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!

Serendipity

The older I become, the more I see that life is often about coincidence, each seemingly isolated incident, a piece of jigsaw linking to a greater story as years pass...

In my mid twenties as a young mum, I worked as a teaching assistant in a local school. The school was close to town and on lunchbreaks, I often enjoyed a short walk to the local bookshop to browse. One day I spied Pauline Cockrill's 'The Ultimate Teddy Bear Book' on a shelf and couldn't resist opening it... by some mysterious chance, it fell open to an image of my childhood bear 'Big Ted', a wonderful Chiltern Hugmee teddy bear gifted to me on my first birthday by my parents and still with me to this day, sixty years later. The coincidence made me smile and for some reason, I couldn't put the book back on the shelf and instead bought it, then read it from cover to cover that evening. From that day on, I was utterly entranced by the history of the teddy bear and I would say that particular book was the reason I began collecting teddy bears and ultimately, my inspiration for creating them too...

I began making teddy bears as a hobby. After a while, friends and family requested my bears and word soon spread beyond school that I was not only a teaching assistant but also a secret teddy bear maker! In the mid 1990's, before I had even heard of the internet, I came to realise that to keep up with what had quickly evolved into an ever growing demand for my teddy bears, I would need to set up a little homespun business to sell them.

In those days, my sister Fiona had also started to make teddy bears and one day, she took several of our bears to show the owners of 'The Rochester Teddy Bear Shop', a rather magical local teddy bear emporium. She returned home full of excitement because not only had the shop asked to stock our work, they had also invited us to exhibit our teddy bears at 'The Rochester Teddy Bear Show' held twice yearly in the Corn Exchange. I could hardly believe my ears and instantly forgave my sister for borrowing my bears!

And so 'Auntie Bears' was born, the prelude to 'Absolutely Bear by Fiona Smith' and my subsequent label, 'All Bear by Paula Carter' (now 'All Bear by Paula') which launched at the start of the new millenium. It was also the start of many more teddy bear show adventures throughout the country and the inception of our venture into selling to other teddy bear outlets, both in the UK and overseas. Wonderful shops such as 'Bears and Bunnies', 'The Rochester Teddy Bear Shop', 'Theodore's Bear Emporium', 'Growlies', 'Edwina's Friends', 'Sue Pearson's Dolls and Teddy Bears', 'Silly Bears' and 'The House of Bruin' among others, have sadly long ceased trading and are much missed by collectors and bearmakers alike. Over the years we made many long standing friends in the teddy bear world and will always be grateful to the shops who supported us during our early days as newly aspiring teddy bear makers. Other teddy bear shops thankfully survived the recent pandemic and are still selling artist bears to eager collectors. One such shop is 'The Bear Shop' in Norwich, trading since 1990 and as those of you who have followed my bears over the years will know, this shop still stocks my bears today (thank you so much Robert!) Oddly enough, it is 'The Bear Shop' which links neatly to my latest teddy bear book 'coincidence'...

As I mentioned earlier, in the 90's, before I had even considered making teddy bears myself, I had become somewhat of a teddy bear collector and eager reader of all things 'bear'. At the teddy bear fairs I visited, I would occasionally catch a reverent mention of a gentleman named 'Peter Bull', an English actor with a heart full of teddy bears. I learned that Mr Bull was the person responsible for bringing much-loved childhood teddy bears out of discreet and sometimes rather embarrassed hiding by sharing true life teddy bear stories in the wider world, with pride, gentle authority and a well-earned sense of place. He wrote and talked about teddy bears and their importance within our social history, with great fondness, humour and dedication, asking the world to understand that teddy bears were not only for children. In fact, many had provided a significant source of comfort to their grown-up owners during troubled times, including the war years and as such, earned their place in history, so we should be rightly proud of owning them in adulthood.

