Ken Yenke, A teddy bear expert

 

A teddy bear expert

I have been re-reading my teddy bear reference books lately and adding a few more titles to my bookshelf. There are some superb collectors' books, written in the 1980's and 90's, now listed secondhand on websites such as 'World of Books' and good old Ebay... and usually offered at very reasonable prices.

I love to read about the development of the teddy bear over the past century. It is fascinating to learn about the teddy bear phenomenom and its impact on social history... and as a teddy bear designer myself, I am always inspired by photographs of old bears. I think I may be a bit of a teddy bear geek (!) but the written history of the teddy bear has always interested me; perhaps because the authors who write about our beloved teddy bear, are also genuine collectors and enthusiasts, writing with deep passion and respect for their subject. One such author was Ken Yenke, an American teddy bear expert, sadly lost to the bear world after his death in 2014...

Ken was an expert in the truest sense of the word. Not only respected internationally for his broad subject knowledge and love of teddy bears, but also a dedicated private collector. He built a significant collection of antique teddy bears with his wife Brenda and shared them with the world through his books... which I am fortunate enough to have on my workroom bookshelf.

I first learned of Ken Yenke's work through my subscription to a US teddy bear magazine published in the 1980's. Subsequently, as a competitive teddy bear artist, I was honoured to have Ken include my nomination in 'The Golden Teddy Bear Awards' presentation video in 2011. I didn't win my category that year but it was such a thrill to be included in his presentation! https://allbear.blogspot.com/2011/10/2011-golden-teddy-award-winners.html 

If you would like to read more about Ken's beautiful teddy bear collection and the wonderful personal histories behind many of the bears, I highly recommend hunting for copies of his books. They are written in his inimitably warm, personal style and in my view, are a real treat for any teddy bear enthusiast!

Ken Yenke's titles are as follows:

Teddy Bear Treasury Vol. 1
Teddy Bear Treasury Vol. 2
Bing Bears and toys

https://www.kenyenke.com/about


There are of course, many other fine teddy bear titles, written by a variety of authors, now available to find secondhand. I will publish a list of some of my personal favourites at a later date for anyone interested in delving deeper into this fascinating topic.

Happy teddy bear reading ... and collecting!

Featured Artist!

 

Featured Artist!

A little plug for the Teddy Bear Times magazine, which has kindly featured a lovely multi-page article about my work as a teddy bear maker over the past thirty years, in the latest issue!

If you would like to purchase a copy, please visit the magazine's website at:

 https://www.teddybeartimes.com/issues

There is a beautiful traditional print magazine available to purchase, if like me, you like to savour your read with a cuppa... but if you are overseas, you might prefer to download the online copy, which is a great way to avoid paying pricey shipping costs!

Retired teddy bears of distinction

 

Retired teddy bears of distinction

After thirty years of creating teddy bears for adult collectors, I thought it was time to remind myself of how it feels to open a special teddy bear delivery... and when I spotted this beautiful 1930's Chiltern Hugmee teddy bear, I knew he would be 'the one' to mark three decades of me creating teddy bears for other folk.

Opening his box was a complete delight. He had been carefully wrapped in tissue paper and as I gently peeled back the layers, I could see he was in superb condition, especially for such an elderly gent!

As many of you know, my childhood Chiltern Hugmee teddy bear led me into the fascinating grown up world of arctophilia and bear artistry, so this fabulous fellow now brings me full circle. The perfect bear to commemorate thirty years of making teddy bears for other collectors. This, as yet nameless Chiltern Hugmee teddy bear, will be joining a small collection of special Chiltern Hugmee bears who keep me company in my workroom each day ... as well as somewhere to create bears, it is also my little place of safety for retired teddy bears of distinction!

Where it began...

 

Where it began...

Where it all began. This photo is an important element of my bearmaking journey over the past thirty years. My connection with teddy bears has lasted my entire lifetime and long before I made my first teddy bear, I was a bear collector. It began with a love of Chiltern Hugmee teddy bears, the British manufacturer of the wonderful Hugmee teddy bear range, made in the UK from 1923 until 1967. My parents gave me a beautiful large Chiltern Hugmee for my first birthday in 1964, a very special big bear (third from right, centre row) who sat on my bed for many years... and the rest, as they say, is history!

Full Circle

 

Full Circle

One for vintage teddy bear admirers... a proud moment in my bear making history.

My first childhood teddy bear, a fine 1950's Chiltern Hugmee, holds a copy of the 2011 Hugglets UK Teddy Bear Guide, featuring one of my original handcrafted teddy bear designs called 'Chester' on the front cover.

Now that is what you might call a full circle!

The art of...

 

The art of...

The art of creating artist teddy bears follows a long road of trial, error, determination to improve and the gift of a creative soul.

An original handcrafted teddy bear flows from the maker's heart and hands, into a character woven with the warmth of childhood nostagia and a sense of comfort.

The centre seam design

 

The centre-seam design

I think I designed my very first centre-seam teddy bear under my 'Auntie Bears by Paula Carter' label, way back in 1996... a lovely white bear called 'Mischief'. Since then, I have continued to make these unique teddy bears, first inspired by Steiff, who were famous for creating one very special teddy bear in every seven made, with a two piece centre-seam head design, which in practical terms made maximum use of the precious mohair fabric yardage... and by chance, also created exceptional beautiful teddy bears!

