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/ 

Huxley Bear

Huxley Bear

I made this 14" alpaca teddy bear last week and when he was finished, knitted him a smart vest top to wear. Then I spotted a pair of teddy bear spectacles in my box of accessories so thought I would add them, just for fun, fully intending to remove them after a moment or two but 'Huxley Bear' liked his new specs so much he asked to keep them on. He says he can now see clearly and even better, share storybooks just as soon as he finds his special person to read with...

I wonder what they will read together? Maybe Paddington, Winnie-the-Pooh or Rupert Bear? Or perhaps, Huxley Bear will prove to be an adventuring kind of bear... so maybe Treasure Island, The Famous Five, or my old favourite, Peter Pan? 

Whatever they choose to read, I do hope Huxley Bear and his new owner will share many special stories together.

Hitting the right note

 

Summertime and the living is easy here in the UK!

I have been enjoying a lovely Summer full of sunshine, roses, walks with my dogs and a spot of live music (and touristing!) in London and at Rochester Castle with my daughter.

We recently visited the magnificent Royal Albert Hall to hear the soul melting velvet and honey baritone of the wonderful Mr Gregory Porter live on stage, together with his gifted musicians. His voice was so powerful it swept us all up to the tip of that beautiful domed roof, then floated us gently back to our seats as it broke our hearts then healed them, again and again. Just fabulous.

Last weekend, we headed to our local castle (yes we have one!) to sit in the sunshine among a large relaxed crowd, enjoying the mellow sound of Tunde from The Lighthouse Family, followed by a lively dance return to the 80's with Grammy winning group Soul to Soul, then forward to the late 90's and into the start of the millenium, with fiesty female hitmakers The Sugarbabes... and despite being one of the 'more mature' audience members (there were quite a few of us there!) I stayed awake til the end and was up on my feet with the best of them! 

The UK is alive with music this Summer, there are festivals and local gigs happening all across the country... hardworking musicians touring to share their passion for music over many years. It is so much fun to hear the songs you love played live, so good for the soul and it makes the years just fall away! If you get the chance, why not grab a ticket and head out somewhere to join in the fun... 

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.

Teddy Bear Pals, where it began..

 

You may have spotted 'Jellybean' on my website yesterday, a bubblegum pink and yellow elephant-teddy I created earlier this week. I occasionally make a teddy bear pal and usually their design stems from somewhere deep in the mists of my childhood...

The original 'ellie' wasn't made by me, it was in fact given to me by an uncle in 1963, the year of my birth. Back in those distant days, my little pink ellie had floppy ears and felt eyes, but as is the way of much loved childhood toys, those were worn away with many hugs, over the passage of time.

Ellie was one of a select group of soft toys gifted to me as a baby... Big Ted, my first Chiltern Hugmee teddy bear, was given to me on my first birthday by my parents, Scotty was a handmade black dog made by my Nana's boarding house lodger, Sooty, a mohair glove puppet given to me by an auntie and my now earless ellie, managed to survive six long decades and are with me today... a little more careworn perhaps, but still much loved and importantly, still together.

Which brings me to the other pink ellie in the photograph created in 2007, an attempt to replicate my childhood elephant toy and my first ever elephant design. Since 2007, there have been other elephant designs along the way, Abe, Delilah, Starlight, Forget-me-not, Ma Cherie, Butterfly, Bluebell... and now, to celebrate Summer 2023, my latest ellie-bear, Jellybean.

Ma Cherie 2011

Bluebell 2021

Delilah 2008

Forget-me-not 2011

Butterfly 2013

Starlight 2009

Jellybean 2023

I still have quite a soft spot for an ellie it transpires!

Purring Perfection

PURRING PERFECTION

I ummed and ahhed for a while, asked a friend or two (thank you!) browsed, Googled and so on and so on, until a magic lightbulb moment struck... my trusty Pfaff Select 4.0, a decent hardworking machine, had been begging for rest and tlc recently after making many, many teddy bears over the years, my previous Pfaff Professional lay disgarded in the attic gathering dust, after being jammed solid by my daughter's attempt to alter a rather saucy Santa outfit a few years ago (!) and my prize and joy, my beautiful 1928 Singer handcrank, sat gleaming proudly in my living room, way too beautiful to be employed as a teddy bear making workhorse... so, I waited and waited, mulling over all things sewing, (including my budget, which was far from open ended!)