In my early days as a teddy bear collector, I don't mind admitting I didn't fully appreciate the impact Peter Bull made on the teddy bear collecting world. Born in 1912, he was of my Grandmother's generation, a generation that had lived through the horror of two World Wars. Originally a journalist, he served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, achieving the rank of Lieutenant-Commander and awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for service in the Mediterranean. Later he became an actor with films such as my Mum's old favourite 'The African Queen' and 'Dr. Strangelove' to his list of credits. He was also a Member of Parliament for Hammersmith for 29 years.

With a long and distinguished life established, Mr Bull subsequently became known as 'The father of teddy bear collecting' both in the UK and overseas, shining his bright light on the role of the teddy bear in the lives of men, women and children throughout the past century. He published his first book 'Bear with me' dedicated to sharing tales of real life teddy bears, in 1969. Mr Bull also appeared on television and became well known for championing the cause of teddy bear collecting as an acceptable adult hobby. 

Peter Bull passed away in 1984 aged 72, several years prior to the publication of Pauline Cockrill's 'The Ultimate Teddy Bear' in 1991 and just as excitement for teddy bear collecting and creating 'artist bears' was sweeping across the UK. On his passing, many of Mr Bull's own teddy bears were rehomed by the London Toy and Model Museum but 'Aloyssius', a famous actor teddy bear, best known for his role in the film 'Brideshead Revisited', was adopted by Ian Pout, owner of the famous Teddy Bears of Witney shop, first established in 1985 and still selling wonderful teddy bears to this day.   

My own little coincidence occurred recently, when I happened to be selling a teddy bear making book I no longer needed. I popped it on a well known auction site in the hope it might inspire another new maker and as I listed it, happened to notice another book for sale entitled 'The Teddy Bear Book', written by Peter Bull. It was offered by a charity for the deaf, so I put in a bid of a few £'s and promptly forgot all about it, until I received notification that I had in fact won the auction! I received this fabulous tome yesterday, first published in 1970 when I was only seven years old. It arrived in the original hard case and was in immaculate condition, clearly much cherished by the original owner. That alone was enough to delight this bearmaker, but to open the cover and discover this was one of the original 10,000 first printed and signed by the author's own hand, put a huge smile on my face. I began to read and was immediately drawn by the author's expressive style, then the joy of flicking through the pages as I supped my mug of coffee, only to find little treasures carefully placed within the pages by the original owner... a polite hand signed note of sale from the retailer, a bookmark detailing Peter Bull's biography with little annotations scribed in a neat hand, a list of teddy bears and books made available from 'The House of Nisbit', an address for a teddy bear restorer handwritten and noted 'a lovely lady'... and further on, a little round cardboard tag printed by 'The Bear Shop' and saved like a carefully pressed flower... the very same bear shop which has welcomed my teddy bears since my early days as a teddy bear maker!

Receiving this very special teddy bear book out of the ether yesterday, felt as though an invisible force somewhere had witnessed my teddy bear making journey over the past thirty years and brought the perfect gift to my door. I couldn't have been more touched, surprised and delighted... and for that I believe I may have Serendipity to thank!

To read a little more about Peter Bull please visit: https://letstalkteddybears.com/peter-bull-collector/ 

101 Bears to make, a book by Nancy Tillberg

 

101 BEARS TO MAKE, A BOOK BY NANCY TILLBERG

After almost thirty years in the teddy bear making industry, I find I have some great bear-making books, written by talented artists, gathering dust on my shelf. I collected them many years ago and as I am a nostalgic type of person, kept them because they held memories of my early days as a struggling teddy bear maker...

Back in those days, I was still finding my bearmaking direction and was eager to learn as much as possible about the art of teddy bear making from as many different sources as I could find. I loved reading bear-making books and was so grateful to authors such as Nancy, for taking the time and trouble to share methods and thoughts about this fascinating craft, with beginners such as myself. However, as I became more confident to find my own teddy bear making techniques, these books
gradually became redundant and now I find it is a long time since I last opened their pages...

Since the pandemic, I have heard of several well established teddy bear artists either retiring from our wonderful craft, or choosing to move into a new direction, so now seems to me, a good time to pass on some of the books which first inspired me in the early days, the days before teddy bears became my business... in the hope they will perhaps inspire fresh teddy bear making talent, into the future.