My centre-seam design creates a lovely rounded teddy head shape and dare I say, sometimes slightly grumpy faces! The centre-seam teddy bears have their own endearing identity and are instantly recognisable. I usually lean towards traditional bear styling with this design but have occasionally tried it with more contemporary teds. These teddy bears are rarer for collectors to find, as like Steiff, I make them less frequently... 

Incidentally, my 23" centre-seam teddy bear clown 'Billy Buttons', was honoured with the prestigious International Industry's Choice TOBY Award, in 2008. One of my proudest achievements as a teddy bear designer.

This year I have introduced my centre-seam teddy in a smaller 16" size, perfect for hugs! If you would like to add one of these special teddy bears to your collection, please pop over to my shop page to meet 'Reggie'.

Thirty years, in print!

 

Thirty years, in print!

I have some exciting news to share this week... I was sworn to secrecy until the 'Teddy Bear Times and Friends' latest publication date, which is this week... so, at last, I am able to share my secret with you!

Earlier this year, the UK 'Teddy Bear Times' magazine asked if they could publish a feature about my thirty year career as a teddy bear artist ... of course I agreed instantly as it is such an honour to have my work published! This month, the team has kindly included a beautiful multi-page article written about my life as a teddy bear maker. I am so thrilled!

Issue 276 will be available for single copy purchase from the TBT website in a few days' and if you are fortunate enough to hold a subscription, you should be receiving your copy through the letterbox this week.

I am not able to share a photo of the new magazine here today, as I haven't yet received my own copy, so for the sake of nostalgia, the photograph I am sharing with you today is a flashback to 1997, when a wonderfully large bear called 'Gently', a bear I designed and created, was featured on the front cover of the prestigious Teddy Bear Times magazine! (Incidentally, the cover price has risen somewhat over the years... a printed copy is now priced at £7.99 and a year's subscription £65.00... the days of £2.95 for a specialist collector's magazine are now long gone!)

If you would like to order a printed copy of issue 276, featuring my article, or a copy of the magazine in digital format, please head over to: 

https://www.teddybeartimes.com/

I am reliably informed that the most recent magazine, issue number 276, will be available to order directly from the Teddy Bear Times website very soon.

A traditional trio

 

A traditional trio

Meet Floyd, Flo and Fitz, my three latest shop exclusive teddy bears. They have just arrived at The Bear Shop in Norwich and are busy meeting and greeting customers and all the other teddy bears!

If you are interested in adopting any of these bears, you are welcome to visit, or telephone the shop for current availability.

The Bear Shop
18 Elm Hill
Norfolk
NR3 1HN

Tel: 01603  766866

Apple Blossom Serenity

 

Spring is such a lovely time in the UK. The blossom trees are an absolute picture in their beautiful pastel shades. It is the perfect season to be inspired by nature and for creating pretty pastel teddy girls. 'Apple Blossom' is my latest teddy bear, a vision in peachy pinks and pale apple green, with a tiny hint of lilac... capturing a moment of sweet teddy bear serenity.

Magic Moment

 

Magic Moment

While I was hunting through the old photographs I mentioned in my last post, I started to sort through the many teddy bear magazines I have collected over the past thirty years and I came across this copy of the 'Teddy Bear Times' magazine...

I couldn't help but smile to myself... seeing the cover again took me right back to 1997 and the early days of my bear-making career. Having one of my teddy bears published as cover star on a national teddy bear magazine for the very first time was thrilling!

'Gently', a very large teddy bear with a beautiful, gentle face, was featured on the front cover of Issue 45. I had taken the photograph myself, then sent it to the magazine, together with several others... and they chose to use Gently on the cover! It was a wonderful compliment to my bears and in those pre-internet days, very exciting to rush hotfoot into town to see the copies displayed for sale in our local High Street shops!

Bear Beginnings, Auntie Bears

Bear Beginnings

I have been hunting out old 'Auntie Bears' photographs from the 1990's... this photo was snapped at 'The Big Bear Show' in the Business and Design Centre, Islington, London in 1998...

Back in my early bearmaking days, teddy bear photographs were taken on an old SLR 35mm film camera and developed at the local printers. Sharing new work was a much longer-winded process than it is today...digital cameras and mobile phones have made the process of distributing photographs so much faster. However, it has also made it even more important to remember to document my bears because digital pictures are so easily lost and forgotten.

For the past twenty years, I have always made an annual photobook of my designs. I keep the books lined up neatly on my workroom shelf and enjoy referring back to them regularly when I am designing new bears. It is a lovely document of how my teddy bears evolved over the years and one day, I hope my grandchildren will enjoy these portfolio books and take a sense of pride in their Nana's 'work'. 

It occurred to me recently, that my earliest designs weren't ever made into a photo album and neither was the 'Auntie Bears' story...

The 90's was a very special time for hand crafted teddy bears in the United Kingdom, re-igniting a nostalgic passion for teddy bears in collectors who had loved them as children and lighting a flame of creativity in many aspiring bearmakers. Prior to the age of the internet, teddy bears became established as an art form in the UK in the early 1990's, designed and created with dedication and love by bear artists in their own homes, then sold through shops and at specialist teddy bear fairs across the country. 

