Teddies World Wide Christmas Show 2013

Now you you can see the preview from the wonderful bears which will be offered during the Teddies World Wide On-line show November 15-17 2013 !!

I am happy to join the show in the miniature category. I have worked hard and proud of the pieces I am going to offer, a few need a last hand..

I also will offer a few pieces under $75.00 US.  Make a Note in your Agenda  15-17 November!! 

My preview piece is finished..  . and now it is time to VOTE!!

This little bear, together with several others, also will be available during the show, selling starts at November 15 and ends November 17, a real heirloom piece for years to enjoy. He is only 3,5 inches tall and 5 way jointed, made from micro fiber, standing on a big thread peppermint candy and holding a big thread candy cane (both crocheted).  The theme of this show is "Holiday Treats".  As this is "The Season to Share"  this little guy is happy to share his treats with you.

To cast your vote, please go to Teddies World Wide website. Please read on the site how to cast your votes. 

Thank you so much!! 

ThReAdTeDs® pattern in latest TB & Friends magazine!

For all crochet lovers: four different thread bears to crochet using one pattern!! The pattern for Nick & Friends is published in the latest Teddy Bear & Friends magazine (December 2013) ! Plenty of time to make at least one before Christmas!! Happy Crocheting! 

Bright Star Promotion On-line show !!

Sewing, , felting, crocheting..knitting...  busy busy..but ready with the special pieces I made for the first  Bright Star Promotion On-line show !! I am proud to take part !!
The Show is open from 6-9 September.

Click on the banner on the right to see the preview piece from each Artist participating. This is my preview piece ROZI which will be for sale during the show.

ROZI

To see what else I have made for the show, I invite you to visit the show on September 6-9. 

Don't miss out!

Opt-in the mailing list and receive a
September Online Show reminder. 

The winner is...

Candance !!

The workshop were I learned those felt techniques was teached by Lisa Klakulak Strongfelt.com!!

Please sent me your shipping address private to threadteds@xs4all.nl and I sent the kit to you.

Thanks so much to everyone who played!!

Holidays.. finally !! and first Blog give away...

Finally holidays are here..and the sun!!  We had to wait long for better weather, but now summer has arrived in the Netherlands too !!

We have not planned any trips, instead off we need to work in our garage, to create for me a little space for wet felting.  Most of you know, in between working on bears, I love to felt as a change..  As the items I felt get more complicated, it also needs more time before I can complete a project. Those unfinished items waiting to be finished do not leave a free table in our house ...

The smaller felting projects don`t give problems..though, I only need a little space for those.
I experiment a little with the techniques I learned in the 3 day class off ..????..  Here some pictures:

Bears in a firm shape with dimension added. I am going to ad more accents with embroidery..

The right paw pad is felted from merino wool only, the left pawpad I added a little nuno felting.    

It is so much fun to play with those new learned techniques ... working out an idea for my next project already.. 

To celebrate the Holidays I have the first free give away for my Blog Readers. 

It is a pattern/kit to crochet a BEAD and PIN!! 

I designed this pattern/kit for a workshop in USA 2010. The pattern also teaches how to crochet the ears as you make the head rather than crocheting them separately and applying them later. 

The instructions in this pattern describe the crochet portion of the project, as well the assembly, with 48 step by step color pictures, so even as a beginner you will have fun making this project. 

The first person, who can tell me the name of the artist/teacher in which work shop I learned the above felting technique will receive the kit FREE. Please post your answer to this topic. 

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

Vote now in Round 1 of URSA 2013 !!

You can vote from July 8 to July 31st period. One vote in each category.

Voting in Round 1 determines the top winners in each category. You don`t have to vote all at one time. The computer will keep track of which categories you voted previously. 

To make it easy, cast your vote AND then NOT close the voting page window as it takes you back to the beginning, but instead use the tab open-links or arrows-back to the category page. Use the "Next Category" arrow at the bottom of each page to advance.

This year I entered with KNIT-TED in Category 3: Medium Bare Bear or Bud - 6" to 11" - Undressed. Any Materials.

He is 20 cm tall

Wearing a Bobbin Lace Collar

I entered  TEDDY in Category 1: Wee Little Bare Bear or Bud - 5" and under - Undressed. Any Materials.

 Teddy is also knitted, only 7 cm tall

sitting on a custom made music box

holding his very own cup.

