Welcome to a new week, dear friends!

On Saturday we had a workshop to make the new panda, Lun Lun.  It was a lovely day, made all the better by the wonderful ladies in class.  I have been so busy lately that I haven't even shown you what Lun Lun looks like.  Here she is.

Lun Lun will be available as a pattern/kit shortly.  There will also be another workshop on 3 May.  At this time it is fully booked.

In class on Saturday we encountered a polymer clay glitch.  Some of the clay we baked turned out fine, other pieces were brittle after baking.  Since we all used the same batch of clay, and everything went into the oven together and baked for a good long while this has me scratching my head and feeling quite frustrated.  

Two obvious reasons could be clay that was not conditioned properly, and oven temperature that is not consistent.  I've just ordered an oven thermometer online, as soon as it arrives I will do some thorough oven testing.

In the meantime I need to take my frustration out on something.  This doll head has been standing on my worktable for months.  I can't stand its silly face.  

I'm going to take a blade, carve off his nose, and start over. Sure to make me feel better.

What to look forward to this week - another installment of Project 52, and if I have time, a photo journey of my polymer clay Easter bunny making project.

Update 10pm.  Mud man had his nose and upper lip removed by scalpel.  Then I reshaped his head and started over.  Four hours later we are back where we started, but this time I'm much happier with my efforts!

 

Project 52 - Miniature Bear Making - #5

Left foot, Right Foot

When a teddy bear's footpad has a regular shape like an oval or round, there is no definite left foot and right foot when you sew the pieces together.  If the legs are evenly stuffed it doesn't matter which leg gets attached on the left or right side of the bear.
I've noticed that sometimes after stuffing, the legs seem to become 'left' and 'right' all on their own.  This is my work method when making bear legs:
Mark the joints on both sides of the leg so that you can decide later which leg goes where. (See lesson 4 for joint marking tips).

Sew the legs and stuff the feet.  Now hold the legs together at the hip, and look at the footpads.  Swap the legs around and check again.  Like shoes, sometimes the shape seems to indicate that there is a 'left' and a 'right'.  By matching them up correctly, the bear's feet will look like a perfect pair.

With this little Angus, swapping the feet around did not make much of a difference.

This one does.  Feet on the right are definitely the better choice. 
Now I will pull out the threads marking the joints on outside of the legs, and keep the marks for inside legs.  I'm ready to joint the legs, finish stuffing and attach the legs to the body.

Yargh!  For this bear I used a piece of vinage cotton fabric from my stash.  It frays like anything.  Look at the mess.  Closing up the openings neatly is going to be difficult.  In lesson 8, I will show you how to avoid this happening. 

This is my book page for lesson 5.

A while ago I mentioned that we would make a pair of spectacles for Angus.  Coming up in lesson 6!  If you have a completed head for your bear, you will be able to make a pair of spectacles that is a perfect fit for Angus.

In this miniature bear making series, we are using the Angus pattern, which you will find in my Etsy Shop, and on the Tin Soldiers Website.
I have made a few page templates if you would like to copy mine, but it could also be fun to make your own.  Every week, you will find printable templates for Project 52 HERE .

Lee sent photos of her Project 52 book.  I love the 'label' idea, and what a beautiful colour scheme!

Project 52 - Miniature Bear Making - #4

Mark the Joints

One of the fiddly parts of miniature bear making is jointing.  We will discuss various jointing methods in a future post.  For now, let's assume that we are going to use split pin joints, and that you have a pattern that has the joint position indicated, as Angus does.

When marking the pattern pieces on to fabric, be sure to transfer the joint marks accurately. 

I use a punch or a large darning needle to make a hole in the template so that I can press a dot with my marking pen in exactly the right spot.  You all knew to do that, right? ;-)

So the groundwork is done, I marked my joints accurately on the wrong side of the fabric, I sew the bear together, turn it, want to start jointing... and the dot is impossible to spot through the opening on the side of that tiny little limb.  Darn! 

Here's a very simple solution.  Before you start sewing the pieces together, grab a needle and thread it with brightly coloured cotton.  Sew a tiny X over the joint position and leave the ends of the thread hanging on the right side of the fabric so that you can pull it out later.  This simple trick saves  lots of aggravation.

This is my book page for lesson 4.

In this miniature bear making series, we are using the Angus pattern, which you will find in my Etsy Shop, and on the Tin Soldiers Website.
I have made a few page templates if you would like to copy mine, but it could also be fun to make your own.  Every week, you will find printable templates for Project 52 HERE .

Yesterday, Aurora visited the studio and brought her book to show.  What an inspiration.  She is a mixed media artist extraordinaire.  All her pages are planned and the backgrounds are filled, just waiting to add each week's lesson in.  There are bits of fascination on every page, I could play with it for an hour... cartoon strips, a page from her grandmother's ID book, cotton strips, images cut from posters and packaging boxes, bits of wool and paper napkins... 

Can't wait to see more of Aurora's pages, I will have to hurry up with the bear making tips.  If you have made a page or two, we would love to share them.  You can send photos to me at megbear99@gmail.com, and I will add them to the blog.

Good Monday Morning Everyone!
I hope you had a relaxed weekend.  We certainly did.  On Saturday we made polymer clay Easter bunnies here at Tin Soldiers and wow, it was inspirational to see the ladies putting their own interpretation on the theme.

Yesterday I was very good, didn't eat a single Easter egg, and I nearly completed three tutorials for Project 52.  Lesson 4 coming up later today, followed by more this week.

On Saturday 5 April we have the first Panda workshop here in the studio.  I'm starting to panic, she still doesn't have a name!  Anyone want to help me out with that?
There will be another panda workshop on 3 May.  Patterns and kits for the project will be available if you can't attend a workshop.  I'm busy putting finishing touches to my panda, you will see the result in a few days.

Wishing you a super creative week.

Easter Bunny Polymer Clay Workshop

Been playing with clay this evening. Here's a sneak peek at my very simple bunny for the polymer clay workshop this coming weekend. He needs to be baked, and have some colour added, but right now it's beddy-bye time for the big bunny. Sleep tight, dear friends.

From a blog post a week ago, in case you missed it:

Here's a quick note to let you know that the proposed Easter Bunny Polymer Clay Workshop on 29 March has been confirmed.

Here are the bare bones details:
What:  A polymer clay Easter bunny.  Jointed or unjointed, your choice.  Easter eggs from clay if you want to.
When: Saturday 29 March.  Morning 9am to 12, OR afternoon 1 to 4pm.
How: Adults, beginners to advanced.  Sorry, no children.
Cost: R 60 per session, no clay included.  Bring your own clay, buy clay at the studio, or ask Megan to prepare a clay kit for you, additional cost R 100.  There are no workshop notes, you are welcome to make notes in class, and photograph the steps of the project as we go along.
The class will be limited to 8 persons.  There is a morning and and afternoon session, but you need to book as soon as possible to ensure your place. If you want to stay all day, book for both sessions and pack your own lunch.  Teatime treats served all day.