It was an exciting time to become a new bearmaker. There were so many creative challenges... learning to run one's own business effectively, fulfilling the desire to produce quality teddy bears to share with collectors, establishing a market for them and helping secure their heritage for future generations. Creating 'artist bears' for adult collectors quickly became an all-encompassing passion for me, one that I have never tired of and probably never will.

In those days showcasing work was an important element of growing a small business and developing new ideas, so participating in specialist competitions hosted by magazines, seemed a sensible path to take, if I wanted validation for my teddy bear designs. I pushed forward with what I considered exciting new bear designs and despite being in complete awe of my fellow competitors, braved entry into the British Bear Artist Awards in 1997, 1998 and 1999, achieving recognition instantly when my submissions were honoured with awards.  It was a heady time!  Suddenly my bears were invited overseas, exhibited in museums, featured in magazine articles. My order book quickly filled and my telephone didn't stop ringing at all hours. My bears had arrived on the worldwide teddy bear stage!

Auntie Bears was the banner under which my sister Fiona and I sold the bears we designed and made individually. We both loved creating big bold teddy bears and were great friends, besides being good sisters. In fact, it was Fiona who launched our bear-making journey by one day by showing our work to the owners of 'The Rochester Bear Shop'. We were then invited to exhibit at our very first local bear show, hosted by the shop and our bearmaking path was set. Going forward, we shared costs, attended shows together and planned marketing strategies as sisters, working hard to establish 'Auntie Bears' and find our niche in the heart of the teddy bear industry.

So, back to my dusty photographs! I was looking for my earliest teddy bear designs to begin making a book of my earliest work but of our four years as Auntie Bears, I could only find a couple of small slip albums holding photographs. Unfortunately many of my original photographs were disposed of when I moved house in 2007; caught up in the fast paced age of the internet, it didn't occur to me back then, I might find a purpose for those old photographs in the future...

Thankfully, whilst searching for photographs, I also came across boxes of old teddy bear magazines and found many of the articles featuring Auntie Bears and our work as teddy bear designers. Happy memories that made me smile all over again almost thirty years later, reminding me of long forgotten moments in my own teddy bear making history. It was a magical time to begin a bearmaking business and one I now plan to document properly...  I am so glad I kept those magazines!

It hardly seems possible I have now been making teddy bears for the best part of thirty years. Those thirty years have seen many changes in the bear making world, the most significant being the use of the internet to reach out to collectors around the world. These days information can be made available instantly at the press of a button, which is amazing but I do sometimes wonder whether the internet can ever truly convey the dedication to creating teddy bears and many hours of work and skill involved in their production... the passion behind their evolution. I do hope so.

Sadly we have seen the demise of many specialist teddy bear publications, teddy bear shows, shops and competitions worldwide in recent years and yet, collectors still love teddy bears and creators still need to express themselves through the art of their creation. Hopefully, that love and dedication always be sufficient to protect the teddy bear both as an art form and also as a friend, in the disposable digital world in which we now find our much loved Teddy Bear.

A stitch in time

 

A stitch in time

I think I was about five years old when I was given my first pair of knitting needles and a ball of pink yarn. Even now, at the age of almost sixty-two years, I can remember sitting with other children around a table at school, needles held clumsily in hand, trying to knit a pink square under the eagle eyed tuition of a teacher. As the somewhat wonky square slowly began to form, peppered with dropped stitches, I felt the seed of a sense of accomplishment...

I was never a natural handicraft student. My mum, a talented knitter, tried to teach me but my hopeless lefthandedness (referred to rather unflatteringly as 'cackhandedness' in those days) tested her patience considerably. At the age of twenty, with the birth of my first child imminent, I picked up a pair of knitting needles once more and borrowed an instruction book from mum, determined to make a few snuggly baby clothes to take into hospital for the arrival of my baby. It was a battle, but somehow, I managed to produce a fairly successful pair of booties, a couple of cardigans, a bonnet and a little matinée jacket. Dressing my new daughter in her first hand knitted clothes to bring her home a couple of days later, was a very special moment for me as a new mum, wrapping her with love, protection and warmth, to begin our new life together.

Since that moment in 1983, I have often knitted gifts to welcome new family babies, initially clothes and toys for my nieces and more recently, toys, cardigans and jumpers for my Grandchildren, Great Nieces and newest addition, my brand new Great Nephew. I have even knitted cosy jackets to keep my daughter's little Chihuahua warm in the winter and of course, have made many woollen scarves, jumpers and hats to accessorize the teddy bears I create.

I love the process of creating something from a simple ball of yarn or piece of cloth. Weaving and sewing basic materials into something I picture in my mind's eye, is a magical process. Using skills passed from generation to generation, lends me comfort and a sense of perpetuity and purpose as I fashion items by hand. Each stitch is a marker of this knitter's history and skills honed over many years.

I read that the very first knitted objects found were socks, *created in Egypt in the 11th Century. The earliest known knitted items found in Europe were made by Muslims employed by the Spanish Christian Royal Families in the 13th Century. Knitting became popular in Europe in the 14th Century, with hand knitted items found by archeologists in major cities such as London.

