Buttoned up my precious ...

Vintage 1960's 'aurora borealis' button

I forgot to tell you about the buttons on Clover's knitted jacket in my post yesterday ... these fabulous vintage 1960's 'aurora borealis' buttons turned up on Ebay some time ago and the magpie in me naturally honed in on them. By some miracle the other button magpies weren't scouring Ebay carefully enough that week and so I won several of these beauties! I tucked away 'my precious' (can you hear Gollom taking over now?!) stash for a while, taking it out to admire every so often before greedily hiding it away again, but when I held the last three buttons against Clover's jacket on Monday and saw how they brought it to life, I had to face facts, they were perfect ... sob!

Flying the flag

You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find Union Jack buttons! I can find plenty of pin badges, but no proper buttons; isn't that peculiar?! I have surfed the internet until I'm boggle-eyed, but to no avail. Ah well, I'm pleased to say my patriotic bear will still be completed because I have had an artistic rethink and with perseverence, eventually succeeded in finding some suitable vintage buttons from the 1960's/70's. These little cuties are now en route to me, whizzing over from the US - I hope they arrive soon because I'm bursting to finish this bear! I just need to sew on his buttons, give him a little Union Jack flag to wave, take his photographs for the magazine ... oh, and a name! I must remember to come up with a suitable name!

Vintage 1960's/70's buttons

I think I will be taking this bear to the 'Teddy Bear Artist Event' in Stratford Upon Avon on June 8th, so if you can make it to the show, I'd love you to come and see him in person. For the moment though, here's a partial peek, just to whet your appetite!

Tabling my frailties

'Elgar' 21"

I wish I could tell you I enjoyed creating this quirky chap, but if I did, I'd be fibbing! He has been such hard work, a real trial. Now that he's completed, I still can't look at him without seeing all the problems he has caused me, not to mention wishing I'd had enough fabric to make him a slightly larger head ... not quite the catastrophe I feared, but not the dream outcome I had hoped for either!

On arrival, this seemed like a good sized piece of mohair. I was entranced by the richness of colour and the wonderful autumnal leaf pattern, but by the time I had carefully placed each pattern piece to avoid the most worn areas, I realised there wouldn't be a spare inch anywhere and if I didn't want to completely waste my money (this wasn't an insubstantial purchase!) I would have to proceed with utmost caution.

I think this particular mohair must have begun life as a table covering or similar all those years ago, because the backing didn't have the strength of the other antique mohair I worked with previously, which was probably intended for use as upholstery once upon a time. With the exception of Elgar's arms, I found it necessary to line each pattern piece with interfacing to ensure both the fabric's integrity and my sanity.

Once or twice I almost gave up in despair as the closing seams threatened to weaken, but I persevered, making sure I took substantial stitches with my ladder stitch and giving myself sufficient seam allowance for the stitches to hold firm.

Now that Elgar is finished I can at least say I am very satisfied with the placement of the tapestry on his body and I do like his antique boot button eyes, particularly as they are gently pitted and undeniably aged - I think they give him a unique expression quite different from my contemporary bears. I also love the 1960's 'aurora borealis' buttons I've used from my little magpie horde, as they give him an extra special zing. I guess all in all, he's not quite what I was aiming for, but he does have a certain awkward charm and if nothing else, is definitely one of a kind!

Button detailing

With gentle handling I think this unusual bear will see out his days in comfort, but he will need treating with respect, just as an elderly gentleman should be. He will probably stay with me for the forseeable future and who knows, maybe we will become more accustomed to one another eventually! For now though, I'm more than ready to take a short break from my foray into vintage mohair and instead indulge myself in something modern, something completely 'All Bear' and dare I say it, something wholly more predictable!

A little Porridge anyone?

I'd like to introduce you to my latest 'Half Pint' cub bear, 'Porridge'. He's just 16", which by my standards, is quite little. (A positive giant to miniaturists though!) You may recognise his knitted waistcoat from my earlier posting ... as soon as I started work on Porridge I knew he would be exactly the right bear for that waistcoat - it really suits him doesn't it?!

Those buttons have set me off on a quest to find out more about button collecting too ... there are so many fabulous vintage buttons out there and hunting them down is much more fun than buying modern buttons from my local haberdashery (although time spent mooching there certainly has its pleasures too!)

The 'Bear Artists Online Summer Show' starts at midnight on Friday! I'm very excited about it. There are over 160 individually designed bears created especially for the show and I think it's going to be a heap of fun. I hope you can pop in to see what's happening!

Here's the show preview link for a taste of what's to come ...

http://www.bear-artists-online.com/showentry.html

Well, my latest big bear 'Rudyard' sold so quickly, I didn't have time to mention him earlier ... so I will post his photo here for you to see, as I wave him goodbye across the Atlantic to the big 'ol US of A!

I'm going to take a breather today and rather than start work on a new bear, I'm think I'm going to relax a bit and do some knitting in the conservatory ... there was gorgeous sunshine streaming in through the windows earlier, but now ominous black clouds are rolling my way, so I shall knit a cardigan in readinness for my next new bear, while the rain thunders against the glass!

Buttons 'n brambles.

Oh dear! What a weekend! The rain poured heaven's hardest, the wind howled and the weight of sodden clematis proved too much for the rotten fence. I woke to find a tangled mass of greenery and crushed wooden slats leaving a gaping hole at the edge of the garden. I spent the whole of Sunday with Stuart, clearing the site and getting soaked to the skin in the process. Now our beautiful garden is a shambles; the saddest thing being that I won't get to see the clematis flower this year after all. On a brighter note, at least the fence will be replaced and I will be able to start work on the garden again ... after all, I do love grubbing around in the mud!


That aside, this week I've been nice and cosy in my sewing room, working on designs for the 'Bear Artists Online Summer Show'. The online show takes place at www.bear-artists-online.com on the 30th June, so I really do need to get my nose pressed firmly to the grindstone.

I'm really looking forward to this show, I think it's a great idea for showcasing bear art, so when the organiser invited me to take part, I couldn't resist. Today I'm working with some beautiful tipped alpaca and lately, I've been hunting for interesting bits 'n bobs to work with and came across these fabulous buttons from the 1930's . I'm certain they will be perfect for a special couple of bears.

I'll let you know how I get on with everything at a later date, but I'm afraid I can't tell you any more than that today, because I will unveil all the new bears at the BAO Summer Show and until then I'm sworn to secrecy!