Something old ...

I've had a bee in my bonnet for a while ... something about adding a more nostalgia quality to my bears has been buzzing around in my head.  So, I popped into the Guild of Master Bearcrafters a couple of weeks ago and asked my bear artist friends if they could help point me in the right direction.  They were so generous and enthusiastic with their advice!  We quickly began chatting about this aspect of our craft and before we knew it, had created an impromptu online workshop! 

Victorian/Edwardian boot buttons - perfect for vintage style teddy eyes

I would especially like to thank Barbara Spiga of Bobby Baer in France and Vicki Allum of Humble Crumble Bears here in the UK, for sharing their thoughts and advice.  Both ladies are expert at creating fabulous antique style bears, each with a very individual style, so do please take a peek at their work, I know you'll enjoy your visit! 

http://bobbybaer.blogspot.com/

http://www.victoriaallum.co.uk/index.html

'O Best Beloved'

And this is the bear I created as a result of my impromptu workshop with Vicki and Barbara!  He's 19" tall and as you can see, I have developed some 'vintage' styling techniques, including distressing his mohair to give him a careworn, nostalgic flavour.  'O Best Beloved' will make his debut at the 'Winter Bearfest' show in Kensington Town Hall on 28th February.

Creating Heirloom Teddy Bears by Linda Mullins

By the way, if you are interested in creating classic teddy bears you might enjoy  'Creating Heirloom Teddy Bears' Published in 1995 by Hobby Horse Press.  It is the first of two such books written by Linda. It really is a lovely book and Linda's passion for vintage bears shines through the pages. Each pattern has been carefully re-created from Linda's original collection of beautiful antique bears by Flore Emory, an expert at recreating early bear designs. The book offers an insight into nine special bears, from America, the UK and Germany.