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!

Teddy bears, a British tradition

 

TEDDY BEARS, A BRITISH TRADITION.

As a British teddy bear maker, no matter how many years of bear-making and design I tuck under my belt, I never cease to be inspired by the traditional teddy bear. He holds such a special place in my heart and of course, even more importantly, in the history of British toy-making...

The first teddy bear, manufactured in the United Kingdom at the turn of the twentieth century around 1906, was created by leading toy manufacturer of the time, JK Farnell, originally a silk merchant producer of small textile goods in the 1840's.

The family firm of J K Farnell Company Limited holds particular significance within the British soft toymaking history, not only because it was the very first British toy company to manufacture teddy bears but also because it created the actual teddy bear who inspired  A. A. Milne to write his famous Winnie the Pooh stories, first published in 1926. J.K. Farnell became the most respected and influential soft toy manufacturer in Britain and the superior quality of the company's products ensured it huge success internationally.

In 1908, the rival Chiltern Hygenic Toy Company, established a factory in the beautiful Chiltern Hills of Buckinghamshire and in 1915, produced its first teddy bear, a funny googly eyed fellow with dressed cotton body and mohair head and paws, boldly titled 'The Master Teddy'. He soon paved the way for a fabulous range of handsome mohair teddy bears named 'Chiltern Hugmees', sturdy teddies with distinctive large heads and drumstick legs, still very much sought after by collectors today, a century since the first Hugmee was created.

The British public fell head over heels in love with the teddy bear, which is probably why many were kept in attics when their owners grew up and are still found in dusty boxes today. In the first half of the 20th Century, mohair teddies were manufacturered throughout the United Kingdom in all manner of sizes and styles, by famous and lesser known companies such as Farnell, Chiltern, Merrythought, Deans, Omega, Terry, Chad Valley, Aneeta, Twyford, Pixie, Invicta, Hammond Manufacturing Company of Stoke on Trent, Harwin & Co... the list goes on. The teddy bear became an iconic toy, comforting generations of children through the difficult war years and beyond.

Sadly, by the end of the 20th Century, despite surviving challenging economic and supply problems presented by the war years, our toy making companies could not compete with cheap teddy bears imports from China, so almost all were forced to cease teddy bear production. Today, of the thirty or so teddy bear factories that once existed in twentieth century Britain, only one remains. The Merrythought Company Ltd, founded in 1930 still produces teddy bears in the traditional manner, from its factory in Ironbridge, at the heart of the Shropshire hills. 

Despite the dramatic change in fortune for teddy bear manufacturers from the 1960's onwards, the British teddy bear is still very much heralded as a treasured toy. Teddy bears produced throughout the past century have become significant collectibles and independent teddy bear designers such as myself, continue to create personal tributes to the traditional teddy, to help ensure the heritage of the British teddy bear for future generations to cherish.

If you are wondering who the traditional teddy bear in the photograph is, I am proud to tell you he is my latest traditional teddy bear creation, created as a special commission, to celebrate a collector's 50th birthday. I hope he is a fitting tribute to over a century of British teddy bears!

Back to the future

BACK TO THE FUTURE

Phyllis was made as a commission order for a collector in the US. I recently received an email containing a photograph of another teddy that I made way back in 2007, together with a request for a similar style of bear... not as easy as it perhaps sounds!

I put on my thinking cap, searched suppliers' websites for suitable mohair and in consultation with my customer, settled on this fabulous tangerine mohair to contrast with the white head and paws in the style of my original bear. My collector asked if I would be able to recreate the face she first fell in love with all those years ago, so I set about hand painting glass eyes to capture the sparkle, shading and needlefelting sleepy little eyelids and embroidering a stunning tangerine nose to create a 2022 version of my original teddy bear.

With her lovely chunky body, hugging arms, drumstick legs and face so full of character, 'Phyliss' has been a delightful revival of a style of teddy bear I very much enjoyed creating in the past ... and one I hope to share again with collectors in the future!

Summer Smiles

 

'SUMMER SMILES'

This summery trio of 18" teddy bears, was recently commissioned by an overseas collector.

I was so pleased with them I couldn't resist sharing them with you here!

xxxxx

If you would like to chat about having a special teddy bear created especially for you, please drop me a line!

