took pics but DH says no, we weren't allowed to do that. Perhaps it was at the Lesch eye 'factory' Iamb remembering. Both of these are in residential areas. It's an awesome thing to watch the coach drivers maneuver a long, tall coach for 60 ppl into place through the narrow streets and into parking lots like this one behind the apartment buildings & businesses.

We were not allowed to view the second & third floors at Schulte- that's where the various finishes are applied to the yardage, the processes that open up the strings and create matted/feather/swirly/etc finishes. 

The outlet part of the sales is in this 'garage' building in front of the white car. It's like you would see in any US area of townhomes or condos/apartments - a row of single garages for each dwelling. Schulte's is double wide and entered just around the cormner to the left of the car. The rest of them are just out of sight along the right side of the picture. Those double doors facing you on the left with the poster on one is a smaller storage space in which they put out a selection of sandwiches and pop for us. There are also boxes of scraps and end pcs in that area that were free for the taking, though we were careful to not look like The Ugly American and take too many.  Obviously with the limited space, only a very small percent of their extensive lines were there for sale, but no one went out empty handed! we would visit on Friday afternoon, on the way to set up at the show and usually saw other Teddybar Total attendees there too, like the Norberry's from England, who'd driven over (or is that under??!!).

We all went through the outlet and marked down which bolts we wanted and then waited our turn until one of the employees could follow us around and tear off the amounts oin meters that we wanted of each fabric. I'm very happy to have seen the production line, though as a miniaturist I must say that I didn't purchase very much there.

Carolyn Green Aug 25, 2006

Irene you are so lucky and what a great trip you must have had!

I love the mohair you have chosen - such lovely colours.
We now look forward to seeing your bears - that will keep you busy for a long time.

Hugs
Carolyn

sandi Aug 25, 2006

What a wonderful treat your husband gave you.   I would have a very difficult time making a decision.  I like the mohair at the top of you pile.  13 meters  Your husband really does spoil you.

Sandi

bearlysane Aug 25, 2006

OMG! OMG!

You know what I said about receiving a parcel from Intercal .....

How would I be at the Schulte factory?

I'll leave it to your imagination  :crackup:  :crackup:  :crackup:

LUCKY, LUCKY, IRENE!

Hugs,

Stellajella Aug 26, 2006

Jenny, not only are the prizes less but you hav an unimaginable range of mohairs and plush to choose from! It makes my mouth water just thinking of it 

Gaby

Irene Aug 26, 2006

Bobbie had explain thinks very well. I tried to choose the mohairs that's fit my designs, but of course, i would have choose many more if i had more $$$$$$$ Gaby, does she have a website? I already used 2 of my choosen mohairs for 2 biggest Floppy serie. Here are photos. It very nice and fun to read all of your messages. Thank you for your interest. :hug

Eileen Aug 26, 2006

:crackup: I would have needed a drool bib......I'm drooling now just from the pics!! :crackup:

Me too, Tracy--I keep having another look at those pictures, and I think I'm turning into Pavlov's dog!

Irene, you're soooooo lucky (green with envy smiley).

And your bears are wonderful

Is there any chance that the tag on Daphne's mohair is readable in your original photo?

Marie_ Aug 26, 2006

You are so lucky & your bears are fantastic !!
I'm so jealous for your 13meters of mohair!!!    he he

thanks for posting !!
hugs
Marie

Jellybelly Bears Aug 26, 2006

Irene you lucky lucky thing!!  13 meters!!!!  Sheesh, I just got an order with 5 meters and I'm in heaven, I can't imagine what you must be feeling!  Love those bears too 
I loved what Marion said about it being our Mecca lol
xx Sarah

Daphne Aug 26, 2006

Is there any chance that the tag on Daphne's mohair is readable in your original photo?

Ooo, Eileen, Great idea!!!!!!!!

Stellajella Aug 26, 2006

Irene, your teddies are lovely!

Eileen & Daphne, I can see getting FBI and CIA involved with their techniques and possibilities  :crackup: - poor Schultes, this is the moment, when I´m glad that I´m so far away from them 

Gaby