Bears Unique |||
Athens, Georgia
Contact SuBEARstition Teddies for great mohair bears!
I get an idea for a new bear by looking at people I know or meet, from the mohair that I buy, or sometimes they just pop into my head. After having attended several teddy-bear shows, taken a few classes, and subscribed to bear magazines, I decided that I wanted my bears to be unusual--not the traditional-style bears. I also wanted my bears to share a few of our family traits like big feet, big noses, and big stomachs. But the most important characteristic is their smile. With these characteristics in mind, I transfer them to tracing paper.
After the pattern is made I select the mohair. I get the majority of my specialized fabric through the mail, preferring SchulteŽ Mohair, made from the Angora goat and imported from Germany. The mohair is woven into a cotton backing. This fabric comes in a multitude of colors, lengths, and can be sparse, dense, curly, matted--you name it! Sometimes I take a white or cream-colored mohair and dye it with either Rit dye, tea, or, believe it or not, Kool-Aid! Oso Grrrande's muzzle, pictured here, is an example of the Kool-Aid dye-ing process!
I then trace the pattern onto the fabric and sew each body part together. I begin the "bear"thing (instead of birthing!) process by stuffing the head first; then I embroider the nose with perle cotton, an embroidery thread made from mercerized cotton. It is two soft strands, tightly twisted together and thus very strong. The next step is to add the glass eyes imported from Germany. If the ears aren't already sewn into the seam like Pawtrick, I then sew on the ears. The last step for the head is to add a bolt and washer to the bottom of the head and then gather up the mohair and tighten.
Now the head is bolted to the body with a nylon locknut. The arms and legs are also bolted to the body with nuts and bolts and hardboard or metal washers. Next, the stuffing can begin. I use polyfill stuffing for most of my bears. Sometimes I add plastic pellets to the legs and/or body to give them a more relaxed look. The last step is sewing each opening closed and the bear is born.
Some bears get a ribbon around their necks; others get neckties or flowers; while others get accessories. My husband Ken makes these. I give him a picture or an idea of what I want and he makes the accessories out of either basswood or balsa.
The last step is naming the bears and describing each of them. Most of the bears name themselves, but some are a little stubborn, and I have to give them a little help.
Warning: Subearstition Teddies are made for display only. Many of the teddies contain small or delicate parts that can be broken or swallowed. For this reason, these bears should be kept from the reach of small children.
Free Advice: Please enjoy this teddy for the child within all of us.
Bear hugs, Laurel
