Noses of Distinction

  

Noses of Distinction

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I have a soft spot for the Chiltern Hugmee teddy bear and have had a love affair with them for many a long year. In fact, I was a collector of these beautiful English teddy bears, long before I ever created a bear myself!

My collection, or rather family of Hugmees, began with my first teddy bear in 1964, a fine 20", 1950's design, named 'Big Ted'. He has stayed with me through the ups and downs of life and is with me still. There have been a fair few more adoptees over the years, the most recent of which arrived with me a couple of weeks ago. He was made in the 1930's by the Chiltern Toy company and has pristine mohair, unaffected by the passage of time; still dense, rich in colour and absolutely glorious ... the kind of mohair to make any bearmaker's heart beat a little faster! However, this poor chap had a nose to rival the most bulbous of noses, probably over-stitched more with love than skill, by a previous owner. He also arrived quite typically, with a loose glass eye ... but a small operation will soon fix have that safely secured.

The nose was another matter entirely. I initially wondered if I could live with it, but after researching further to find similar examples of 1930's Chiltern Hugmee teddy bears with their original noses intact, I decided it really had to go! A nose is one of the defining characteristics for any self-respecting teddy bear of course, but for the 1930's Chiltern it was especially important. The 1930's Hugmee was granted a splended vertically hand-embroidered nose, with two end stitches sweeping elegantly upwards. It was a fine, distinguished teddy bear nose, a nose of great distinction, making its manufacturer instantly identifiable. My new arrival was in need of an upgrade if he was ever to grace the teddy bear toy box, alongside his Hugmee contemporaries.

So, out came my stitch ripper and my determination. I pointed a spotlight at bear's hooter and carefully took out each of the many loose stitches, together with what remained of his mouth thread. As I did so, I used pins to mark where the fabric colour had changed over the years, providing a useful clue for the original line of nose stitching and mouth placement. Unfortunately the thread I used was slightly thinner than the original embroidery thread, but with careful sewing I managed to recreate a much neater new nose for teddy, far more in keeping with the appropriate 1930's Chiltern Hugmee nose. I may re-do this nose at some point, as I would have preferred the two end stitches to be a millimetre or two longer than I made them but all in all, not a bad job and after taking a photograph with two new pals, both original 1930's Chiltern Hugmee teddy bears, it is clear to see this nose is without doubt, far more sympathetic to the original 1930's shape and placement.

If you would like to read more about the Chiltern Toy Company, here are a few links:

https://allbear.blogspot.com/2011/09/challenged-part-2.html

https://allbear.blogspot.com/2007/12/once-upon-design.html

https://allbear.blogspot.com/2008/08/making-chiltern-memories.html

https://www.teddybear-museum.co.uk/collections/chiltern

https://cheshammuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/chiltern-toy-factory/

https://www.bourtonbears.com/bears-chiltern.php

Lonesome Lonnie

 

LONESOME LONNIE

I found myself at a loose end for a few hours over the Easter break, so decided to give Lonnie bear's nose a beautiful sheen. Waxing is a slow process, requiring patience and a steady hand, but I hope you'll agree, well worth the effort as it lends a lovely finishing touch to a traditional teddy bear.

Lonesome Lonnie is currently waiting for his special someone, so fingers crossed his smart new leather bell collar and posh new snoot help him catch someone's eye soon ... he really is far too lovely to stay sat on my workroom shelf!

Update: Lonnie has been adopted.

Up close and personal!

 

TEDDY BEAR TIPS

I am often asked how I create my teddy bear noses...

A teddy bear's nose is very important. I believe it should be neatly stitched, expressive and perfectly shaped to suit teddy's character and facial proportions. Embroidering a traditional teddy bear nose is an art form, honed over years of practice and in my view, is one of the most important aspects of teddy bear making as it is the bearmaker's unique signature.