Both, TEDDY and KNIT-TED  for sure will have a hard time competing with all the wonderful entries.

Please check them out and vote for one favorite in each of the 17 Categories. 

Start HERE or use the link on the right. 

Thank you so much!!

Today is the day...........

 ... all Teddy Bears come together for Teddy`s Bear picnic..

Today is the day that you can see the preview from the wonderful bears which will be offered during the Teddies world wide On-line show June 28-30 2013 !!

I am happy to join the show in the miniature category. I have worked hard and proud of the pieces I am going to offer..a few need a last hand... 

My preview piece is finished.. it is little Teddy (above picture). not sewn, not crocheted, but knitted !!

Teddy is a real heirloom piece for years to enjoy. He is only 7 cm tall and 5 way jointed. Teddy is sitting on a grass circle, holding his cup, as the picnic soon begins. And who would think that you can turn the circle (to wind up the music box which I embedded in the linen. custom printed and sewn, block) and the famous song of Teddy`s Bear Picnic will play, while Teddy is turning and dreaming away, and later bring back memories of his most beautiful Teddy`s Bear Picnic day..

If you like Teddy, please cast your vote at http://www.teddiesworldwide.com/ Please read on the site how to cast your votes.

Voting categories for this show:
MINIATURE - Best Bear, Best Animal
FULL-SIZE - Best Bear, Best Animal
BEST IN SHOW

Thank you so much!!

Is it only me ...???

who has a work space like this??

I just don`t understand how I get a mess like this quickly, yesterday everything was were it belonged..a free working space. This morning I started finishing bears and in no time (it is 4 hours later)  it looks like this ...

and not even one bear complete finished !! I would be interested to hear if it is only me....?
Back to work... and clean up the mess...again..lol

Knit-TED knitted

The rainbow dyeing workshop  I did s few weeks ago inspired me to dye white cotton thread in a Taupe color. The perfect color to knit the little Bunny. Knitting is not new for me, years and years ago I had a knitting home-Business and also knitted on request  for a local yarn shop. It was mostly wearable items for adults and children I knitted at that time. As I quit the knitting job, I soon started making teddy bears. I missed to knit so I regular knit custom made wearable's  for my  bears. 

I enjoyed very much to design and knit the Bunny. After the Bunny was done, I knew I needed to design and knit a bear-friend for Bunny.  It took a while to get the right bear shape with increasing, decreasing, short rows and so on but.. here he is..

KNIT-TED!!

The first ThReAdTeDs® knitted Collectibles I am totally pleased with and offer for sale soon. First they will travel to me to my next shows; Ladbergen and Stratford upon Avon!! 

Knit-TED comes with his own Toy/Display Block.  The Bunny is not included but will be sold separate. For him I also plan to make his own ThReAdTeDs® Collectibles Toy/Display Block. 

I make these Blocks myself. Each side of the Block shows another Picture.  

As I am back into knitting right now, more knit-TEDS and knit-FRIENDS will follow..the next one already is on my needles..

The Crochet pattern for Eli is now available from my website in 3 languages: English, Dutch and German. 

Rainbow Dyeing

Last week I did a workshop Rainbow dyeing. I am familair with dyeing in a pot the mini fabrics,  and also regular dye my own threads/wool for making my thread bears, but this way of Dyeing; Rinbow Dyeing opens a lot off possebilities to archive shades of colors to use in one project...

We could bring fabric or cotton yarn. I chose for the yarn. I dyed a hank unbleached 100% cotton (left in picture), and a hank mixed cotton/acryl. Also some DMC perle cotton (front in picture). The 100 % cotton absorbed the dye very well, with as result a bright colored yarn.  Also the DMC perle cotton dyed really well. The mixed cotton/acryl resulted in a really nice soft colored yarn. I love it. It was like magic to see all those wonderful colors appear, with the use of only 3 dye colors, Red, Yellow and Blue

I think the DMC thread I am going to use for a miniature knitting project. The other yarn I will look at, and enjoy the colors for now, until I know what to make with it.

Teddy Bear Welt 2013 Wiesbaden

Last weekend you could find us at the biggest Teddy Bear Show in Wiesbaden. This show always is great, though this year we had a bad experiment. Being very busy the first day, late in the afternoon, our purse was stolen.. quiet a shock!!   Almost all earnings off the first day gone !! And nothing we can do..  
The thief(s) confused us with tricks and managed to steal the purse behind our table...  later we figured out they were with a group of 4 and must have been professionals.

