Thread Animals and the Artists who make them by deBBie Nicholas | Make Your Own Book

A friend's daughter is going to college and wanted a hat. She said "it is the kind that hangs off the back of your head and you aren'tsure how it holds on".

She sent this picture from forever21.com

She also sent this picture.

In my search for a good beret pattern I found http://crochet-mania.blogspot.com/

She has an amazing amount of free crochet lessons. Anyway...her Aug 6th 2010 post is a pattern for this rug.

So I decided to use that pattern and make a beret. This is the final results.
I worked the pattern for 9 rows and then worked basically even for two rows, then decreased for three rows then worked 5 rows of sc with a pattern. I hope it fits the girl. (It fits my daughter OK as seen in pictures.) do you think it will work??

Thanks for looking!

I really apologize for the bad pictures....i need a new camera...I actually wore mine out. I have to use my camera phone, which is 3.0 mp but still not what I want.

There is a sweet lady at the local chinese resteraunt who says I am her favorite customer. She often gives me beautiful ribbon roses she makes. I wanted to make a panda for her and that was how this one got started. I am worried now however that he might be too "weird' of a panda? I like him though..he is very friendly...looks like he would bring good luck..don't you think?

He is made from worsted weight yarn and will be available as a pattern after the pattern is tested.

This bear was made with my humphrey pattern. I changed the size of the hook and the thickness of yarn for the sweater part...and worked to first row of the sweater in back loops to leave a free loop for adding yarn.

Adult hat made from my spring spiral pattern. (baby one can be seen in previous post)
Used fuzzy yarn for the spiral on this one.

Currently deciding between focusing on pattern writing or just start making hats. They have been really popular and I have been told to sell them on etsy...they take about an hour and 1/2 to make and I plan on selling them for 12.50.

Thanks for checking out my blog.

love, deBBie

deBBittybears

I haven't made many bears this year. This one was made for a friend in Utah. He traded me a beautiful chain mail bracelet that he made. his work can be found at http://maillejewelry.blogspot.com/

These are two bears I made from the same kit about three years apart. The one on the left is the most recent. The one on the right I made first but I think turned out way better. Perhaps I was in too much of a hurry the second time.

Finished this hat about two weeks ago. It was made by increasing one st every row until the brim was wide enough to fit my daughter for Crazy Hat day.

I made these last year....where had the time gone?

These were finished in October. The pattern was entered in a contest. If I don't win I will self publish the pattern for anyone interested.

Have a great CHRISTMAS!!!

love, deBBie

My latest Thread Teddy Bear Pattern

I have finished re-writing and working my Humphrey pattern. He is available for immediate download from Ravlery for 6.95 (through paypal) . Simply click on the link below.

More info is available online at

http://www.ravelry.com/designers/debbie-nicholas

Here are pictures of bear made from the same pattern by my pattern testers.

Made by Berta of http://www.threadteds.com/ from punch thread.
Made by Mia Swensson from http://sitekreator.com/crivens_studio (also made of punch thread).

This little guy was made by Kim Sturgis http://www.kpsfoto.com/

There are also two free patterns available from me at Ravelry

http://www.ravelry.com/designers/debbie-nicholas

I don't have a pattern for this hat. I made a bunch of different hats to sell at a boutique but I keep giving them away to my kids. This one is made with worsted weight yar for the hat and ribbon yarn for the tassles. Thanks for looking at my blog.

Oh Who wants to be by the seaside?

This was the question posed in a recent challenge in my threadanimals group. I decided to participate and created the mermaid below. Well...mer bear. She is made with dream yarn for her body and camilla yarn with glass beads for her tail. She is also wearing a wire crochet crown.

Her fish friend was done with worsted weight yarn and i used a ribbon yarn for his tail..the fins are cotton. his eyce was done with black onyx bead and a sequin.

Berta of ThReAdTeDs.com recently sponsored a challenge in the yahoo group I run. She gave every participant a copy of a pattern for a bear and doll and then we were each to make our own version of the patterns. Here is my entry.

There were 135 total entries. To see all of them visit

http://www.threadteds.com/challenge_01.htm

They were judged by a "who's who" in the crochet world who narrowed it down. To see the finalists and winners visit...

http://www.threadteds.com/Nominees_01.htm

I recently designed another purse. It is made of Elann.com camilla cotton/silk thread. It was fun to make. I have all the notes but haven't typed it up yet. Sound familiar? But that hasn't stopped me from submitting it for consideration. And it didn't stop them from saying "not at the moment..thanks".

So now it sits in a bag in limbo...should i get it out and use it? Or save it in the hopes that I one day actually sell the pattern and have to send in the fabric. When I do use it it will be perfect for carrying yarn and crocheting as I go...hence the handy sngu wrist strap.

Since my baby was born (two years ago!!) I haven't gotten near the work done I would like. I have only sold one bear since she was born, it was a special order....for a lady who collects not bears, but boxes.

If you are interested in trying your hand a making thread bears I am running a special on my patterns through the rest of July. (see blog below).

