It's a fact, Dolly Doodles dissolve discombobulation!

I had intended to pop out to the Post Office this afternoon, to return a pair of Cinderella shoes I'd decided against for my niece's wedding in August, but after the small, but not insubstantial shock of receiving an email from my Dad's email address this morning, I'm feeling a little discombobulated and the shoe refund will have to wait.  Instead I'm going to eat a large slice of chocolate cake, wash it down with a mug of hot chocolate and curse those hateful email stealing spammers for their heartless theft of Dad's good name.  How dare they treat Dad's friends and family in this cavalier manner now that he is no longer with us?! I called the email hosting company after receiving the email, explained that sadly Dad is no longer with us, his email has been hijacked by spammers ... thankfully they closed the account immediately .

So, on to Prim Dolly Doodles.  Time to focus on a very welcome diversion this afternoon, some Spring doll making!  My Dolly Doodles have been on the back burner since Christmas, so it's about time I allocated them a few days sewing time. Yesterday I had fun selecting cotton fabrics for frocks and bloomers and picking out hand dyed yarn for hairdo's.

Then I drew out three dolls (a nice number to work on in one doodling session) cut out my pattern pieces, stitched them and turned the pieces the right way out. I'm still playing with where best to stitch my lovely new satin 'Paula's Prim Dolly Doodle' labels, so this batch will be fixed into the back of one of dolly's leg seams, beneath the bloomers, but above the shoes.

I prefer my dollies to sit comfortably, so like to box off the bottom of the body sack to make a good solid seating area. 

Then I make a little slit in the back of the body and weight the bottom third with either glass beads or polyester pellets.

Before I wound up my day yesterday, I stuffed the bodies firmly with polyester fibre, making sure the neck areas were strong enough to take the weight of a doll's head, (which will be attached separately).  I also stuffed a couple of pair of striped legs, but only as far as the knee ... that way each dolly will be able to perch happily on a shelf with her feet dangling!

That's better, now I feel in a far better mood and can start working on the third pair of dingly dangly dolly legs - yes it's a fact, Dolly Doodles do dissolve discombobulation!

Buddies in The Bear Shop!

When a shop asks me to create three lovely big bears to showcase, I am always delighted to oblige!  Robert at 'The Bear Shop' in Norwich is one such super shop owner and he is an absolute pleasure to work with.

17" Hugo

For this order, I opted to take traditional design through to modern classic, for my group of shop exclusive bear buddies.

17" Natty

As you can see, Hugo is a notably traditional fellow and his pals Natty and Buddy, although still undeniably classic bears, have a slightly more contemporary edge with their fuller figures and expressive hand painted glass eyes.

19" Buddy

Hopefully these three bears will offer 'The Bear Shop' in Norwich something to meet all customer tastes!

My Girl

Thirty years ago on the 22nd March, this little bundle came into my world and changed my destiny forever ...

1983

She arrived at 7.50 am weighing 7lbs and 12 ozs (isn't it strange how mums never forget these details?!) with ten tiny fingers, ten tiny toes and the prettiest little face I had ever seen.

Since then she has grown into the most beautiful young woman, bright, bubbly, ambitious and loyal. She has a kind heart and a strong, generous spirit. To share both her strengths and her weaknesses is a privilege and as her mum, I can honestly say, I wouldn't change her for the world.  

The past thirty years have been a gift.

Happy Birthday Fay Anne xxx

Blogging for the Guild!

I have my 'Guild Admin' hat on today (although still haven't managed to write this week's or last week's newsletters ..where does the time go?!) but on a more productive note, have at last managed to create a Guild Blog!  

This idea was suggested to me by a clever member via the Guild's 'Suggestion Box' some months ago and at the time I thought it was a great idea but wasn't entirely sure how best to make it work, so put it on the back burner thinking that if the concept was a good one, it would nudge me again when the time was right and today I am delighted to tell you, is that very day!

www.masterbearcrafters.blogspot.com

I hope our shiny new Guild blog will be of benefit to Guild members and also to anyone with an interest in the wonderful world of teddy bear artistry.  I plan to share members' creations on the new blog and introduce readers to our very talented teddy bear artist members ... and of course, chat about some of the projects we are involved with and any other Guild news that might be relevant.

With a little luck and your kind support, I think our new Guild blog should evolve into an interesting, fun and informative look at the fabulous international teddy bear creativity currently on offer.

If you could take a moment to visit the Guild Blog

 www.masterbearcrafters.blogspot.com 

... and follow its progress, I would be delighted, thank you so much!