I was fascinated to learn that knitting schools were created in the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly in Scotland and in the coastal regions of England, their aim to help provide income for the poor. Hand knitting was an empowering skill for the lower classes, who knitted not only to clothe their families but also to earn payment. They knitted coarse hose from wool with large needles for themselves and fine stockings with tiny metal needles, to sell to aristocracy.

The craft of knitting was probably introduced to the continent by Egyptian Coptic Monks, passing on the knowledge that cloth could be woven from sheep wool, its dense, waterproof properties suitable for keeping people warm and dry. Knitting was a skill that itself was subsequently woven through many centuries of knitting, both for practical purpose and for pleasure. So many knitters, in so many countries around the world, over so many centuries, creating garments, blankets and toys from yarn, developing their own techniques and stories to pass on to future generations...  and importantly, to trade with. Knitting really is an incredible handicraft when you think about its broad history!

My mum used to enjoy knitting Aran garments and I inherited her passion for these complicated patterns. The history of these beautifully intricate, warm and essentially practical garments, is fascinating... *"From its origins, the Aran sweater has been intimately linked to clans and their identities. The many combinations of stitches seen on the garment are not incidental, far from it. They can impart vast amounts of information to those who know how to interpret them. Aran sweaters were, and remain, a reflection of the lives of the knitters, and their families. On the Aran islands, sweater patterns were zealously guarded, kept within the same clan throughout generations. These Aran sweaters were often used to help identify bodies of fishermen washed up on the beach following an accident at sea." Guernsey and Fairisle knitting patterns, also full of history and an expression of local culture, are similarly fascinating patterns, each a wonderful record of British island heritage. I for one, wish schools would return to teaching students about this rich history, to help instill within them a sense of pride in the continuity in British handicrafts. It will be a crying shame if such skills and timeless traditions become lost to us as a result of a fast moving, disposable, technological age.

Now for a little knitting continuity of my own...The dolly pattern in the photograph was designed by my favourite knitted toy designer Jean Greenhowe, sadly no longer with us. From the 1960's Jean wrote beautifully accessible, detailed knitting patterns, always full of fun and passion for toy making. I first discovered Jean's patterns when my children were very young in the 1980's. My sister and I loved to create the toys Jean designed for our children and over the years, I have since collected most of Jean's pattern booklets. I first made 'Emily' dolly (shown in the inset pic wearing lilac) almost twenty years ago, for a niece's birthday. Last year, I decided to make myself a knitted 'Emily' dolly, to celebrate Christmas with. I thought it would be nice to sit her in my lounge by the Christmas tree. Unfortunately I didn't quite finish her in time for the big day, but rather than give up, finished her in the New Year instead. I adjusted the pattern slightly to give my own 'Holly Dolly' a festive theme for Christmas and was very happy with how she turned out, so rather than pack her away for next Christmas, I popped her on the sideboard next to my antique sewing machine and will keep her on display all year round....

That is, unless my Granddaughter, who has fallen in love with this sweet dolly, snaffles her first!


*For further reading sources on the history of knitting, please visit these websites:


https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/the-history-of-hand-knitting
https://www.jeangreenhowe.com/design2.html
https://knitlikegranny.com/knitting-history/
https://www.hayzedmagazine.com/fashion/a-brief-history-of-knitting-in-the-uk/
https://www.aran.com/our-history-the-story-of-aran
https://www.yarnpalace.com/the-history-of-knitting-from-ancient-times-to-modern-trends

A new home for Cooper

 

A NEW HOME FOR COOPER

A year ago, my husband and I drove to meet a lovely young man and his five and a half month old puppy, miles away, in a muddy field. The previous week, I had been thoroughly vetted both over the phone and online by the man's wife and had agreed that if all went well between our golden retriever Betty and their puppy Cooper, we would be able to offer their boisterous puppy a new home.

The young family, despite loving their boy dearly, recognised early on they were unable to fully meet the needs of such a lively young pup and felt he deserved a home better suited to his needs. They had adopted the puppy of their dreams with the best of intentions, in the hope that they would be able to train their new puppy as a therapy dog for their children... but sadly, the reality of puppy ownership when combined with parenthood, had proved much tougher than they realised.

We were smitten with Cooper at first sight and he was clearly excited to walk with us that first day, so we walked a circuit of the field together, letting the dogs find their way with one another. Halfway round, his owner invited my husband to take Cooper's lead and it was at that point I knew Cooper would definitely be coming home with us. We chatted and walked some more, then finalised details, put all his worldly belongings in the boot of our car and said a reluctant goodbye to his heartbroken owner, with both dogs safely fastened in the back seat of my car. Legal documents exchanged, we were now Cooper's legal owners... and as he walked away fighting back tears, it was clear to me his owner knew he had done the right thing by his young dog, despite it breaking his heart to let him go.