This is a picture of me and my daughter. We attempted to enter a look alike contest with this picture but were late sending it in. I finished a beret for her at midnight last night that i started years ago, she wanted it for a camp she was heading to this week. but she took off for camp this week

deBBittybears Pattern Sale !!

For a limited time I am offering my bear patterns at a discount.
They are regularly 5 dollars each, but I am offering the three of them for 10.00.
I can send the patterns via email, or please add 2.00 for a black and white mailed copy.
I will also send a copy of my spiraled purse pattern for free.
And of course I will be available in threadanimals to help with any questions you have when making my patterns

The three patterns

.

Mini Thread Teddy Bear. The sample was crocheted by Berta of ThReAdTeDs from my original pattern. My pattern is written for worsted weight yarn and a G hook but Berta made the sample with perle cotton size 12 and size 14 hook.

Snow Baby bear. The pattern is for the one on the top, but the one of the right can be made by using wool embroidery floss instead of worsted weight yarn.

and Humphrey, who is kind of the base for the rest of the bears I have made.

I can accept paypal. Please email me at debbish@molalla.net to order.

I will also include this purse pattern free.

This offer expires on August 1st 2008.

I have crocheted a lot of bears and even knitted one or two, but this is my first sewn bear. He was made from a kit I bought from ThReAdTeDs.com. It was fun to see him come together and to learn the new technique.

When I met Berta in San Jose a few years ago i purchased the little brown bear. Now they can be friends.

What is a Reborn Doll?

I discovered the art of reborning about the same time I started making thread bears. Reborn dolls are regular vinyl dolls that are taken apart and remade into more realistic and beautiful creations that are no longer toys. Ebay usually has MANY examples of reborns, and recently added a category just for them.

I haven't made one for a little while. They are time consuming, and the process takes several days between applications of paint, glue, etc.

The one below was my very first attempt. The kids named him Tom after Tom Sawyer because of his mischevious grin.

These were my second and third dolls. I am just starting to learn how to do the dolls. I went back and re-did their lip.

I started with the reborns about the same time my 7th daughter was born. She is 4 years old now.

I intended making reborns to sell on ebay but almost all of my dolls have been sold or given to friends and family. The ones below were sold to my sister and mom
My reborns have also ended up as comfort items. Both of the babies below went to women who had lost babies. While I would never suggest to someone who had lost a baby, "here hold this doll, it will make you feel better", that has been the case. The dolls are weighted to feel much more real in the arms than the original toy did and the women who recieved these commented on what a comfort they were.

Below are pictures of the only doll that ever made it to Ebay. She cost about 95 dollars to make and list. She sold for 180.00. A friend helped me with doing a nice HTML listing which probably helped with getting a higher price. I probably made about 10 dollars an hour.

These were made for two aunts. They had admired a doll I made for another aunt (Their Sister) so they requested ones of their own. These sleeping dollars are less expensive to make. I don't buy wigs or new bodies. They cost about 65 dollars to make.

All of the above dolls were made with Berenguer dolls that are available at most toy stores. prillycharmin.com has a nice selection of the dolls as well and they seem to be a higher quality than the ones i bought at department stores. They are also more expensive than the lesser quality dolls, but she has the entire available line.
She also has instructions available.

Thanks for stopping by!

love, deBBie

This is a picture I took for a "bears at play" contest we are doing in Threadanimals.

Some of my favorite artists' work is represented here. The bear in the front right is needlefelted. The baby in the crib is actually sculpted from polymer clay with crocheted bear cap. All of these bears were received as gifts from members in Threadanimals

I finished another bear. Her name is Bloom. She is made from the same yarn as the bear in the last blog but I divided the yarn. The bear is made with one strand of knobbly variegated wool, and the dress is made with the other strand. The other strand was a thin acrylic eyelash yarn in white fuzz with black flecks.

I did not yet find a publisher for the hat in my last post, so I may sell the pattern myself. Not sure yet.

I found another bear I started two years ago and never finished. I also have the christmas ball bear from a workshop by Berta at threadteds.com that I need to finish.

What are you working on?

love, deBBie

Recent Projects.

A Baby Bunting Doll. This pattern can be found at

http://www.freepatterns.com/list.html?criteria=baby+bunting

It is on its way to France in hopes of bringing comfort to a friend and a smile to her daughter.

This silly bear is also on his way to France. He is made with a yarn called Nob Hill that I am really enjoying working with. It also divides beautifully and I am working on another bear with just the colored strand.

Another hat design. Hopefully the pattern will be available soon. I will let you know where.

I am also trying something new. I have taken the wool roving pictured below right and divided it several times into long stands about 1/4 inch wide. I have been crocheting and unraveling it and found it quite durable. I am hoping to make a small purse with it and then try felting it. I have seen a hat pattern crocheted with unspun roving but can't remember where.

If you would like to see a gallery of my bears they are pictured on my website www.debbittybears.com.

Have a great day!

love, deBBie