Seaside Follies

 

SEASIDE FOLLIES

I recently received an intriguing request to create this 21" commemorative teddy bear. He celebrates the life of my collector's Great Grandfather 'Jack Bellamy', a successful music hall act and Pierrot clown in the early 1900's. My collector emailed a blurry black and white photograph for me to work from and as a nod to Jack Bellamy's original Pierrot costume, included a request for pom-poms to be included in the design of his tribute teddy bear.

Pierrot troupes were a feature of almost every seaside town in the first half of the 1900's, raising funds and morale during the war years. They were obliged to be 'smart, charming and available at all times' and ready to entertain with music, dance and comedy, whatever the weather!  Many of our legendary British comedians such as Arthur Askey, Lesley Crowther and Max Miller, began their comedic careers as Pierrot Clowns, providing charming family fun at the seaside until the 1950's/60's, when overseas travel and foreign holidays became more accessible to British families and the Pierrots' heyday came to an end.

For a more detailed glimpse into the world of the 'Seaside Follies' Pierrot troupes, please visit www.seasidefollies.co.uk

Commissioning a Tweedy Ted

I was recently commissioned to make a Tweedy Ted. My customer chose her favourite Harris tweed fabrics and hey presto, this fab new bear emerged!

 I think the plain dark teal made a super contrast for the snazzy pinks and purple stripe ... he has been such a fun bear to create! He doesn't have a name just yet because his new owner is going to name him herself. Commissions can be such a lovely collaboration! This week, I plan to return to my mohair stash. I'm not yet sure exactly what I will make, but am looking forward to finding out as my thoughts unfold ... 

Tweedy Ted in progress..

In other news, my weekend flew by in a flurry of birthday celebrations for Mum, housework, shopping, dog walks and a trip to the theatre with my daughter, to see 'Avenue Q' (an adult puppet show which made my toes curl)!

My latest collection of mohair and cloth bears,

 sitting in a quiet corner of my workroom

After such a busy weekend, I don't mind telling you, I am a little tired today, so after a run down to the playing fields with Polly, Betty and her ball, I will be very much looking forward to a quiet afternoon in my workroom planning new bears ... and of course, introducing them to you, when they come to life!

My latest Tweedy Teds

If you think you might like to commission a teddy bear, either a Tweedy Ted or a mohair bear, I would love to hear from you. To begin with, all you need to do is visit my website, click on the 'Commissions' page and drop me a line outlining the type of teddy bear you have in mind and his size. I will have a think, source fabric suggestions and start the process of planning your bear with you. It really is as simple as that to have an artist designed teddy bear created especially for you!  

I hope to hear from you soon x

www.allbearbypaula.com

:-)

Champagne and Oo-bi-doo

I've been working on a big teddy bear for a collector in the US ... 'I'll leave it up to you Paula' she said, when asked about mohair choices. So, I created this lovely big cuddle of a bear in the hope 'Champagne' might be the perfect bear for my collector and happily, he was!

22" Champagne

So yesterday was 'up, up and away' day for Champagne. I booked a courier collection for the afternoon and quite literally, jogged back from our local playground with my grandson and two dogs in tow, to ensure we could be home as the van pulled up, to hand our precious cargo over in person.  We waved the van off, then settled on the sofa to watch Disney's 'Jungle Book'. Oh how I love grey November afternoons snuggled with my Grandson, singing along to 'Oo-bi-doo!' and 'I'm the king of the swingers'! Fun, fun,fun!

:-)

A Primrose

I finished work on a lovely teddy bear yesterday, a commission to celebrate the new season.

20" 'Primrose'

As I have mentioned before, finding pretty yellow mohair for large bears isn't always easy, so I was thrilled to find a gorgeous primrose yellow mohair recently. It has been fun to knit for this project, although I confess, calculating the sizing for her short sleeved cardigan proved a bit of a headache! It was worth the struggle though, as that purple yarn and yellow mohair look stunning together. Oh, and I hope you'll agree, my pretty crochet flowers add a perfect 'Spring time' flourish to this lovely teddy girl's outfit!

:-)

A lifetime buddy..

As Christmas drew closer, I was given a top secret commission last year, which, I am delighted to say, I am now able to share with you. However, rather than tell you about this special teddy myself, I would like to share a testimonial and some wonderful photographs taken by my sister Tina ...