I have already passed on some of the books, but held '101 Bears to make' back because I wasn't quite ready to part with it. It was written by Nancy Tillberg, a lovely American teddy bear artist and member of 'The Guild of Master Bearcrafters', famed for her creative approach to teddy bear making, 'back in the day'.

This rare collectible book, first published in 2003, shares many inspiring ideas for developing your own unique style of teddy bear and is a fabulous resource for any budding bearmaker. I hope that by passing it on, a whole new generation of teddy bears may emerge into our wonderful artist bear world!

If you are interested in purchasing '101 Bears to make' by Nancy Tillberg from me, please visit my Ebay auction this week. Good luck!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/325705579145

Update: SOLD.

Heart and Soul

Recently, I happened to spot a Tweet about this lovely book written by Jennifer Laing, published way back in 1996, so never one to pass an opportunity to add to my bear making bookshelves, I decided to track down a copy ...

I began my own bear making career in the early 90's, so flicking through this book was a real trip along memory lane for me.  I didn't know all of the antipodean bear makers featured by Jennifer, but did recognise quite a few familiar faces, so it's good to know that although some may no longer be making, others are still busy creating teddy bears 'Down Under'.

'The complete book of teddy bear artists in Australia and New Zealand' sums up that era in bear-making perfectly and also reflects our UK teddy bear industry of the day; it was a passionate period for creating teddy bears!  Back then, the internet was still inaccessible to most teddy bear artists, so the craft of bear making was an isolated process, slowly gleaned and polished through trial and error.  New techniques were cautiously guarded and naturally less advanced than the 'bells and whistles' of today ... but believe me, those simple, heartfelt teddy bears excited collectors and were very quickly adopted.

Sometimes I feel we bear makers may be in danger of losing our way with the pressure to be innovative, not to mention competitive.  As much as I admire the breathtaking artistry of many modern teddy bear makers, I truly hope the soul and passion those early bear artists brought to our craft back in the 80's (US) and 90's (rest of us!) will always remain at the heart of artist designed teddy bears.

The Bear Facts

I am a child of the 1960's and like many children of my generation, received special teddy bear on my first birthday.  He was a magnificent 20" Chiltern Hugmee teddy bear and I am proud to say, I still have him.  As many of you will already know, this bear led me into my teddy bear making career, first by introducing me to other bears through books, then visits to museums, and eventually to shows and of course, artist bears.

With my first Chiltern Hugmee - 1964

I have always found the history of childhood and especially the teddy bear, intriguing and for that reason, have been drawn to creating my own bears in homage to the traditional teddy.  It is important to me to play my small part in helping him continue into the future in the way he was first conceived and to protect his rich heritage.

That said, I also believe there will always be room for artistic interpretation and I hope everyone interested in making 'teddy bears' for whatever reason, can take a little time to study the subject, as there is much to be learned from history - for one thing, it soon becomes clear very few new design ideas are actually ever completely 'new'!  Many innovative designs were first explored during the last century of teddy bear making and following teddy's manufacturing hey day, it shouldn't go unmentioned that the very first American teddy bear 'artists' in the early 1970's/80's, introduced creative flair and inspirational passion to the craft of teddy bear design which in my view, paved the way for the rest of us bear makers today.

'The Century of the Teddy Bear' by Constance King

If you would like to learn more about the history of teddy bears and their design, there are some fascinating books to read.  'The Century of the Teddy Bear' written by Constance King, offers a particularly insightful and wonderfully detailed, historical understanding.

Great teddy bear reads by Leyla Maniera, Pam Hebbs, Michelle Brown & Sue Pearson

The books above were written by some of my favourite, most knowledgable teddy bear authors and feature a wealth of teddy bear facts and fabulous photographs, throughout the decades.

