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Wellcome to my blog

My name is Martina Staniek, and I make OOAK (One Of A Kind) Teddy Bears and other soft sculptures.
I also knit and crochet - i always on the search for those very diffrent and fantastic pattern.
Last year i learned to Spin, and now i also create wonderfull and unique yarn.

I would like to introduce to you my creations and keep you updated with other happenings which are important to me.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact me.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

New teddy is on a good track !

 

the new one is far from finished, he still needs a face, and 1 paw and 1 sole needs to be worked on
and the back is not closed, just pinned.

BUT i had to have a look, and i need to show you the results so far :D

He can stand :

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he can sit

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he can be on all 4

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even his bumm looks kind of ok, does seem to be a bit shifted to the side though …
needs some investigation :D

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and he can lay down !! :D

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for those interested here a few steps :

i traced the sewing line with running stitch, and also the line where i want some hair to be after cutting the soles.

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then i cut on the hairy side, all hair on the seam allowance, right to the showing red stitches.
which means, i don’t need to pull any hair out of the sewing line after i am finished :D

and then i cut the centre free from hair too … right to about 1 or 2 mm from the sewing line

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here i helped myself a bit and taped the hair out of the way, same as here i did with the back part too.

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and then i prepare the pads i am sewing in there - i like to stitch the edge on so i don’t have the fiddling around when i sew them onto the fur.

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then i just placed them onto the shaved pieces and sew them on - don’t forget to leave 1cm open so you can stuff them a bit after turning.

sew the pad into the foot, turn the whole thing …. stuff the toes and the sole, close the gap and of course the toes and sole will be a bit sculpted too :D

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this teddy i also tried the first time with screw and lock (?)

which means, i couldn’t stuff the leg, (arm) close it and attach it then to the body….
i needed to partly stuff it, attach it, hold the end of the screw with one hand, and fix the locking item with the other hand. fiddly stuff …

and THEN i had to finish stuffing and sew the opening … and THIS i did not like a little bit.
so i thought, i need to fix this screw somehow, so i can close the gap before i attach the foot.
which looks like this.

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to hold the discs and screws in place for gluing i attached the other disk on the outside

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and this are all the secrets i found out so far :D

thanks a lot to the more then friendly and fast help from the artists in my forum :D
it is in German, but those of you who speak German, i am sure you will like it there :)

Friday, February 10, 2012

Problems with my blog ?

 

is there anybody who has problems with my blog ?
I was informed by one lady, she keeps getting removed from my blog friends list.

If you also have experienced problems, could you please let me know ?
I need to find out if there is something not working right, to fix it :)

Thursday, February 9, 2012

I found an amazing tutorial

surfing around again i found an amazing tutorial on how to make your own doll eyes.
made from polymere and fimostuff and paint !

i linked it in paint draw model - links

The first tests with pulled toes

yesterday and last night (yea again a sleepless night) i was working on a arm and a leg.
Sadly i was reading at Joanne Livingston`s blog AFTER i sewn the first patches on … oh well :D
But, i think i am on the right track.
Using my loved cheap faux fur I made a arm - the picture doesn’t really show the failure. the toes pads are to small … but i got a second arm to make, so nothing lost yet.
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The leg is not so bad… it does look like it is not flat enough, but this might be because the hair are so thick.
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and i do like the toes, even when i didn’t do them right :D
They are about 3mm around smaller then the foot sole, so they are to small.
Again, i got an other foot to do, so nothing really lost.
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i got the body and head cut out already, just some sewing to be done … “just” :D
so either later today, or maybe tomorrow i show some more pictures
Depending when i hit bed….

Sunday, February 5, 2012

a LOT of news today :D

 

because i was so lazy the last couple of days, i have a lot of different things to tell you today.

first … on Facebook i joined a pay it forward 2012 - and i got my first present :D
such a lovely see maid ! thank you a lot Fiona for this lovely maid :)

and just look at this amazingly nice embroidered nose !!
and to felt this glittering wool must have been a horror !

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next …
i NEARLY finished my first proper OJOS DE DIOS !

i cut some of the copper pipes to shorten it, the whole cross was original 100 cm, now it is just 70 cm.
i made some epoxy modelling mass blobs on the ends, which needs some working on before i can finish the whole thing… but - i don’t know yet how i will do it ..

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IF i am really bored, i could sand them smaller, so they would be just a bit bigger then the pipes … HUGE amount of work involved :/
or, i just paint them black and wind some black wool over the pipes to the blobs …
wouldn’t look as good, i think, but who knows … so … i just have it standing opposite of my working place, and keep looking at it :)

AND SOME MORE ! :D
you know i am trying to work out a new teddy pattern, inspired by Joanne Livingston…
it is in no way easy for me …

and in between those frustrating boring steps, i need to do something else too …

so i did some felting again :
a little kitty, 6,8 cm without ears
even the eyes are felted here, the tail got a pipe cleaner inside to curl around.
i tried to make a little Siam cat (are they called Siam in English too ?)
but i don’t really like the blending of the dark wool on the nearly white wool … it looks messy for me.

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and a little bunny … 3.4 cm :D with a little heart
this one worked out quite nice … not even fussy

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and now back to the annoying pattern designing :

I don’t even know what i want to make … i don’t want a copy of her bears … i don’t want a really realistic bear - yet - but i want to try this spine thingy :)

i for sure lack the talent of some of you teddy artists, to imaging a bear, and transform the picture in the head to paper, and this actually looking then like imagined :D

i can’t even do it with a picture in front of me … i really lack those skills … so i draw something, sew it, fill it … look at it … dislike it … guess what to change to look more appealing, draw again, sew again, stuff again …. look at it … and so it goes on and on …

and then i hit the point, where i see something which for sure is not right, but i have no clue how to change it :(
luckily i am member in a nice forum, where i can scream for help :D

AND i am a absolute talent to do the following … again and again and again :
can you spot what i did ? :D

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of course i did the same also with the feet, i had 2 rights again … *slap myself*

first try :

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iiiikes … the whole thing is a LOT to small :D

next try :

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there you go … the size is about what i was aiming for …
BUT … i thought - the head to big, the neck to long, the feet to short (the 2nd try of feet that is - the right picture) but - the fore foot started to go into the right direction *YEA!* :D

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BUT - what about the sole … it is not supposed to bend upwards … here came in the end after a few tries the scream for help in the forum … i need to sew the solution.

You can see .. i am helpless .. i tried to make it a bit higher on the top and added a bit on the bottom …

actually i also made the leg a bit longer … with a frustration result … you will see in a bit …

drew a smaller head, a smaller gusset, a bit shorter neck

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and that is what it looked like :
Ignore the fact it is not even placed please .. i did just some quick hole punching :D
back so far ok … i think …
On the side you see the problem with the longer feet .. they are to long now :/

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BUT i can use the arm straight … when it is sitting … and i can turn and bend it to be used as a fore foot when on all 4 !! (as soon as the back leg is shorter again :D )

AND the whole thing can STAND UP ! *clap hands*

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even when now the head is to small for my likings .. .guess the to big one was just about right :D

so i need to draw the whole thing - well not the whole thing - again - with *list*
shorter legs again
adapted fore foot
bigger head again
and to try i will make the sole a bit wider altogether and specially a bit more wide and square at the toes

i should try to make a spine wire to see if the neck is ok, to be able to bend up (back?) when the bear is on all 4 … i “think” it needs a little bit less on the back … so i bend it forward when sitting, and bend not so much back when on all 4 …

and i think i give the arms a little bit of a bend, this totally straight arms look … terrible !