We headed home in the car, with our new lad and Betty sharing my lap on the back seat. The plan was to introduce Polly before dinnertime and begin what has since proved, a full on year of hard work, fun, laughter, obedience training and puppy chaos. Integrating Cooper has of course, been a challenge at times, but he was such a sweet boy from the start and always so eager to learn, I never doubted he would grow into a super dog. He settled in that first night without a whimper, happily bedding down with Polly and Betty before falling fast asleep in our bedroom.

Cooper has come such a long way during the past twelve months. He has worked hard with me to master walking on the lead and to recall when called, we also worked hard to help him learn to share toys and keep his feet firmly on the floor while I prepared food. There was and still is, much to teach... training simply becomes a way of life for dedicated owners, it never really ends. We are currently working on walking smartly to heel both on and off lead, cementing his recall in ever more distracting environments and learning to settle when asked so that we can eat our tea on trays if we chose to, without a nosey doggy nose in the mix! Cooper learns fast and is doing really well. As a bouncy lad he still occasionally jumps up when excited but is much improved and despite being a big boisterous boy, he is great with my grandchildren and they adore him. I mustn't take all the credit for his training though! Cooper's manners became far more polished he watched the girls and our clever lad has learned much from his new sisters. Polly and Betty love their cheeky little brother and after close supervision and continued training, our two cats accepted our new addition and now clearly feel safe around him. Cooper, now eighteen months of age, has become an important and very much loved member of our family.

If by some chance, Cooper's first owners ever read this post, I pray they see they chose his new owners well. We promised to do our best by Cooper when we adopted him and we promise to continue to do so forever. We are so grateful they trusted us with their beautiful puppy and hope they will be happy to hear about the progress he made with us over the past year. We understand how hard the decision was to rehome their puppy and would love them to know, they did the right thing in letting him join our family. Cooper is content, safe and above all, loved.

Yes, we love you Coops, mischief making, sock stealing and all!

Happy first gotcha day to you our sweet boy! ❤

A trio of teddy bears

A trio of teddy bears

I have just finished this lovely trio of teddy bears and photographed them in greyscale to add a touch of pre-Christmas mystique. They are heading to 'The Bear Shop' in Norwich, to arrive just in time for the shop's festive window display, where they will be revealed in full colour for shoppers to enjoy as they meander along historic Elm Hill, home of The Bear Shop since 1990.

Elsie the rescue cat

 

Elsie, the rescue cat

Those eyes!

They stared out from a photograph online, immediately drawing my attention, so I read the accompanying information...

A little girl cat, maybe three years old. Found pregnant and stray, caught, then handed to a local rescue, who fostered her until her kittens were born. After that she was sent to stay at our local cattery, while they found her a suitable new home. By coincidence, that was the same cattery I used for my boy cats last summer, which is why I spotted their post on Facebook.

That was back in September. I kept checking the cattery rescue cat page, certain someone would soon adopt such a pretty girl but every time I looked she was still in her pen, waiting hopefully for a forever home. The cattery pens were outdoors and although covered, with cosy cabins inside and kind carers to look after the cats, this month it began to trouble me that the weather forecast was for heavy rain and much cooler temperatures. I decided the time had come to have a chat with my husband. Winter was coming.

As you can imagine, with our existing menagerie and the forever rising cost of food and vet care, we certainly hadn't been looking to adopt any more animals... but this little girl had us both questioning if we could offer a home to just one more...

We agreed to contact the rescue and enquire if we might be suitable adopters and take it from there. After a long chat on the phone to discuss the possibility, we were invited to the cattery to meet her. 

A short drive later, with a cat box prepared in our car, just in case (!) we arrived and were taken to the cattery enclosure, where the daintiest little cat with the most startling eyes, stepped forward to the wire of her pen, to say a friendly hello.

Yes, she had us at 'hello'!

There was no question. After a further chat with the owner of the cattery, a few treats were sprinkled into our cat carrier and as the little girl cat stepped in, the door was fastened, we were given her documents and she was allowed to come home with us.

That was a week ago. Since then, we have settled her into the kitchen and introduced her under close supervision, to the rest of her new fur family. 

She is the smallest of our three cats and to begin with, was naturally wary with rather a spitfire temper. Since a girl, I watched Coronation Street on TV and recalled a fiery redhead character with a big heart from the sixties named 'Elsie Tanner'. The thought of her made me smile and so our little rescue was named 'Elsie'.

I learned that Elsie had not only been living stray, she had also had multiple litters in her short life. Two of her most recent kittens were also with the rescue looking for new homes, both aged five months. I heard yesterday, they are both about to be adopted. I felt kittens would be easier to rehome for the rescue, which is why we decided we would prefer to offer their mummy a home. 

The rescue ensured Elsie was spayed, bringing her multiple litter days to a much needed end, they also sorted out her vaccinations, flea treatment and worming, so adopting her really was simply a case of bringing her home and giving her time to acclimatise to her new life with us. 

I spent the first few days, making absolutely certain that Elsie was able to cope with the dogs and they with her. With close supervision and careful training, the animals soon worked how to move around each other and that they weren't a threat to each other. The dogs have been amazing with Elsie and given her the space she needs to feel safe and in return, she has gained confidence daily and is now happy to be in the same room as them. My boy cats were a little worried by their new sister cat but are going about their usual business and leaving her to do whatever she wants to do, so I think they will eventually all settle together well. Cats won't be rushed.