'The Ultimate Teddy Bear Book' by Pauline Cockrill

Pauline Cockrill's 'The Ultimate Teddy Bear Book' was the first reference book I ever read on the subject of teddy bears and the picture of 'Leon' above, was directly responsible for leading me into the wonderful world of teddy bears.  I was flicking through this book in a shop one afternoon and noticed the bear in the picture was closely related to my own Chiltern Hugmee bear ... the rest as they say, is history.  Pauline also wrote 'The Teddy Bear Encyclopedia', another terrific book worthy of your bookshelf!

Dee Hockenberry and Steiff

'Bing Bears and Toys' by leading expert Ken Yenke

Of course, no self respecting teddy bear bookshelf should be without at least one tribute to the all-important Steiff company.  Also, for me, Dee Hockenberry's beautiful photographic books featuring both antique and artist bears, together with Ken Yenke's study of Bing bears and toys, are a 'must have' indulgence as the bears featured in their pages are stunning!

'Teddy Bears' by Kathy Martin

Finally, a mention for a very special book written by the talented Kathy Martin.  This is a book of which I am immensely proud as Kathy has generously included my work.  'A Collectible History of the Teddy Bear' pays tribute to both contemporary teddy bear makers, antique bears and character bears.  It's a really interesting read, particularly if you are keen to learn more about more notable teddy bear artists from more recent times.

There are many other great reference books (a collection of which also reside on my workroom bookshelf!) but these are a few of my firm favourites and I hope by sharing them with you, they trigger a yen to delve deeper into the wonderful history of our long loved teddy bear.

A bear maker by coincidence?

'The Ultimate Teddy Bear Book' and 'The Teddy Bear encyclopedia' by Pauline Cockrill

In hindsight, I can see my life has more often than not been driven by coincidence and oddly enough, my bear-making career has been no exception. I was quietly browsing through the shelves of my local bookshop one lunchtime in the early 1990's, when I felt compelled to open a particular book ... that book happened to be 'The Ultimate Teddy Bear Encyclopedia' written by Pauline Cockrill.

I have always loved teddy bears and my own childhood bear had discreetly settled into a comfy corner of my adult life, so when I flicked through that beautiful book and saw a very familiar bear looking back at me, my jaw fell open in surprise!  I had no idea then, that my special childhood bear had officially become what was known as a 'collectible' teddy bear!

Me and 'Big Ted' in 1964

And so my love affair with the 'Chiltern Hugmee' began.  It really was as simple as that.  I was so delighted to discover my 'Big Ted' in that book, I couldn't resist checking out all the references in the back pages to see what else I could find ... and there was a hidden gem tucked away - an address for 'The Petersfield Bear Museum' (founded in 1984 by Judy Sparrow) ... only a couple of hours drive from where I was living!

My 1940's Chiltern Hugmee 'Bobby Bear', with a copy of Judy Sparrow's 1993 'Teddy Bears' book.

I was utterly enchanted by the museum - it truly was a magical place and I didn't want my visit to end.  As I reluctantly stepped down into the museum shop on my way to the exit, a wonderful 1940's Chiltern Hugmee bear met my gaze and by a stroke of pure luck, he wasn't an exhibit, he was for sale!  Well, of course, after a chat with Judy and her husband he had to come home with me.  Somehow, I seem to have collected an entire hug of Chiltern Hugmees since then!

Some of my Chiltern Hugmee collection

I have also been privileged to get to know lovely Pam Howells, chief designer for the Chiltern Hygenic Toy Company between 1957 and 1967.  Pam was kind enough to make one of her special 'Chiltern Memory' bears for me, back in the early 1990's.

My 'Chiltern Memory' bear, by Pam Howells.

Sadly, the Petersfield Bear Museum closed to the public several years ago, but many of the exhibits are featured in Judy's super book titled 'Teddy Bears', which was published in 1993 by Magna Books. (By the way, there are a few copies currently available on Amazon if you would like to purchase a copy!)

