I am learning to make jointed teddy bears. Although making teddy bears is not so different from making any other kind of softie, it is intimidating because there is a whole huge community of artist teddy bear makers out there and they are very particular about the way these things are made.
There are long, complicated books solely about how to make teddy bears, and active online discussion forums.The teddy bear makers have national conventions and attract some hardcore collectors.
Artist teddy bear making requires some different supplies than regular softie making, including jointing tools like cotter keys and locknuts, expensive fabrics like mohair, and a hard-pack stuffing called excelsior. All this stuff is available through specialty suppliers that sell to the teddy bear making community. It's pretty intense, and pretty cool, really.
One of my teddy bear making idols is Peng Peng. She makes amazing sock monkeys, too. I love that that her teddy bears don't look like any bear I ever had as a child. They are urban and hip and just all around awesome.
For a long time I have sort of avoided making artist teddy bears. It just seemed overwhelming. But chapter 12 in the book is a teddy bear (dang table of contents). Sure enough, the time has come for me to write chapter 12. See what I do to myself? Force myself to figure it out.
And as I start making these little guys I can see how this industry developed. These are really, really fun.