This put quiet a dark cloud on what should have been a great weekend.

In the evening the Ted World Wide Awards were announced, winning in my category cheered me up a little.

Above Pincushion "I`v got the whole world in my hands" won in the Subject Bear category in the Master Classes. 

If you are doing shows, watch your purse !!  

I like to let you know..

8 years ago a mother and daughter team applied for the trademark "Thread Teds by Thread Bears".

Many of you know that I have been using ThReAdTeDs as my trademark since 2002 and I filed an opposition against their filing because it is too similar to my trademark and is confusing to customers.

Unfortunately, after a long, 8 year proceeding my opposition was denied, this mother and daughter team are now able to to proceed with their application, in hopes that it will mature into another registered trademark for the same goods- the mark "Thread Teds by Thread Bears".

One good thing comes out of this though, to be able to trademark the mark "Thread Teds by Thread Bears", the mother and daughter team had to disclaim the wording "THREAD TEDS" and "THREAD BEARS" because the trademark office decided it was the name of their goods and not registerable.

There are certain words that the USPTO will not allow to be trademarked because they are generic, etc. So they are asked to disclaim (give up) trademark protection on the words "THREAD TEDS" and "THREAD BEARS", but they still retain trademark protection on the whole "Thread Teds by Thread Bears". So in this case they have TM in "Thread Teds by Thread Bears" but not just in "THREAD TEDS" or "THREAD BEARS".

When a trademark owner disclaims in its trademark registration a portion of the trademark, the trademark owner is declaring to the world that it claims no exclusive right to use that disclaimed portion apart from the trademark as a whole.

So ... by registering "Thread Teds by Thread Bears" as a trademark with "THREAD TEDS" and "THREAD BEARS" disclaimed, the trademark owner claims the exclusive right to use the "Thread Teds by Thread Bears" phrase to brand its product or service but disclaims the exclusive right to use "THREAD TEDS" and "THREAD BEARS" by itself to brand that product or service.
That means, I continue can use my trademark ThReAdTeDs  and am even officially allowed to call my crocheted bears as before "thread bears".

View the entire final action in Thread Teds by Thread Bears proceeding, it is worth to read:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FINAL ACTION 2007

THIS IS A FINAL ACTION

This FINAL OFFICE ACTION responds to applicant’s communication filed on December 14, 2006 in which the applicant argued against the requirement for the disclaimer of the wording “THREAD BEARS”.  The examining attorney has carefully considered the applicant's arguments but has found them unpersuasive.  For the reasons below, the requirement for the disclaimer of the wording “THREAD BEARS” is maintained and now made FINAL.  37 C.F.R. §2.64(a).

The computerized printing format for the Office’s Trademark Official Gazette requires a standardized format for a disclaimer.  TMEP §1213.08(a)(i).  The following is the standard format used by the Office:

No claim is made to the exclusive right to use “THREAD TEDS” and “THREAD BEARS” apart from the mark as shown.

EXAMINER`S AMENDMENT 2009 (nothing has changed since that final action 2007)

DISCLAIMER:

The disclaimer statement is amended to read as follows:

            No claim is made to the exclusive right to use “THREAD TEDS” and “THREAD BEARS” apart from the mark as shown.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, if you are looking for collectible thread bears and friends designed and made by Berta Hesen-Minten look for..   ThReAdTeDs®.. stylized written with upper and lower case alternated; that`s me.
Thanks so much!

Berta

Workshop Annemie koenen

I learned so much in the 3 day Shibori workshop last weekend. Annemie Koenen was a great teacher, very patience and very eager to teach us all we asked. Time was flying. 

The first day we made a small project, I choose for the bracelet. Making this small project made us familiar using the Shibori technique, and made us understand how to count and prepare a pre-felt for a bigger piece.  

Day 2 we first learned about size and shrinking.. then we were off to make the bigger project which would take all the 2 last days. Me and my friend (and the other students in the back ground) laying out the wool for the pre-felt.. 

Which resulted in the above collar after 2 days hard work.  Amazing huh..  I love the ruffles and balls.. I love how the colors blend into each other..