Teddy Bear Times magazine, Issue 10, published Autumn 1992

So how does a passion for teddy bears, turn a bear collector into a bear-maker?  Well, once a collector, always a collector, that goes without saying, but after discovering my first teddy bear encyclopedia and reading every single reference contained therein, I learned teddy bears were also published in their very own magazines and one of those magazines was on sale at a little teddy bear shop, only half an hour's drive away!

One thing, naturally led to another. The cover of the 1992 Autumn issue of 'Teddy Bear Times' magazine featured a lovely old bear reading a book and as an added bonus there was also an article about Chilterns, so I bought a copy, read it as soon as I arrived home and was thrilled to discover that not only were there vintage teddy bears in that magazine, there was a fascinating world of artist bears for me to explore too!

One of my first visits to a Hugglets' teddy bear show, in 1993

It wasn't long before I visited my first teddy bear fair in London, which led to another ... and a mohair teddy bear kit!

'Ivor', a mohair kit bear

My first mohair bear, made from a kit purchased at the 'Rochester Teddy Bear Fair' in the early 90's, was a little lopsided, but I didn't mind at all - I was simply delighted that after all my efforts, he did actually resemble a bona fide teddy bear!

It really doesn't seem possible two decades have passed.  Since 'Ivor', I am proud to have become a real bear maker, creating many, many teddy bears, now residing in collections all around the world.

So now you know the answer - that is how a bear collector becomes a bear maker.  The rest as they say, is history!

A Century of the Teddy Bear

Any teddy bear designer worth their salt will tell you how important it is to understand the history of the teddy bear and his part in our lives.  So although it isn't a bear crafting manual, I would like to recommend a beautiful history of the teddy bear book, first published in hardback in 1997.

'A Century of the Teddy Bear' by Constance King

I think 'A Century of the Teddy Bear" by Constance King is a very special book indeed.  As the flyleaf says, it "gives us a fascinating insight into the world of Teddy Bears, linked with social history, wartime, royalty and individual owners."  This book not only contains wonderful photographs of bears throughout the decades, it also covers their history incisively and in my humble opinion, is an absolutely fascinating historical insight into the hertitage of our much loved teddy bears!

If you would like a copy of your own, you may strike luck with Amazon.com ... I checked today and there are still a few second hand copies available at reasonable prices.  Having said that, the 'new' copies advertised are very expensive indeed!

False modesty? Not me!

Okay, I won't hide behind false modesty ... I confess it is impossible not to feel a little thrill of pride upon opening a teddy publication, flicking through and finding my work included in a featured entitled 'Leaders of the pack'! 

'The Teddy Bear Annual' is a classy magazine, lovingly edited by Kathy Martin, authoress, editor and our leading UK expert on all things teddy bear.

The Teddy Bear Annual 2011 Spring/Summer edition

If you haven't purchased your copy yet, you really are missing a treat!  This mag is bursting with 74 pages of beautiful bears and fascinating, well-written articles covering all aspects of teddy bear collecting.

 

To see a preview of this lovely publication, please visit: http://www.collectors-club-of-great-britain.co.uk/magazines/default.asp?magazine=5

The Teddy Bear Annual' is priced at only £5.95 with free delivery in the UK. Go on, treat yourself, you know you want to!

By the way, if it makes it easier for you, the magazine is also available to order through Amazon.

Another for the bear maker's bookshelf ...

I'm always on the lookout for good bear-crafting books to share with you and found this book quite by chance a couple of weeks ago.  It was first published in 1998, so you may have to hunt to find it and be warned, it can be on the pricey side ( my copy was about £30 on Amazon) but for anyone wanting a good solid teddy bear making reference book full of detailed instructions and with plenty of helpful photographs, this book really is a useful purchase.

The Complete Book of Teddy-Bear Making Techniques
by Alicia Merrett & Ann Stephens

The book covers in detail everything from how to design your own jointed teddy bear pattern, through to making a classic bear - in fact, it explains all aspects of traditional bear-making from cutting out, to sewing limbs, jointing, assembling fitting eyes and even sewing on those fiddly ears!  It also covers making clothes for your bear and the techniques required for making miniature bears.  As the icing on the cake, there's a lovely gallery of artist bears featured in the last chapter, giving you an opportunity to enjoy the original bear art being created back in the 1990's! 

