The perfect fabrics
By Jill Mundy
Fabrics: Berta Hesen-Minten, ThReAdTeDs
Modern homes are not very large and so the appeal of miniature bears has grown a lot in recent years. All bear artists are super talented but those who make the really tiny bears must have very nimble fingers indeed. That said, the fabric you choose for your mini bear can play a big part in making it a little easier, as Berta Hesen-Minten of ThReAdTeDs demonstrates with photos and details of each of the fabrics.
LongPile-Grid:
A new mini fabric with grid backing as replacement for the white sassy fabric, which is not available any more.
This new fabric I had made is coming very close, it is softer, there is no shine, 3.5 mm sparse pile. Original color is white. It is dyeable at 30 degrees Celsius.
It does not fray and is easy to sew and turn.
X-LongPile-twill:
This fabric has a tightly woven twill backing. It has a 7 mm sparse pile, which looks very hairy on small bears.
Does not fray. The original color is natural, which can be dyed in many colors.
X-LongPile-slightly stretch:
The backing of this fabric comes in various thicknesses, some very thin which makes it especially suitable for those teeny tiny bears. Because of the slight stretch, the small parts are much easier to turn.
Also, for needle sculpting, the little stretch is a plus. No fray and easy to sew. The pile varies from 2-3 mm with a longer guard hair in-between. Most of these fabrics have a soft shine. It comes in several original factory colors, but you can (over) dye with several bright colors as well.
XX-LongPile:
This is the most wanted mini fabric worldwide. The pile is about 9 mm. It is suitable for mini bears 8-15 cm, but also great for medium size bears. It is easy to sew, easy to turn and does not fray.
Great for needle sculpting. Comes in several original factory colors. The white and ecru are dyeable between 30-40 degrees Celsius.
For more fabric options, plus other mini bear supplies, take a look at the ThReAdTeDs website.
www.threadteds.com