A Bear of Significant Proportion!

Back to my roots this week with a bear of significant proportion. Sometimes a piece of mohair is simply so glorious, it would be criminal to do any less than showcase it in all its glory as a properly big teddy bear ... those little 'uns are all fine and good, but only a really substantial bear can truly do justice to this kind of luxury!

21" Orson - a bear of significant proportion!

Throughout my many years of bear-making, the German company Schulte has, in my humble opinion, always offered the ultimate in teddy bear mohair.  Dense and delicious ... it really is a complete joy to work with!

A job's a job?

Whenever I'm asked about my job, I always say I'm a bearmaker and have been for almost twenty years, which of course is true, but that's not my most important job ...

First and foremost I am proud to say I'm a mum and have been for thirty years.

My two playing together, just over twenty years ago.

Sharing their passion for music at a gig in 2010.

Being a mum continues to make my world turn even now my kids are adults and in control of turning their own worlds.  So thanks kids, for showing me on Mothering Sunday who I am to you ... the cards, gifts and flowers were a lovely treat, but the most precious gift of all for me, is you two, just being you.

Me 'n my kids

They'll groan and tell me off if I get too cheesy, so suffice it to say, I have two great kids and am one incredibly proud mum!

Long may he reign supreme!

Not that I don't enjoy the challenge of contemporary design, but traditional bears were my first love and they still know how to tug at my heartstrings today ...

'Becks and Scrump' circa 1996

In fact, I remember my early classic bears as old friends.  'Becks' and 'Scrump' for example, two super teddy bears made by my sister and I, way back in the mid 1990's.  They were made from glorious Schulte mohair in two alternative shades of gold.  My sister Fiona designed Scrump (right) and I created Becks (left).  We didn't collaborate beyond choosing the mohair together over a cuppa and yet when completed, our bears looked just as though they were brothers, meant to be together!

'Orwell' Circa Circa 1995

Then there was Orwell, another early 90's bear, beautifully big and totally traditional. I think I made about ten of these bears, but never kept one for myself ... now I so wish I had!  I recall being absolutely delighted with this 25" teddy bear as it was the first time I felt as though I had succeeded in creating the kind of teddy bear I would like to buy for myself.

'Timeless' Circa 1995

Not long after Orwell, came 'Timeless', a whopping 26" growler.  He was made for the  final Hugglets' 'Festival of Artist Bears' show, in Stratford Upon Avon.  I stood behind the table with Fiona and as the doors opened a lady flew across the room to scoop him into her arms ... we watched as she fell hook, line and sinker in love with him!  We had a super time at that show standing among the most fabulous bear artists of the time - it was a completely thrilling day for two bear-making sisters quite new to selling their work!

'Gorgeous George' Circa 2007

Luckily for me, traditional bears really are timeless and a decade later they were still very much in demand.  'Gorgeous George' was another bear of whom I was very proud. I gave him a gentle nod to modernity by introducing hand painted glass eyes and subtle shading to the eye socket, but as you can see, he remained true to his forebears.

'Bellamy' 2009

Since the traditional teddy bear heyday of the 1990's, I have made many, many teddies of all shapes, colours, styles and sizes, but throughout those years have never been distracted from my first love and what I consider to be 'a proper teddy bear'.  Leaping forward some fourteen years, brings us to 'Bellamy,' a magnificent 23" bear commissioned by a devoted gentleman collector.  Once again, I used only the very best Schulte mohair to help me create a bear I could be proud of.  There's something so special about Schulte mohair, not only is it fabulously silky, dense, gloriously rich in colour and strong ... it is also absolutely perfect for creating teddy bears of distinction!

'Stirling' 2011

There's no doubt in my mind, traditional teddy bears should never grow old or become outmoded.  They are bears to care about, bears to cherish and most definitely bears to take with us into the future.

Hip hip horaay for our traditional teddy bear!
Long may he reign supreme!

A bear like Alice ..

Isn't it odd how memory works ... I've been working on this teddy all week and until this morning wasn't sure if I'd made a he or a she bear, then remembered making the hand knitted shawl collar she's wearing, tried it on and hey presto, her gender was defined.  I still didn't have a name for her though, then for some inexplicable reason the name 'Alice' popped apparently out of nowhere into my head and triggered a memory from way way back, to a gift my mum bought me when I was a young girl, a hardback novel called 'A town like Alice' written by Nevil Shute.  