Definitely a great book for anyone who likes to collect bear-making books and a most useful book for anyone who would like to learn how to make their very own teddy bear!

The UK Teddy Bear Guide 2011 - out now!

The 'UK Teddy Bear Guide' for 2011 dropped through my letterbox this morning and I was so delighted to receive it, I couldn't wait to race upstairs for my little camera to share it with you!

The UK Teddy Bear Guide 2011

This is the 24th edition of the annual Hugglets Guide and believe me, it's a cracker! The cover bear is called 'Bolero' and was created by 'Vintage Bears' in France - c'est magnifique!  I think this is my favourite ever Hugglets Guide front cover!

The Guide is a mine of teddy bear related information and an absolute must have for anyone with a passion for teddy bears.  If you would like to purchase a copy, it will be available shortly from:

 http://www.hugglets.co.uk/guideindex.php

By the way, are you wondering who the bear holding my copy of the Guide is?  Well,  I'll tell you ... he is my lovely 1940's Chiltern Hugmee 'Bobby Bear'.  I bought him  from the (sadly now closed) Petersfield Bear Museum in Hampshire, long before I began bear making.  The museum was opened in 1984 by Judy Sparrow to showcase her spectacular collection of antique teddy bears.  After admiring all Judy's fabulous bear treasures, I regretfully ambled towards the door to go home and Bobby Bear caught my eye ... I couldn't take my eyes off him and had a lovely chat with Judy and her husband; needless to say, Bobby Bear came home with me and has been with me ever since! 

'Teddy Bears' written in 1993 by Judy Sparrow

Back in 1993, Judy had her delightful 'Teddy Bears' book published in hardback by Magna Books. It features some beautiful photographs of Judy's antique bear collection and it is still possible to find copies if you hunt online.  In fact, I found several copies available on http://www.amazon.co.uk/ today.  It's a lovely book and if you have an interest in the history of teddy bears, I would highly recommend grabbing a copy for your bookshelf if you are ever lucky enough to find one!

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.

A Perfect Ending!

I was so thrilled when my copy of 'The Teddy Bear Annual 2010' dropped through my letterbox this week.  I couldn't wait for it to arrive in WH Smiths on the High Street, so I pre-ordered it from Amazon and luckily for me, they dispatched a few days prior to the offical publication date!  This is a very special magazine for All Bear as not only have I been honoured with a lovely three-page feature and invited to create a special Christmas Bear for a lovely 'Teddy at Christmas' article, my bear 'Morris' is also the magazine cover star!  As you can imagine, I'm over the moon!

'All About Paula' ...

This bumper (one hundred pages!) Annual has been created by Kathy Martin, well respected teddy bear authoress and editor.  Kathy has put her heart and soul into this project and worked hard to produce a fabulous new publication for the bear world and in particular, for teddy bear collectors.  The magazine offers a super balance of bear related features, including vintage bears, artist bears and manufactured bears, together with fascinating, well researched articles.  Believe me, if you love bears, you really do need a copy of 'The Teddy Bear Annual'.

The Teddy Bear Annual 2010 starring 'Morris' on the cover!

To purchase your copy of the Annual (cover price £5.95) please visit:

http://www.amazon.com/Teddy-Bear-Annual-Kathy-Martin/dp/1907292012/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258628884&sr=1-2

Also, if you live in the UK, you can find it in branches of WH Smiths from today!

The best news is that if 'The Teddy Bear Annual 2010' sells well this year, the publishers have said they will support its publication next year too, which would give the bear world such a boost.

On a personal note, I'd like to say a big thank you to Kathy for supporting my work and also to Jo Rothery, for writing such a super article about my life as a bear artist.  These wonderfully dedicated ladies have generously given me the perfect ending to my year's work!

The Teddy Bear Annual 2010 starring Morris!