"We commissioned a very special bear from Paula, as our first Granddaughter's first Christmas gift. Paula has done a fantastic job. We described what we thought Willow would like... a traditional vintage styled bear, a bit floppy and designed to be loved.....not a toy but definitely not to lurk permanently on a shelf.

Paula took everything we suggested for onboard and 'Doddy' was born. He is GORGEOUS! Willow loves him. We know that he will make the most perfect lifetime buddy for her.

Thank you x"

As you can imagine, I was thrilled to receive these beautiful photographs and absolutely delighted to be invited to create this precious little girl's very first Christmas teddy bear, gifted with much love from her Grandparents.

It is always lovely to make teddy bears for grown-up collectors, but to create a bear to become 'a lifetime buddy' to a child, is very special indeed. I wish Doddy and little Willow much magic and hope they will share many adventures together in the years to come!

:-)

PS ... if you would like to see more of Tina's fabulous photography, please visit her website:

www.tinaallinghamphotography.co.uk

Christmas catch up..

I don't think I have ever had quite such a disorganised lead into Christmas! Between my son's wedding, dog training and the usual pre-Christmas family commitments, there has been very little Christmas teddy bear making time available, so for the first year ever, horror or horrors, I don't have even a tiny clutch of festive teddies to offer collectors ... I know, shocking isn't it?! Thankfully I have squeezed just enough time to work on a couple of long standing commissions, so hopefully these at least, will carry smiles to their new owners on Christmas Day.

It has been a long time since I created a careworn teddy bear, so the sweet fellow above was a real pleasure to make.  As he is to be a surprise Christmas gift, I'm sworn to secrecy and can't tell you anything more about him ... no sorry, not even his name!

And this cuddlesome autumnal alpaca teddy bear is rather overdue, not to mention still not quite ready to travel. Thankfully his lovely owner has been very patient. I was asked to create a bear to celebrate the season, so hand dyed alpaca to create a unique autumn teddy in a pretty soft russet and pale bark brown combination. As you can see by the pins, I haven't yet stitched on his ears and still need to add a few finishing touches, but he really is a super teddy bear. Fingers crossed he will prove well worth the wait ...

And on that note, I'd better hop away from this keyboard and up to my workroom to finish 'Autumn' while there are still leaves on the ground and before the Winter snows arrive to hide them!

:-)

Update:
Here is the finished Autumn bear photograph! 

Now living happily with new owner in the UK ...

16" Autumn

All walks of life

I can't pretend I wasn't a little surprised when a gentleman of the clergy contacted me to request a special teddy bear to celebrate his forty five years as a vicar and army padre.

Happy to oblige, I set about creating 'Earl Grey' (now settling into life in the Vicarage until the good Reverend retires in a short while). I received a lovely email from the vicar a couple of days ago and it made me chuckle ... apparently his teddy was very well received and, 'grey,heavy, thoughtful.....just like me!' 

This lovely commission certainly goes to prove there are teddy bear collectors in all walks of life!

:-)

Knit one ..

I am happy to tell you, that after an afternoon spent knitting under my garden parasol yesterday, 'Blossom' is now dressed and ready to meet her new owner. 

Many thanks to Theresa Roberts for the free cardigan knitting pattern. Such a sweet little bolero top, a pleasure to knit and the small size is the perfect fit for my Summer girl teddy bear!

:-)

Rumour has it ..

On afternoons as beautiful as this, there is nothing like being able to work quietly outside, sat under my parasol.

This pretty Summer pink teddy girl is a commission order and she's waiting patiently while I knit her a little something to wear.  So here I am, enjoying the sunshine from the comfort of my garden chair and listening to Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' album while Polly and Betty doze on the lawn.  

It's a tough life!

;-)

Shades of April

I created 'April' for a customer who fell in love with 'Lily' (the pale pink sister bear I created earlier this year) but was pipped to the post on the day I offered her for adoption.  I hate when collectors are disappointed so put my thinking head on and found this soft 'duck egg' blue alpaca.  I was also lucky enough to find a matching alpaca/merino blend yarn to knit her a hat and scarf.  I do so love it when a teddy bear crafting plan comes together!

'April' will be jetting off to live with her new mom in the USA this week.

Bon voyage bear!

