How to make a Winey Bear

Hi! I'm glad you're here. Ready to get the class started? Great, let's begin! I am so happy you joined me in this online class.

Whether this is your first bear or you have made many, I hope to offer you some new ideas, and I hope when you have any questions, comments, and ideas to share, you'll post them on our message board. Check the message board often for class comments. Through our e-mails and our postings on the message board, we'll all get to know each other and become friends. Who knows we just might meet at a bear show one day!

The first thing I want to tell you is to relax. There's no wrong way to make a bear unless you put the feet on the arms. Now that's a problem! I have been making bears for about 19 years and in that time, I believe I have made over 20,000 bears. I have made them out of every material you could think of and have even made my own material from sheep's wool. We are not going to weave our own materials in this class, but it's tons of fun. Perhaps we'll try weaving in a future class. But I don't want to talk about weaving now, I want to tell you a little about mohair.

Mohair is angora wool that is shorn from angora goats; then woven. At mohair weaving mills in Germany and England, workers wash, card, and weave the angora wool on special looms made before World War II. While angora goats are raised in the U.S., the U.S. doesn't have a mohair weaving industry, because long ago the U.S. entered in an agreement with Germany not to weave mohair. Years ago, mohair was often used for upholstery fabric and for the floorboards of the early cars. Today mohair is most often used to make teddy bears. Mohair has pile and when you work with mohair, you must work with the nap going down. (The nap is going down, when the fur feels smooth to your touch.) You need to be aware of the nap of your mohair when you cut out your pattern pieces, but more about that later.

You don't need to use mohair to make your bear, though mohair is the traditional fabric used for teddy bears. You can use any type of material you would like for your bear. Of course, your teddy bear will look different from a mohair teddy bear, but that's perfectly okay. In fact, changing the material you use is a great way to get different looking bears from the same pattern.

Now I want your read the supply list and all instructions before you begin. Now is the time to make sure you have everything you need. Take breaks as often as you need them. I will be here to help you, so you don't need to feel pressured to rush. Take your time: your patience and hard work will pay off when you can claim this bear as your very own! When you need a point clarified or if you have a problem with a step or if you want to share what worked for you, or just want to say hi,

Now let's move on to the supply list.