I'm squealing with excitement!  I've just discovered 'The Teddy Bear Annual 2010' available for pre-order on Amazon and there, large as life on the cover is my bear 'Morris' busy being a cover star!!!!!  This is a wonderful coup for 'All Bear' and as you can probably imagine, I am grinning from ear to ear today!

 

The Teddy Bear Annual 2010 - on sale November 19th!

If you would like to pre-order a copy for your bookshelf please visit: 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Teddy-Bear-Annual-Kathy-Martin/dp/1907292012/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256462898&sr=1-7

Better late than never, a book recommendation!

When I saw this bear making book online, I thought I'd order it and take a peek to see if it would be useful to recommend for new bear makers.  'Bearmaking 101' by Carol Lynn Rossel Waugh was first published in 1999 and although I know of Carol Lynn's reputation as a bear maker, I haven't ever had the opportunity to read her book, so I was very curious to see what the book had to offer.

'Bearmaking 1001' by Carol-Lynn Rossel Waugh

Now that I have a copy of this hardback book on my lap ten years after it was first published, I can happily tell you it's a lovely, detailed bear crafting manual with plenty of photographs for visual learners and some super patterns, including a bear with a centre seam head gusset and a teddy bear marionette!  If you manage to find a copy of this book on Ebay, Amazon or similar at a reasonable price (I only paid a few pennies for my copy from www.thriftbooks.com on Amazon) I'd recommend snapping it up fast - it's a goody!

Turning to the old grey donkey.

Today was supposed to be a busy, buzzy day, but after escaping it at Christmas, a revolting snotty cold bug snuck up and climbed into bed with me last night. It's not easy to feel busy and buzzy when you've been awake half the night wondering whether to go downstairs and make a hot Lemsip to sup, or whether to lay in bed feeling sorry for yourself while you sniffle and snuffle for oxygen. The Lemsip won the toss, so at 2.30 am, I was bumbling around my kitchen in robe and fluffy slippers, trying to clear my muffly head. Needless to say, I couldn't get back to sleep. Hmph.

And despite having become a snotty slug overnight, I knew I would have a flurry of insistent 'British Bears on the Net' emails to face this frosty morning. They were inevitable after my decision to raise the question of reviewing the viability of our old BBN email chat group which has been run through Yahoo for the past ten years. On the one hand, it has been great to hear from old members long since quiet, at last pleading their case for the retention of our now flagging email voice, but on the other hand, I am left wondering what the point of a chat group can possibly be, when it patently no longer chats? It's a tricky problem! I am the sole custodian of the original British Bears on the Net group, established a decade ago to support and inform those interested in the development of the UK teddy bear world. I have worked hard over the years to keep things focused and moving forward, but I must admit, as regards the BBN email chat group, I feel as though I've been banging my head on a very lonely wall for quite a while; which is what led me to set up the new BBN forum last year - a modern format for BBN in 2008 designed to bring it bang up to-date. On the whole, the forum has been very well received and I believe in this day and age, is a far more useful resource than our old email based system ever could be; however, it sure is tough trying to convince some of the old timers change can be a positive thing; nostalgia, it appears, can prove a determined adversary!

Our new BBN forum

So instead of being a busy, buzzy kind of day, today is rather a snuffly, breathless, muffly headed kind of day - which leads me to recall a quote from one of our greatest philosophers ...

"The old grey donkey, Eeyore stood by himself in a thistly corner of the Forest, his front feet well apart, his head on one side, and thought about things. Sometimes he thought sadly to himself, "Why?" and sometimes he thought, "Wherefore?" and sometimes he thought, "Inasmuch as which?" and sometimes he didn't quite know what he was thinking about."

AA Milne/Winnie the Pooh - as pertinent today as ever!

Two more for the All Bear bookshelf!