:-)

Making amends

Remember 'Lily', the sweet pink alpaca bear I made recently? Well, she sold so fast I had to disappoint a couple of my overseas collectors.  To make amends I promised to create similar alpaca teddy bears, but in alternative shades.  It's not always possible, but fortunately Lily's beautiful alpaca was also available in several alternative, equally gorgeous hand dyed colours ... perfect for Spring teddies!

So here is Lily's sister bear 'Lupin', an adorable 14" teddy bear created from a very pretty shade of lilac and wearing a cosy hat and scarf I knitted using a lovely soft alpaca yarn.  Lupin will be flying 'Downunder' to meet her new Mum in Australia later this week. 

Bon Voyage Lupin!

:-)

Change is as good as a rest

The Winter Bearfest will be taking place in London tomorrow but sadly I won't be among the exhibitors this time.  Rather than worry about reserving teddy bears for shows, I plan to work at my own pace in future, fitting  my bear making in, with time for Polly, Betty and Toby.  After exhibiting with Hugglets for twenty years, I sure will miss all the fun of being in London with everyone else this year, but hopefully will be able to make a return with my bears in the not too distant future ... fingers crossed!

20" Marshmallow

I will of course, continue to make special bears for special people!  This pretty 20" pink 'n white girl was recently commissioned by a keen collector.  She is named 'Marshmallow' and will be meeting her new mum next week.  New mum has been waiting for my tennis elbow to settle so I could finish the knitted dungarees ... thank you so much for being so patient!

Wishing all my bear making friends and teddy bear collectors a wonderful show in London tomorrow.  I hope the day is full of magical teddy bear buzz! Have fun!

That's not tennis!

My bear making has been limping along at a snail's pace lately because I had a flare-up of tennis elbow; twenty years of bear-making takes a toll on joints unfortunately.  I've had to start using a support which I wear below my elbow while working ... thankfully, that is helping.  So, the pink 'n white bear I mentioned in my previous post is waiting for knitted dungarees (knitting is particularly painful with this condition) and her ears still need stitching on (mustn't forget to do that!) ... but we are making progress, albeit slowly.

On the plus side, having to rest my arm has at least provided me with much needed time to tidy my workroom, which is now lovely and organised ... 

I'm relieved to say my arm is feeling a bit stronger now and I'm looking forward to making a lovely bear crafting mess in here again in a few days' time!

Pink 'n white in progress..

It's been a while since I shared a work-in-progress pic here, so this is my current project, a lovely big pink 'n white girl; a special commission for a customer.

I think she's coming along beautifully and I'm looking forward to assembling her because then it will be time to start work on a cosy pair of knitted dungarees for her to wear and as you know, I do enjoy a snuggle on my sofa with my knitting needles of an evening! 

So I'll share another pic when she's finished and I hope you will pop back to see how she progresses ...

:-)

Wavelengths

Creating a commission for a collector can be a fun process, but it can also be a bit nerve racking as it isn't always easy to tune into the same creative wavelength as a customer.  I find taking time to share ideas before committing to a project, is probably the most important step of the entire commission process.

Once ideas have been exchanged and fabric choices finalised (usually via email) it's then time to begin work ...

For this particular commission, my customer asked me to share work-in-progress photographs as her bear progressed.  It was a useful way of making certain we were both happy with the work ... and it only took a second to share snaps straight from my Iphone as I worked.

In fact, feedback from my customer during the bear making process was invaluable to me and it was fun to see how much she enjoyed watching her bear come to life step by step!

My customer's main directive was that her bear had to be BIG, a clown and created from only the most beautiful, luxury mohair. In other words, right up my creative street and a real pleasure for me to design!

My collector was also kind enough not to rush me to complete her bear, understanding instinctively that the best bears are never churned out quickly, rather they are better created with time built in for their creator to mull during the creative process.

For this bear, I hoped to achieve a  harmony of gentle Summer colour, so was delighted to stumble across Sirdar's lovely 'Crofter' yarn in perfect complementary shades for the scarf I had been asked to knit.

I decided to wait until teddy was completed before searching for his buttons because I needed them to be an ideal shade and texture. After spending several hours online, I settled on lovely chunky ceramics handcrafted by a seller in America.  She shipped them promptly and when I opened the packet a few days later, I was thrilled to see the time spent button hunting had been worthwhile - those buttons were absolutely perfect for my collector's very special Summer clown teddy bear!