Mink Teddy Bear

I finished my mink bear...finally...and was able to deliver it to my collector before Easter, though I did work on it right up to the time we left the desert for Easter with our daughter. I was so glad to get rid of that bear.

I've already told you that taking the coat apart was a messy job and seemed to take forever. Fur was flying everywhere and making me and the pups sneeze...definitely an outside job.

I was so afraid of making mistakes so it took longer to make. It was my first real fur bear, it wasn't my mink, and I was so afraid of ruining the fur. Real fur must be lined so cutting a cotton version of the pattern is necessary. The cotton lining provided support for the very fragile pelts.

Nancy Tillberg was encouraging and nudging me along. She finally told me to stop worrying about making mistakes and get over my fear of working with fur. I was mostly worried about sculpting the fur on the snout. I have only ever scissor sculpted but this time I brought out the electric clippers, closed my eyes and sculpted. It actually turned out pretty good and I was quite pleased that it was smooth, even and no cut lines were visible.

Would I do it again...yes, absolutely. While visiting the Central San Joaquin Valley over Easter I picked up a couple of jackets, one rabbit and one mink, from a high school friend. The next one will be easier I am sure.