'Teddy Bear Century' by Brian and Donna Gibbs

A few weeks ago I tweaked open the All Bear purse to treat myself to two new bear books. The first, a beautifully presented hardback entitled 'Teddy Bear Century', was written by husband and wife team Brain and Donna Gibbs and first published in the United Kingdom in 2002. This book grabbed my attention because it tracks the development of the teddy bear during the past century. I really enjoyed the way each decade was used to signify the changes in bear design, explaining in straightforward terms, the process of social change and its effect on teddy's evolution. If you are purely interested in the history of the teddy bear, there are probably more detailed references available, but this particular book does provide plenty of food for thought for an experienced bear artist wishing to draw together history with practical design possibilities. It also offers some great bear-making opportunities for anyone simply wanting to make a teddy bear from one of the many patterns included.

'Teddy Bear Studio' by Ted Menten

My other purchase is an absolute cornucopia of teddy bear design delight! Never let it be said there is no more to learn! After many years of immersing myself in my own design work, I am, of course, still thrilled to be offered the opportunity to peek at other skilled artists' techniques. Ted Menten has achieved almost legendary status in terms of creating his own unique works and also as a teacher. I don't mind telling you his book 'Teddy Bear Studio', first published in the US in 2002, has kept me entranced since its arrival! Not only does he share advice and guidance generously, he also writes with an entertaining humour, educating in such a delightful way that before you know it, you have absorbed the fascinating detail of his technical design methods, without so much as a furrowed brow! This is definitely a book any designer of teddy bears should read.

Dusty jackets

'Bears and how to make them' by Margaret Hutchings - first published 1964

I saw this book on Ebay recently and thought it would make a great addition to my workroom book shelf. 'Bears and how to make them' by Margaret Hutchings was published in 1964 and as a child of the sixties, of course I couldn't resist the opportunity to discover what was being taught about bear-making back then! The term 'teddy bear artist' wasn't coined until the mid 1970's and yet, this book proves the art of teddy bear making was being referenced in detailed publication more than forty years ago! It really is a fascinating book and is still completely relevant today. In fact, if you look at the examples of trapunto feet for realistic bears in the picture below, it would seem that little should ever be classed as completely new in terms of teddy bear design!

I also found another of Margaret Hutching's wonderful books for a few pounds while I was auction shopping and it arrived in the post a couple of days ago. 'Modern Soft Toy Making' was first published in 1959 and is a veritible goldmine of soft toy making information.

'Modern Soft Toy Making' by Margaret Hutchings - first published 1959

Don't be put off by the term 'soft toy making' by the way, many of the techniques featured in this vintage book are still used in modern bear artistry today. In fact, if you have an urge to begin designing your own teddy bears, I think it's entirely useful to study as many toy making and crafting books, past and present, as possible, in order to fully understand how best to develop your potential. I've been designing my own range of bears for about fifteen years and I am still discovering new skills, which for me, is a major part of keeping the process fresh and exciting.

'The Splendid Soft Toy Book' - first published 1981

I remember reading a recommendation for 'The complete book of stuffed work' by Toni Scott on a forum several years ago, so I hunted for a copy and eventually tracked one down in the US. I had it shipped over and although it doesn't have much to say about bear making specifically, it does contain a wealth of information relating to all things soft sculpture, much of which can be interpreted in terms of bear design, by a creative mind.

'Complete book of stuffed work' by Toni Scott - first published 1978

And then of course, there are recent bear-making manuals aplenty; these are the three I would class as teddy bear artist bibles and no self-respecting bear art shelf should be without them!

'101 bears to make' by Nancy Tillberg, 'Constructing teddy and his friends' by Jennifer Laing and 'A bear of my own' by Rotraud Illisch

Aside from crafting publications, you can also enhance your bear design knowledge greatly by studying many other teddy bear related books. I'm thinking of reference books featuring vintage/antique bears, auction house catalogues, specialist collectors'magazines etc ... I'll share some of my favourites with you another day!

In the meantime, do keep your eyes peeled for some of the rarer vintage gems - they can often be found in second hand bookstores, or on internet sites. Don't be put off by tatty dust covers, because often you'll find a treasure trove of relevant bear-making information inside those faded covers and all for only a few pounds!