17" Alice

It's been at least thirty five years since I read that book and probably as many years since I last gave it a second thought, but today either the book memory triggered my bear's name, or my bear triggered that specific book memory ... I'm not sure which, but it made me wonder, do we really ever forget anything, or can memory store every tiny detail of our lives in case some seemingly insignifcant snippet might come in handy sometime? I wonder ... !

Mary Jane's Tearoom

So what does a bear maker do on show day, when she can't go to the show?  Well, in my case I sat in my armchair glued to three back-to-back episodes of Downton Abbey, whilst finishing this cute knitted teddy for my Great niece; she's been on the back burner for a while, so I am very pleased to have completed her at last!

Sunday at home may not have been quite as exciting as show day in London, but it was relaxing and enjoyable.  By the way, if you enjoy knitting, the pattern for 'Candy', together with several other equally enchanting designs, is available to purchase from the lovely 'Mary Jane's Tearoom' website ..

Mary Jane's Tearoom Shop

Happy knitting!

No Show!

It's Sunday morning and as you know, I should be in London at the Winter Bearfest show in Kensington Town Hall, but instead I'm home, feeling a little 'out of the loop' after cancelling my stand.  On the plus side, I didn't miss having to wake up at horrible o'clock this morning and certainly haven't missed heaving my stand equipment and bears from the car to the exhibition table against a freezing February wind across the River Thames, but I am missing the excitement of our first major UK show of the year and it is an odd sensation not to be taking part with my latest bears on this occasion.

I may have posted these photos before, but they still make me smile, so I'm sharing them again today.  They were taken about twenty years ago at a Hugglets' show and as you can see, my son and I were making the most of our visit back then! We visited the shows as a family of passionate teddy bear collectors and always had a wonderful time choosing special bears to take home.  The enormous bear you see us both holding on this occasion, is 'Sir Hugh', made especially for me by one of my oldest bear making friends, the utterly charming Mr. Frank Webster.  We took Sir Hugh to MacDonalds for a burger and chips after the show and as you can imagine, he raised quite a few smiles from passers by!

These days of course, I'm on the other side of the table introducing my own range of teddy bears to collectors.  I tend to spend the entire day chatting because teddy bear shows are always extremely sociable!

It doesn't matter how many years I've been exhibiting, after setting up my stand in the morning, it's always a nail biting time waiting for the doors to open and a stream of eager collectors to flood into the hall.  I've never been the world's most confident sales person, so standing beside my new offerings at opening time is a daunting process until the first visitors have stopped for a chat and a hug with my bears, reassuring me my creations are a welcome addition to the show.

During a show, I can never resist taking a peek at the vintage bears; all those gorgeous old teddies with secret histories ... if only they could talk!

And if I can stop chatting for long enough to wander round the stands myself, mohair suppliers' stands are a tremendous lure; I'm just like a kid in a candy store among all those fabulous new fabrics!

It's far too cold to do much else today, so I shall log in to Facebook from time to time to enjoy my friends' show photographs as they share them.  I hope everyone has a fun show in London and as for me, I will just have to be patient and look forward to taking part again when the next teddy bear show comes to town in September!

Hurry up Spring!

So much for all my Spring hopes!  

I came downstairs to a flurry of snow this morning; Winter it seems, is back to torment me, brrr!!!

11" Mimosa

I won't be swayed by the weather though, Surely Spring is just around the corner?  My new little alpaca girl bear is dressed ready for warmer days and prettier gardens ... come on Springtime, hurry up!

Knitting Episodes!

Several episodes of Downton Abbey later and my little lilac girl bear is all ready for Spring, dressed her best hand knitted frock.

14" 'Lila'

Waiting in my work basket is a half made cream alpaca bear and I am wondering if the snuggly turquoise cardigan I began knitting at the weekend will fit; there's one sleeve and a neckband left to finish, so I think I can justify treating myself to another episode of Downton Abbey this afternoon, horaay!

Convalescing

I spy hyacinths and crocus peeking through the earth in my garden and the sun is shining ... could this mean Spring has at last arrived?  I do hope so!

I'm feeling much brighter today ... I am a great believer in the body's capacity to heal itself and rest seems to be working well for me this week, for which I am eternally grateful. Sadly I have had to cancel my stand at the Hugglets show in London next weekend, but on a happier note, since the pressure to meet the show deadline has been removed, I have instead been able to enjoy a little knitting and Downton Abbey on DVD ... there must be worse ways to spend a few days!