Student showing their finished Shibori pieces.  Right in the picture the teacher Annemie Koenen. Thank you Annemie for teaching and sharing an unforgettable felting experience !  

The day after at home I made the above piece from SA merino wool. It is so soft and felted so wonderful. Hope to have time to start another felt project soon..

Busy

Not much posting on my Blog means.. I am busy.

I finished a new design for Panda Bunny with over sized feet and ears, made from wonderfull  XX Long Pile mini fabric (available from ThReAdTeDs® only) and which will be available as a Kit soon.

For those who are waiting for it, I still work on the thread elephant pattern, it takes longer as expected though..  but I promise it is worth the wait. 

Also have done some wet felting.... 

I admire the pods from Andrea Graham, and planned to do her on-line workshop she is teaching live with web-cam.  But as English is not my native language, and I only would be able to follow her instructions on my I-pad (my computer isn't near enough to my working space) I was afraid I could not follow her instruction properly.  And the price to pay would then be to high, and I had to cancel.  I am sure it would be worth it though, IF able to follow her workshop properly. 

However..  With trial and error this is the result of my first (I am sure there are more to follow) solid wet felted pod.  This was an expiriment, to try several techniques, but I love the result.  This pod is small with only 6.5" tall.

  Front..

....and back view.  The next one will be bigger... 

Now I am looking forward to another 3 day workshop for Shibory felting the end of this week, teacher; Annemie Koenen.  But first....

some mini fabrics are waiting for a dye bath...

Belated Happy New Year !!

I can`t believe the first half of the month of the New Year already is gone..  I don`t think it is to late to sent my best wishes> I hope and wish everybody worldwide a great start in the new year and may it continued the years to come !! 
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

For me it is time to get back to bear making and prepare for the shows to come. I have a few new designs needs to work out... and there will be another ThReAdTeDs® Challenge (more about this later).
There are mini fabrics waiting for new colors..  my web shop and web site needs to be updated..and...and.. and..

But.. in this post I like to share with you what I worked on and finished in the Christmas Season Holidays...  as you know I like many other crafts/techniques besides bear making.. and/or at least want to do it ones to know what it is about..

Knitting is another favorite needlecraft I LOVE to do.  I found this website of  ZIJ MAAKT HET  and fall in love with the monkeys Jacobus and Saar.  I wanted to knit the monkey for my Grand daughter Malu. Above is the first finished Monkey. I made him with thinner wool and needles as described in the pattern, he turned out very cute. 

The second Monkey I knitted from thicker wool, it is the kind of wool which can be wet felted afterwards, but I knitted him very tight, so no more shrinking or felting is needed. 

Here they are sitting together on a big wet felted Rock. Malu liked the Monkeys, but as she is almost 4 months now, everything she has in her hand will go to her mouth..  and she did start  "eating"  wool fuzzles.. hmm.. not very tasty and  not safe..

So the 3th Monkey I knitted "Malu safe" from a nice cotton yarn.  The above monkey went home with her and she loves to play with him. 

If you are interested to knit Jacobus or Saar or any of the other cute animals, the patterns are available via Annita`s website or in English language available via  www.ravelry.com  user name:  Annita. 

The Felted Stones Pillows the monkeys are sitting on I wanted to make for a long time, and finally got to it. So far I made 4, the last one is in progress. I will make a picture from all the Rocks together wen I finish him.

at last...

ZHEN XIAN BAO

Another project I wanted to do for so long.. making a yarn book using paperfolding techniques developed from a fascinating tradition from remote South West China. It is an aspect of folk art and takes the form of an intriguing type of folder made principally for storing embroidery threads by the Miao, Dong and other minorities. 

Instead of pages they contain many ingeniously folded 3-dimensional compartments. The original books are beautiful decorated inside (stil have to do mine), and usually have a plain indigo cloth cover. I made an inset decoration of tyvek (again another material I wanted to work with) in the cover of mine book.

The book does unfold into 15 pockets. The Chinese name for these books is ZHEN XIAN BAO which translates as NEEDLE THREAD POCKETS.  The book may look complicated, but using and  following the Instructions in book 1;  "Folded Secrets" by Ruth Smith it is not so difficult to make.  Unfortunately  Ruth doesn`t have a website but if you are interested in her books you can contact Ruth at:  eruthsmith@btinternet.com

As you see above, I was quit productive in the Holiday Season, learned a lot new and did pick up some old.