Kitty Fun

A few months ago, I bought some really sweet e-patterns from Sharie of SReetz Bears and Friends.  She sells these in her Etsy store.  http://www.etsy.com/shop/SReetzBears

I have always loved her creations and adopted one of her pandas in 2009.

I have only just got around to making a kitty from her 'Frisky' pattern.  The instructions were very clear and the kittie only took a small amount of fabric.  She was great fun to make.  I may have got a little carried away with her markings, but painting fur is very new to me.  She will go nicely with Scottie, my panda.  I will have to try her ellie pattern next!

Some colour, at last!

The unusually warm Spring weather has brought some flowers out in the garden.  I couldn't resist going out to take a few photos, as they won't last for long in this heat!

Firstly, our lovely old magnolia tree. It never fails to put on a good show.

Narcissi

Robin Hood - the first of the tulips.  There should be lots more to come...

Wild primroses and polyanthus

Our daphne - the blooms aren't that impressive, but the scent is out of this world.  The leaves have a lovely silver edge to them.

 The purple pulsitilla is in flower - but the white variety is way behind!

We are lucky enough to have wild violets blooming in different places around the garden.  They are so small they are easy to miss!

Lastly, our citrus trees are all in blossom in the conservatory.  We have orange, lemon, pink grapefruit and lime trees.  I don't think I've ever seen so much blossom as this year!

Peter - A Classic Vintage Style Bear

I don't often make vintage-styled bears but it was early German bears that first attracted me to teddies and then to bear making.  Peter is my homage to those early bears.  I have carefully aged him to look like he has lived a life.  His pearl cotton embroidered nose has been sandpapered and treated to look aged and slightly threadbare.  He has been given some smallish bald patches in areas that old bears suffer hair loss, including his tummy, top of his head and the front of his arms.  His backing cloth has been lightly aged in places.  All in all, the effect is one of a bear who has seen some life.

Peter is between 15 and 16 inches tall.  He has five joints, and is stuffed with polyfill and a sealed calico bag of stainless steel balls, which make him a good weight. His eyes are black glass and his pawpads are pure, ivory wook felt.  His fur is German mohair.  He wears a golden organza ribbon around his neck.  Peter iks one of a kind.

He is available for adoption.  His adoption fee is £120 plus shipping.

Teddy's Tea Party Online Show has begun!

The show has begun!  There are bears available for adoption from 90 bear artists until Sunday evening.  I have created five one-of-a-kind bears for the show.  We had a lovely, sunny day here in Kent yesterday, so the bears and I sat in the garden enjoying the early Spring sun!  To see more photos of the bears, go to:
www.teddiesworldwide.com

I have also created three pincushions for the show:

Teddies Worldwide Online Show Preview

It is now possible to view preview photos of teddies created by the 90 artists taking part in the Teddy's Tea Party online show and you can vote for your favourite.  Go to: www.teddiesworldwide.com

It looks like it will be the biggest and best yet.  I am hoping that I will find a new bear for my own hug!

My preview bear is a gentle bear called Pearl.  She is 11 inches tall and made from very luxurious Schulte mohair.  The colour reminded me of mother-of-pearl, hence her name.  Alternatively, it might be called blonde or a warm cream.  The way it reflects light makes it difficult to be specific, but the photo is a pretty accurate.

She has 6 joints, including a double-neck joint and her arms are wired for extra posing opportunities.  She is stuffed with Bouncifill and weighted with a calico bag of stainless steel balls.  Her mohair is too beautiful to cover up, so I made her a little bead pearl necklace, so she doesn't feel underdressed for the tea party. She can stand if posed carefully.

 The show itself takes place between the 23rd and 25th March.

Primitive Effort

I belong to a Meetup group called 'Crafting in Kent'.  I joined the group when I retired at the end of last year.  The members meet once a month to discuss their crafting projects.  They also have occasional activities meetings.  Last night we went to Dreamshapes Crafts, just outside Ashford,  for an evening of crafting.  Most of the ladies painted lovely ceramics, but I decided to attempt to decorate a wooden storage box.  I couldn't trust myself to paint on anything that wasn't flat!  Bear makers can never have enough storage boxes for all the sundries we use in the making of bears! 

I have not painted in many years, and have never painted a bear before.  Of course, I draft out pattern pieces all the time, but painting something recognisable is another thing altogether.  I have always admired primitive works, so thought I would have a go at a primitive polar bear.  I managed to get paint everywhere.  I reminded myself of a young child at a playgroup with paint over herself, the brushes, her clothes...  Once the paint was dry I added some 'bling' in the form of sequins, stars and little gems.

Anyway, the resulting polar bear is rather wobbly, but the box will take pride of place on my work table.  The evening was great fun and it is probably good for me to move outside of my comfort zone occasionally!

'March'ing in....

I very rarely make a real, traditional teddy, but felt the urge, and Daisy was the result.  Like most arctophiles, I first fell in love with the old English and German classic teddies. So, she has traditional drumstick legs, one-piece arms and a large hump. I wanted to attempt some gentle aging techniques, to give her  the feel of having lived a life.  She has been sanded, plucked, trimmed and gently shaded.  She is wearing a lovely, ivory silk dress.
Daisy has been adopted.

Wow, it is SO warm and sunny today...just like a summer's day.  I can hear a bee buzzing outside my studio window!  I'm sure it cannot last, but is very welcome, all the same.

Hugs to all!