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Nancy D Dog Patch Critters
Titusville, FL
Posts: 512
Website

I checked the library first but didn't see any answer to my question. I have only used the small glass beads as weight in a couple of critters. I sewed them into a little muslin bag first. Now I want to add weight to the feet of a very small cat. The legs are long & skinny. Is it ok to put some glass beads in the feet without enclosing them(the beads) in something? Since the beads are so small do I need to worry about them working their way through the mohair? I have the "smaller than 1mm glass pellets" from CRs.

Swan Valley Bears Swan Valley Bears
Penn Valley, CA
Posts: 1,845

I put glass beads in my bears' feet when I want them to be standing bears.  I just pour them into the leg opening and work them down into the feet. I haven't had any "leakage" problems.

Nancy D Dog Patch Critters
Titusville, FL
Posts: 512
Website

Thanks Patty. This cat is the one that is going to be able to wear Blythe dresses.

rkr4cds Creative Design Studio (RKR4CDS)
suburban Chicago
Posts: 2,044

Press wisps of poly fiberfill in First, pour (either stainless steel or) glass beads in, another wisp, more beads , especially if you intend to bring them up to the ankle area. Layer these 2 until you've filled as much as you wanted.

The beads are 'loose' in there (like the proverbial 'loose cannon' idiom) and will not stay in place unless you have something semi-porous like wisps of filling to compact them into, and second, as you tamp them down to seat them well into place - wherever you push down (as with a skewer or stuffing stick) they'll just rise up around it.

What I'm trying to say is that you can't keep them in place, cannot pack them tightly and cannot make a good transition between the beads and the rest of your filling unless they've been slightly mixed during the bead filling.

This works the same whether you use the stainless or glass, and depending on bead size/paw pad material/etc, you can get a bumpy surface to the paw unless you 'fill in the spaces' in between with wisps.

It makes me think of egg cartons: the container (wisps) helps hold each egg (bead) in place and the whole ensemble makes a flat surface (foot pad material) for it to rest on. Does that make sense??

Nancy D Dog Patch Critters
Titusville, FL
Posts: 512
Website

Great sense! Thanks!

wilma Posts: 51

I once put little glass balls in as weight without enclosing them in fiber or anything and they showed through the pawpads. You could see their shape as if it was a bag of coffeebeans instead of a bear...

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