The Sewing Place

TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong

Renegade Sewist

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #195 on: July 18, 2022, 22:14:35 PM »
 :bye:  You people do realize what a terrible evil bunch you are, don't you?  There I was, taking a quick little peek on what you can see without signing in, as one does on occasion and I got suckered in and I noticed this thread. This was a day or two after it started.  Well. I found books, many, on bears at resellers and two on miniature bears are due to arrive- today!   :VV: whee. Lovely place, Thriftbooks, free shipping with a $15 order so I needed  (haha) to add a book on watercolor painting.

Hmm. You lot don't know that my mom was a "professional" bear maker back in the day and did restoration on very old bears. I might have one bear she made, they sold fast. I know I have hardware, noses, glass eyes, joints etc for bigger bears but heaven knows where. The fur fabric alas all went shortly after she did.  ;)

As a little tip, my late friend Celia was an extraordinary cloth doll maker, including lots of very small dolls. She taught me a nice trick I'll share. If any of you do really small bears or dolls from regular fabrics or very low pile, like ultra suede, you can machine sew any mirrored parts by transferring half the pattern pieces to part of the fabric, placing two layers faced together and sewing them BEFORE you cut them out. A single hole needle plate is helpful if you are really close to any fabric edges, otherwise a regular zigzag plate is fine. Only hand sew what you have to hand sew unless you really like doing it.

I'm not sure how much I'll accomplish but I do have books to look at.
Hey Bill! Read the manual!  Hehehe.

Flobear

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #196 on: July 18, 2022, 22:25:03 PM »
Great to see that you have been tempted by the bears @Renegade Sewist. Looking forward to seeing what develops  :thumb:
Proud new owner of Elvistoo !!

sewminds

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #197 on: July 19, 2022, 01:41:07 AM »
@Renegade Sewist Welcome to the fuzzy side!  0_0 You're so lucky to have found a bundle of bear books! I'll be forever kicking myself for only getting the one at the second hand store(they did have more at the time, now none) but boy o boy, there's a wealth of patterns available via the net. Do be careful though and read the description. A lot of the patterns by Russian designers are template only, no actual construction info if you're a newbie.

Yes, I read that about sewing the small components before cutting out on the fabric dolls. It looks very handy on the teeny tiny...I'd need to get some tubes to help with turning out. I've gathered some pretty fabrics to make one of my girls a wee fabric fairy for Christmas. (yes my lot are all adults but you're never too old for bears, fairies and ma made) 
This falls into the eyes bigger than stomach category....

Can't wait to see what you choose to make, we..or should I say I will still be here.. I'm choking on the dust these ladies are kicking up while they're zooming past.  :laughing: :laughing:

Oh, and I was chatting to a bear maker/designer about hand sewn versus machine for bears and if she reckons it's okay to use a machine, I will stop beating myself up over the right way and wrong way.. or should I say the perceived right way of making furry hugs. She had to move from hand to machine to try to keep up with orders. I don't want that pressure though.
Sew it needs juice!

Ploshkin

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #198 on: July 19, 2022, 07:01:37 AM »
Hellooo @Renegade Sewist how lovely to hear from you.
I have actually been sewing my miniature bear, definitely by hand.  I did get a bit quicker after I changed to a darker thread because the one I was using was such a good match I couldn't see the stitches.
So far I have done a body, 2 arms and a leg.  It has been challenging.  After stitching the body I decided to make the holes on all the pieces for the joint pins and put a thread marker through so that I didn't have to struggle doing it from the inside when all the pieces had been turned out.
The leg, or rather the foot, nearly defeated me.  Sewing in the foot pad was the closest thing to impossible I have ever done.  I did do it and it looked dreadful so I took it out again.  So, I turned the leg right side out and ran a gathering thread round the bottom of the foot.  Then I stuffed the foot, pulled the gathers up a bit and stitched the foot pad on with buttonhole stitch ( having first cut off the seam allowance).  It looks okay.  One down, one to go.
I'm getting there but this is most definitely the only miniature bear I will ever make!
Life's too short for ironing.

SeamBean

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #199 on: July 19, 2022, 19:08:13 PM »
@Renegade Sewist what a great tip! I make lots of small things and that tip could make a real difference.

Looking forward to seeing what you make!

Ploshkin

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #200 on: July 21, 2022, 11:27:41 AM »
Am I mad or what?

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These are the ears I have just finished for the miniature teddy!
You would have thought that, having grown up with @Flobear , I would have learnt not to go along with any of her crazy schemes, but no, I haven't.

I have sewn together all of the body parts, thankyou @Celia for the whipstitch + backstitch advice, it helped enormously.  I think I will have a breather (of several months) before attempting the joints and stuffing.

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Life's too short for ironing.

Celia

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #201 on: July 21, 2022, 13:57:25 PM »
Looking good @Ploshkin can’t wait to see the finished item  :loveit:

Flobear

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #202 on: July 21, 2022, 13:57:51 PM »
Er, sorry @sisofmine , MY crazy schemes  >:) I do think that @sewminds must shoulder most of the blame for this one.
Those teeny weeny ears are too cute for words  :loveit:
Proud new owner of Elvistoo !!

sewminds

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #203 on: July 21, 2022, 14:44:52 PM »
@Ploshkin  <3 Lookin goooood!!!!  0_0
Sew it needs juice!

sewminds

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #204 on: July 21, 2022, 14:46:07 PM »
@Flobear Guilty as charged!  :*
Sew it needs juice!

Ellabella

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #205 on: July 21, 2022, 17:41:09 PM »
Am I mad or what?

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Yup!

Iminei

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #206 on: July 22, 2022, 08:28:10 AM »
Yes @Plosh
The Imperfect Perfectionist sews again

sewminds

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #207 on: July 23, 2022, 01:36:21 AM »
Ladies... I'm on phone. Can't get on by computer after  :drink: update. Can't even get an email through to webmaster keeps being undeliverable. Just thought to try phone which is obviously fine. Will have to get OH to have a look later tonight.
Keep those bears coming!  :dance:
Sew it needs juice!

sewminds

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #208 on: July 23, 2022, 13:05:50 PM »
And I lost the phone connection right after the previous post. Let's see how long this connection lasts.
Sew it needs juice!

sewminds

Re: TSP's 2022 Bear Sewalong
« Reply #209 on: July 24, 2022, 21:27:04 PM »
Jumping on to say not a lot of progress. Beside myself trying to find a removalist that won't charge the world to get some family items to me. I'm running out of time.  :boohoo: I did have 3 months and then a couple of days later I was told I only had a few weeks. To say I'm distracted is an understatement.

 Have sewn the body together next will be the limbs.

Hope everyone is still plugging away!
Sew it needs juice!