Taking on an adult rescue cat has been different from adopting kittens, certainly less chaotic! It is proving a joy to watch our little Elsie's confidence blossoming day by day. She is beginning to show us both that she trusts us and will now accept a gentle cuddle, nuzzling her head into my shoulder as if she is relieved to have someone to take care of her. She is also quickly learning that she will now always have a full tummy and a warm bed to snuggle in. No more babies for Elsie, no more exploitation by whoever thought it was okay to let their little cat get pregnant over and over again, probably so that they could sell on the kittens... and definitely, no more straying.

Yesterday evening, I sat on the kitchen floor and encouraged Elsie to play with toys, in an attempt to bring a little fun into her world. I am delighted to say, she was soon chasing the feathers on the end of a stick and also the little ball with a bell in it. She rolled onto her back and purred loudly. She had enjoyed the game. This morning I found her sharpening her claws on the doormat...

I think our little Miss Elsie is now claiming her territory and intends to make our home, her home. She is of course, most welcome!

• 21 October 2024

Mists and mellow fruitfulness

 

September, mists and mellow fruitfulness

For me, September is a season not only of mists and mellow fruitfulness, it is also the season in which my Dad passed away, one particularly glorious autumnal Saturday morning, fourteen years ago. There was no preparation, no last goodbye, just a simple telephone call to tell me Dad had gone ... and outside my window, the sun still shone like gold, leaves played in the breeze and the day was rich with warmth and autumn colour. 

Dad was a force of nature himself, he had a deep belly laugh and a colourful sense of humour, his was a presence never overlooked. He filled a room and loved an audience. The heart attack that took him from us, stole a man with a huge passion for life that never waned throughout his seventy four years. He was an explorer, a fighter, a big bold bolshy bloke with a firm handshake and a determination to succeed whatever the odds... and of course, he was our Dad, strong, solid and invincible... until he wasn't. Until the phone call. The call that rocked our world.

Over the years, shockwaves slowly eased into a ripple of acceptance and the equilibrium of life realigned with the arrival of a new generation, Dad's Great Grandchildren. Five perfect little people, full of fun, curiosity, talent and a familiar determination to push forward and conquer the challenges of life. I know Dad would be so proud of his new generation. 

And now, a picture of a hand knitted cardigan??? If you have read this far, perhaps you are curious to know why?! I am smiling as I write, because yes, this little cardigan is also part of Dad's story...

On the 12th of September 2024, six days before the fourteenth anniversary of Dad's departure from the mortal coil, a little boy was born into our family. Dad's sixth Great Grandchild. To welcome him, I have been knitting this cosy cable cardigan. We have no other family birthdays in September, so until now, September has been a month of memory... Dad, my Grandmother, my uncle. This September, I have enjoyed knitting for a happy family event!

At last, the beautiful month of September is filled with the joy of a new baby boy. Huge congratulations to his Mummy, my niece and his Daddy.

Welcome to your family little Nathan! 

Autumn Inspiration

 

Autumnal inspiration

A little teddy bear and his sunflower to say goodbye to the long summer days, as autumn rains and grey skies head our way. I have been dabbling with my pen and paints during the summer holidays and have enjoyed a wee break from bear-making ... I can't lay claim to any real talent for artistic endeavour, but do find it absorbing, relaxing and great fun to share the process with my grandchildren!

The rain is pouring hard today and there is a noticeable drop in temperature... it will soon be time to put away my flipflops and slip my toes into cosy slippers instead. I find myself drawn to my knitting bag on dark days like today and as I have a new Great niece or nephew due very soon, there is plenty of good reason to knit something snuggly for baby from the comfort of my sofa, on these darker evenings.

Of course, autumn is a lovely time for creating teddy bears too! I love the richness of autumn colour before winter drains the landscape. In fact, each season brings new inspiration for this bearmaker but I have always found autumn particularly inspiring, so I am looking forward to new fabrics and hunkering down in my workroom, to bring the new season's teddy bears to life!

Lilas Rose

 

Lilas Rose

Now and again it is fun to create a unique teddy bear in a more unusual colour. I was recently asked to make a special pink teddy girl for a collector, so rather than repeat any shades I have previously used in my bear-making, I decided to hand dye a piece of mohair and discover a unique shade of pink. 14" 'Lilas-Rose' teddy is the resulting bear... a wonderful confection of soft pink shades... and a lovely memory of our magnificent summer roses this year!

Memory Lane

 

Memory Lane

This morning it occurred to me, that I have forgotten to share my Facebook page here with you...

If you are a teddy bear collector who enjoys a trip along Memory Lane, my All Bear FB page is a great place to see the All Bear by Paula design journey over the past thirty years... I have compiled themed albums of my teddy bear creations for you to enjoy, drawing many bears together for the first time in collections such as 'The Rose Blooms', 'Spring', 'Summertime', 'Blue Bears', 'Traditional Bears', 'The Clowns', 'Laughing Bears'... the list is endless!