Sewing a good teddy bear nose can be tricky as it relies on so much more than simply needle and thread. To embroider a good teddy bear nose, the head pattern must first be carefully designed with a perfectly symmetrical muzzle. When the pattern is transferred to mohair for cutting, it is essential to ensure it is cut accurately, as the odd couple of millimetres here or there may prove disastrous when a nose is sewn. It is imperative that the muzzle is stitched into the head precisely, ensuring it is kept central, either by hand or machine. If muzzle and chin seam are slightly 'off' centre, it will become glaringly obvious when a nose is sewn ... and is if that isn't enough to terrify the most stalwart of makers, stuffing a teddy bear head unevenly, or not firmly enough, also has the potential to cause all manner of problems when the nose is sewn!

Before I tackle the nose, I prefer to fasten in eyes and trim the muzzle prior to settling into my chair, with a long slender needle and embroidery thread. I like to be relaxed and able to take my time for this job! I sit with my bear's head firmly gripped between my knees, at a right angle, ie., his chin pointing towards my knee. Then I take my first stitch, burying a tiny knot under the mohair backing with a firm tug and bringing my needle out in the centre of the muzzle. Taking care to maintain a firm and even tension and keeping the thread central, I take my first stitch down to the chin, just under the seam, then back up to the muzzle to stitch towards the right keeping my stitches equal in length, returning to the centre to stitch an equal number of stitches towards the left. Then I repeat the process to create a second layer with slightly longer stitches across the top of my embroidery (I am left-handed, so imagine right-handers may prefer to stitch from the centre to the left first; either way is fine). A little tip: if the muzzle is cut and sewn in correctly, it should be possible to use the tiny holes in the backing as a guide for your needle ... but woe betide you if the muzzle is slightly adrift! 

To finish my teddy bear nose, I take long stitches across the top, bottom and along the sides of my nose, using a deliberate tension to create a slightly rounded shape. Using the remaining thread, I exit through the chin seam, stitch an inverted 'V' shaped mouth using glass topped pins to guide me and finally, make a couple of long stiches from the top of the mouth to the bottom of the nose, along the chin seam.

Teddy bear noses can be stitched in a variety of styles and shapes. I have become known over the years for my classic block noses, neatly embroidered in satin stitch, but have also created many waxed noses, striped noses, sparkly noses, festive noses and even careworn noses, deliberately distressed to give an impression of age. A teddy bear's nose is limited only by the imagination of his maker!

Summer

Summer is in full swing in the UK and so here is the perfect teddy bear to celebrate our sunshine season ...

15" Summer

Butterflies, flowers, peach mohair and a carnival pink striped nose ...  definitely Summer in a teddy bear!

This pretty girl was snapped up super fast from my website yesterday and I am delighted to say, is now on her way to Germany meet her new family.

:-)

So this is George

I snapped a few Iphone pics from my desk as I worked last week ...

Stitched and ready to stuff.

Nose embroidered so now it's time to insert the glass eyes.

Painting melted wax onto this fellow's nose ...

Using a hairdryer to melt the wax deep into the embroidery thread.

Buffing the first layer with brown paper.

Another coat of wax, more melting and more buffing and this bear's nose is now complete.

End of day workroom pic - hey, hello bear!

And finally, a posh studio photograph session! 

So this is George. 

:-)

A quick nosey ..

My bear-making has been a bit 'stop/start' lately, but between training and exercising Polly, knitting for my new grandchild and a hundred and one other tasks that seem to claim my time, I have gradually been pulling together three lovely new big bears for the 'Teddy Bear Hollow' shop in Loughborough ... 

I know it's not much of a preview, but until I've photographed each of the bears properly for the shop, this nose is about the most I can share with you.  More pics very soon ... that's a promise!

Ever wondered ... ?

Ever wondered how to embroider a stripey nose for your bear?

I make my striped noses very simply.  No templates, no glueing, no measuring.  Just plain 'ol stitching and careful tensioning!

I always start in the centre and work out to the side ... then back to the centre and out to the other side.  My noses require two layers of stitching.  To make a stripey nose I simply use two separate coloured threads and two sewing needles and stitch one, then the other.

Alternatively, multi-coloured embroidery thread gives a great effect too!

This is a fun, simple way to give your bears even greater personality - go on, give it a go, you know you want to!