My Teddy Bears (ckmichaeltse)

My Teddy Bears

The Art

Each teddy bear has a character, which is defined and brought to life by its creator. The key to making a good teddy bear is achieving "balance". For instance, a minute difference in the separation of the eyes could make a huge difference in the way the final teddy looks. Often, with everything else almost identical, a very minor difference makes the whole bear look so much better and appealing. Attending to details is important: How much hair to remove from the mouth area, how far the two ears should be placed apart, how wide (what pattern) the nose has to be stitched, how deep the eyes should be pulled inward, etc.

The choice of material and stuffing is also important. Wood wool and cotton stuffing give completely different looks. Thickness of threads, colour matching of threads, hairs, eyes, etc. would make profound differences to the final products.

I don't normally talk about bears and their artists/brands. So, whether it is a Steiff, Merryborough, Gund, or from whoever famous artist means absolutely nothing to me. In fact, one of my favorite bears is owned by Mr. Bean. It's full of life and character, and its mission is to make people happy.

Genesis Series of Tse's Bears

I made the following bears some years ago, all by hand, and hopefully I had also given them life. I named them Adam, Jonathan and David.

Adam -- Named after the first man that was created. This is a relatively easy bear to make, with cotton stuffing.
Jonathan -- Named as originally designed. This is a full-feature bear, with turnable head, arms and legs. Wood-wool stuffing.
David -- Named after Bible's King David. This is a semi-miniature bear, with turnable head, arms and legs. Wood-wool stuffing for head, and glass beads for body and limbs. The making of small bears is hard!