It is fun to find long forgotten friends among my dusty teddy bear archives and share them alongside recent designs in this way. So, if you would like to see them, please follow the link below. I look forward to seeing you there!

https://www.facebook.com/allbearbypaulacarter 

Sea, sunshine and curious seals

 

Sea, sunshine and curious seals

Even teddy bear makers appreciate a break from their daily routine once in a while, so my apologies for not being here last week but instead of making teddy bears, I was enjoying the fresh air and sunshine of peaceful beaches in beautiful north Norfolk with my dogs, Polly, Betty and Cooper. They had a wonderful time swimming and playing in the water all week and we even spotted curious seals watching us from deep in the water! So much fun. 

Now that we are home and our holiday laundry is washed, dried and put away, my sea soaked dogs are groomed and my cats home from their cattery, I feel refreshed and ready to head back up to my workroom to start a new teddy bear this week! 

Peonies, an inspiration

 

Peonies, an inspiration

Over the years, I have often been asked by collectors and writers, what inspires me to create my own style of teddy bears and when I recall the many bears I have made, it becomes clear to me, that most were inspired by Mother Nature.

I have always found the changing of seasons, beautiful flora both wild and cultivated, our woodland trees, the changing colours of our landscape and the British weather, a rich pool of inspiration for creating teddy bears. I think perhaps nature kindly lends my bears a particularly English flavour, an insight into the world in which they first came to life...

I am fortunate to live near a small peony farm called 'Little Buds Peony Farm'. It is opens its gates to visitors during the height of peony season in June. It is a joy to walk among row after row of the most fabulous flowers, the air full of their heady perfume. Delicate showstoppers, nodding in the breeze, set in the heart of the beautiful Kentish countryside overlooking green hills... such a magical experience.

Peonies are fleeting at this time of year, so I hope I have captured a little of their magic in my latest teddy bear, 'Peony-Rose'!

If you would like to visit Little Buds Peony Farm, it is open until the 15th June this year. Details can be found here: https://www.littlebuddspeonyfarm.co.uk/ 

The Mists of Childhood

 

The original 'Ellie' wasn't made by me, it was in fact given to me by an uncle in 1963, the year of my birth. Back in those distant days, my little pink ellie had floppy ears and felt eyes, but as is the way of much loved childhood toys, they were worn away with many hugs, over the passage of time.

Ellie was one of a select group of soft toys gifted to me as a baby... Big Ted, my first Chiltern Hugmee teddy bear, given to me on my first birthday by my parents, Scotty, a handmade black dog made by my Nana's boarding house lodger, Sooty, a Chiltern mohair glove puppet given to me by an auntie, a knitted dolly wearing a striped skirt who came from a school jumble sale and my now earless ellie, who somehow managed to survive six long decades and although a little more careworn perhaps, is still much loved today. Which brings me to the other pink ellie in the photograph (left) created by me in 2007, in an attempt to replicate my childhood elephant toy.

I had the ideal piece of pink wool fabric which was tucked away in the bottom of my fabric box. Using memory to help me, I created new ears lined with beige velvet and rather than the felt eyes of my original elephant, I inserted tiny glass eyes, as this little elephant was to be given as a keepsake, rather than a child's toy and I preferred the look of the traditional glass eyes.

To achieve the simplistic style of the original design was a little more tricky than I initially anticipated - we live and learn don't we?! Despite my teddy bear design skills, it took several attempts to figure out the body gusset pattern so that my wee elephant could sit comfortably, maintaining the shape of the 1960's original and embodying all of its naive charm.

When I was a child, it wasn't unusual for special gifts to be handmade, so decades later, I was delighted to be able to continue this tradition for my sister and her new baby (who by the way, is now sixteen years of age!)

The next elephant I made was a funny little chap called 'Abe', created from vintage style mohair in 2008. I developed the original softie elephant pattern a tiny bit, to include a jointed head and a head gusset in what was a simple two piece head, to give the head more definition. I also took a little more artistic licence with his trunk shaping, but other than those minor adjustments, kept little 'Abe' ellie, pretty true to my original 1960's elephant.

After Abe, I wanted to tackle something a little more complex, so began work afresh in 2008, using one of my previous teddy bear designs as a starting point for a 16" jointed elephant, created in sparse vintage pink mohair. I was so thrilled with the result I sent a photograph of 'Delilah' to 'Australian Bear Creations' and they were kind enough to print it in their magazine.

I returned to my jointed elephant design in 2009, curious to see how it would work in alternative fabrics ... and in 2009, my white standing circus elephant 'Starlight', was also featured in 'Australian Bear Creations' magazine!  

2010 was a challenging year creatively speaking, as I spent the first two thirds of the year working hard to develop my 'Careworn Collection' of teddy bears and the remaining third of the year simply trying to find motivation to work at all, after saying a sad farewell to my Dad that Autumn. Sad to say, there were no elephants in 2010 ...

My Dad would never have wanted me to lose my creativity, he always enjoyed my work and was proud of me; so in 2011, I picked myself up and dusted myself down and set to work. I wanted to develop my elephants' personalities further, so this time, designed two lovely new elephants with cute low slung ears and close set eyes, giving the ellies more character than ever before. 'Ma Cherie' and 'Forget-me-not' elephant worked their magic and soon had me smiling, inspired again, just as Dad would have wanted.