The Best Laid Plans

Fifty was an unwelcome birthday, for all the wrong reasons.  It began nine days ago, in the usual manner of days, with a hot shower, but before I had time to check my mirror for mischievous wrinkles, a nasty pain bit me in the side and my birthday celebrations took a rapid downhill tumble towards cancellation.  The doc suspected kidney stones, combined with an infection and as the pain was so great, there was nothing for it but to stay in bed for a week and pray for it to pass.  Thankfully it did eventually pass and I'm now back on my feet, wobbling my way slowly around the house again.  Needless to say, after such a dramatic arrival, I rather lost my appetite for celebrating my first half century on this planet ...

Which was a shame, because my family went to so much trouble to make it a special day.  My daughter bedecked our lounge with balloons, streamers and confetti, there were lovely cards, many of which had been hand made,  a pretty cake ready for candles, guests and platters of party food ... such a pity, but I guess, once in a very blue moon, that's life.

As is the way of all things, after drama, we move on and already Valentine's Day has arrived! 

So Stuart, my husband, my friend, it is the perfect day to thank you for taking such good care of me and keeping my spirits up while I have been unwell ... I really don't know what I would have done without you.  

You are already mine and for that Valentine, I thank my lucky stars xxx

Fact Facing

After worrying my work was going nowhere fast throughout January, I now find I did actually manage to complete nine bears, not to mention the several still in progress ... so my bearmaker's 'fug' has at last been replaced with a tentative sense of accomplishment, just in time for February's onslaught.

These five Tiddler bears will be hopping over to the 'One More Bear' shop in Trentham on Monday, a tiny bit later than originally planned, but only by a week or so ...

Little Blue 8"

Nutmeg 8"

Herbie 8"

Tiddly Ted 8"

Pickle 8"

And as soon as my latest Tiddlers are in the post, I will be straight back to my 'work-in-progress' basket bears, to whip up a few more for the Hugglets show and also to try and finish my order for a US shop - all going well, I should be able to share more news about that order later this month.

Despite time fast running away from me before the show in London, there is one thing I can't postpone ( much as I might prefer too!)  Half a century on this planet is apparently momentous enough to require a nod to its gravitas, together with a birthday cake with my family, so on Tuesday I am obliged to set aside my sewing and instead face my fiftieth birthday full square in the eye ... 

... but until the very last minute I reserve the right to squint reluctantly at this most belligerently ageing of numbers and pretend I'm still a fabulously youthful, energic 25 year old, with the world at my tippytoes!

Reserved!

Still feeling somewhat fuggy, but perhaps ever-so slightly less now that I have managed to set aside two finished bears for the Winter Bearfest show.  This is of course, a long way short of a full table of furry new bums, but at least it's a start!

18" Periwinkle is made from beautiful hand-dyed alpaca ...

And his little buddy 'Tod' is just 12".  I know you've seen him in an earlier post, but here he is again, this time after his official photo shoot.  Incidentally, he is made from alpaca too ... I love that it makes such cuddlesome teddy bears!

Play Time?

I've been in a bear-making fug for the past couple of weeks and yesterday, even dumped a bear head unceremoniously into the waste bin.  It's the same old problem ... dark days flatten me, I've over committed myself on the run up to one of the most important shows of the bear making year and there just aren't enough days, bright or dark, in such oh-so-short weeks. I know, I know, what a sulky grump!

It wouldn't take much to sort out my sulky creative self; a few daffodils and a burst of sunshine would make such a difference and one or two extra days in each week with no commitments would be all it took to give me time to make the new bears and dolls dancing in my head ... 

This bear maker needs time to play!

Birthday Boy

Because I know he won't be able to resist taking a peek today ...

Happy Birthday to my ol' relic,

With loads of love,

from 'Er Indoors xxx

Here, there and everywhere!

Only five weeks until 'The Winter Bearfest' and as usual at this stage, I seem to have bits 'n pieces all over the place - but very little finished and needless to say, an ominous sense of impending panic!

There are new fabrics I'm still hoping to find time to work with ...

My desk hidden under piles of 'bears-in-progress' destined for the show and also an impending shop order ...

A yet-to-be-started basket of teddy bear pieces waiting for their turn on the sewing machine ...

... and of course, as it's a winter show, sweaters and scarves in various stages of completion (not to mention the knitted teddy waiting patiently for her dungarees, a gift for my Great niece!)

Oh, that reminds me, I also have a balls of my new favourite yarn yet to be cast on!  (By the way, I'm loving this random stripey stuff from Turkey as it reminds me of the gorgeous colours in my framed photo of my kids and nieces taken on my wedding day!)

So as you can see, I am nowhere near ready for a major show yet, but I remain ever hopeful that when the big day arrives on the 24th February, I will have a collection of lovely new bears to take to London with me!