In 2013, I decided to make a Summer themed collection and came up with 'The Picnic Gang', a five piece group of friends including two bears, one rabbit, a clown and ... an elephant. This smaller design bridged the sweet naivety of my very first vintage style ellie design and the more sophisticated styling and personality of my later jointed elephants. 'Butterfly' elephant had a fun downturned trunk and nostalgic look, thanks to the vintage cotton print lining her ears and paws I used, together with her straw hat. I thought she was lovely, so in 2013, decided to take the design and use it to create Bluebell Ellie-Bear, part of my pastel 'Springtime Pals' trio, along with pals Hyacinth Bunny and Buttercup Bear. I knitted this pretty trio of friends sweet little jackets to complement their colouring.

It was ten years before another elephant came to life in my workroom. Last year, I made 'Jellybean' in the style of Ma Cherie and Forget-me-not, with large flappy cheerful downward ears, shaped arms and long, upward pointing trunk. This time, I wanted to introduce a new 'clown' element, by combining both pink and yellow mohair, contrasted with a cheerful Liberty print cotton fabric to line the ears and feet, giving Jellybean a bright, bold and cheerful personality.

In the sixteen years since my Great Niece Erin was born, I have created nine elephants, the threads of which are woven through the mists of my childhood and hers, inspired by a small straw-filled pink elephant, with felt eyes and loved away ears.

The tale of Miguel the Magnificent

I began bear-making before the age of the internet and before it became the norm to own a computer in households throughout the UK.

British Teddy bear 'artists' were inspired by the amazing teddy bear makers in the US, who began a passion for handcrafted teddy bears which miraculously swept across the globe without the aid of the internet, eventually taking a strong foothold in the UK in the early 1990's, in a country well known for its own teddy bear heritage, since the early 1900's.

Creating teddy bears was a passion for me well before I was nudged into selling my work in the mid 1990's. In the 1980's I was a dedicated teddy bear collector of Chiltern Hugmee teddy bears, manufactured in the UK since the early 1920's. By the early 1990's, I had discovered the world of teddy bear artists and was in awe of makers such as Sandra Wickenden, Gregory Gyllenship, Janet Clark, Frank Webster and Sue Quinn, to name but a few! By the mid 1990's, I was inspired to create  my own bears and the rest, as they say, is my teddy bear history!

The years have since crept by and it recently it occurred to me that my earlier, pre-World Wide Web teddy bears, are probably little remembered nowadays because in the days when they were created, I didn't have a website or social media to share my work, so I took photographs of my creations on film cameras, walked into town to have them developed in a shop, then walked home again, to sort and post the photos to interested customers and specialist magazines (in the old fashioned way with an envelope and a stamp!) The spare photographs were dumped into bags, stored in my loft and generally forgotten about as the years ticked by. Many bags of printed teddy bear photographs made their way to the local tip when I moved house seventeen years ago, so will sadly never be seen again. In those days, I simply stored a few favourite teddy bear photographs in traditional photo albums on a shelf. I have promised myself to scan them into my computer and make a proper photo album soon, as it seems such a shame to have lost so much of my earlier teddy bear making history. The older I become, the more I appreciate a need to save images of my work and play my part in preserving the history of the British Artist Bear to share with future generations...

And with that in mind, I will start the process this very moment with one of the very first images scanned into my first computer, many years ago... I think it was taken in 1999, or maybe 1998 - definitely in the days before bear-making took a toll on my eyesight! I was perched on the steps of the house I had lived since 1983. Sat with me was 'Miguel the Magnificent', a huge teddy bear created in alpaca. I was very proud of him and we were having our photograph quickly taken in the garden, before I settled him into a large box and sent him aross the world to America, to meet his new owner...

Shortly before Miguel was made, I won my first 'British Bear Artist Award' in 1998 for a similar bear named 'Himself'. After the awards ceremony, 'Himself' was featured in the 'Teddy Bear Times' magazine and then somehow seen by a lovely collector named Sylvia, who lived in Chicago, in the United States. I wouldn't normally share a collector's name publically, but Sylvia was a huge support to my teddy bear making career, for which I will always be grateful and she was a very kindly lady. Sadly she is no longer with us, but she was an absolute gem within our teddy bear world and as I mentioned, a very kind lady...

One day, Sylvia contacted me and asked if I could make a huge teddy bear for a little friend of hers, a young boy who had been involved in a terrible accident. When she visited him in hospital, she was so sad to see how damaged and frightened he was, so asked how she could help him feel more safe... between them they decided a huge teddy bear would do just that and so she contacted me to make a bear similar to my award winner, 'Himself'. 'Miguel the Magnificent' flew out to his new owner, but sadly, too late. The little boy, too broken to stay, slipped quietly away, before Miguel the Magnificent arrived in the US and so my huge bear was given to his mother to help her through her grief instead. Later his mother donated the bear in her son's memory to a charity where she felt he could continue to help... and a kind donor presented the charity with a significent sum of money, in return for one great big teddy bear, who, before flying out from the UK, had with one fuzzy photograph taken with his maker, perched on her garden steps...

So that was the tale of Miguel the Magnificent. I don't know where he is now but I will never forget his story in my teddy bear history and the memory of a kind hearted lady named Sylvia.