Eventually, as luck would have it, a 1986 Bernina 910 entered my radar, reminding me of school days back in the late 1970's, when I first learned to thread a sewing machine... by coincidence, also a sturdy Bernina. I remembered feeling safe with the machine, enjoying the reliable engine purr as I stitched pieces of colourful fabric together at an afterschool sewing class. The machine on my radar had clearly been loved, carefully maintained and regularly used, so I scraped up a little 'brave neck' to ask if the owner would accept an offer... and fortunately the stars aligned for us! The owner, although sad to part with her beloved Bernina, needed an industrial machine for her business, so had the Bernina serviced, given a clean bill of health and sent off to her new owner... me!

And here she is, sat on my desk, about to sew her very first teddy bear!  She came with a lovely selection of toys, (very few of which I know what to do with!) and despite her mature years (almost forty of them) still stitches like the pro she is, precisely, confidently and with purring perfection. She is a no nonsense gal, straightforward, mechanical and very obliging, with a super little heel tap drop needle function which is so useful. I couldn't be more pleased with her and am thrilled I decided to take the plunge and buy a vintage sewing machine!

Catching Up

CATCHING UP

If you are keen to adopt a traditional teddy bear, I am happy to tell you there are three lovely mohair bears, sized between 12" and 18", en route to The Bear Shop in Norwich. Please keep an eye on the shop website for full details, or better still, why not pop in to visit if you happen to be in the area... what could be better than visiting a whole Aladdin's Cave bursting with wonderful teddy bears?!  

https://www.bearshops.co.uk/

Magic Rainbow Buttons

 

MAGIC RAINBOW BUTTONS

After a busy Easter away from my bears, today I am back at my desk having a tidy up and looking forward to a (hopefully!) peaceful afternoon of gentle teddy bear making...

On Easter Saturday, life unexpectedly filled with challenges when my husband's father suffered a stroke and was admitted into hospital. We were also hosting my daughter's two dogs, one an extremely nervous rescue, while she travelled overseas and were up to our eyeballs in paint and wallpaper in an attempt to redecorate our living room/dining room ...  so as you will imagine, Easter hols have been rather a stressful time.

For sanity's sake, I set aside my bear-making and instead picked up my knitting needles whenever an opportunity for a quiet moment presented itself. I find the process of knitting, particularly aran knitting, very calming, so making the aran cardigan in the photo above for my granddaughter has been an ideal stressbuster... and little Izzy was delighted with her cosy new 'Nana' cardigan and 'magic rainbow buttons', which, according to Izzy, make all grumps disappear if you press them. If only adult life was so straightforward! I love Izzy's four-almost-five-year-old world, it is such a happy, sensible, place to live.


Please accept my sincere apologies if you have visited my website over the past three weeks in the hope of finding my latest teddy bears. My father-in-law is still in hospital but thankfully now recovering, the living room makeover is almost finished and our doggy visitors return home tomorrow... so with a little bit of luck, I will soon be back on an even bear-making keel again.

Elizabeth Tweedy

 

ELIZABETH TWEEDY

After the very sad loss of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th 2022, I was delighted to be invited to create a teddy bear memory from Harris Tweed, to celebrate the life of our dear Queen. My customer, a talented artist, sent me a beautiful sketch of the bear she had in mind, with helpful notes for me to work to...

With the Queen's dearest Balmoral Estate in mind, I decided to focus on the soft hues of Scottish heather against grey skies and, at my customer's suggestion, to incorporate the blue of Her Majesty's eyes in the bear.

My lasting memory of Queen Elizabeth is the final photograph taken of her in the elegant Drawing Room, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She was dressed in muted shades of soft grey, brightened with a smiling pink lipstick, the essence of which I hope to have captured in my Tweedy Ted's little brooch button.

Elizabeth Tweedy, a serene cloth bear, was created from Harris Tweed, woven by Royal Warrant, on the Outer Hebridean Isles of Scotland.

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!

The Bear Shop

 

THE BEAR SHOP

I am delighted to tell you my next shipment of teddies, a trio of traditional gold teddy bears, will be wending their way to 'The Bear Shop' in Norwich this week. Bodie, Beau and Benson are very much looking forward to welcoming all the visitors to the shop and making friends with the other teddy bears!

For full details please contact 'The Bear Shop' in Norwich.

https://www.bearshops.co.uk/

A flying start

 

A FLYING START

2023 is off to a flying start, but aside from the rather dashing Albert teddy bear I introduced at the start of the year, I am aware my website has had little to show for it!

There is plenty of bear-making activity happening behind scenes but nothing quite ready to share...

I am currently working on a group of traditional teddy bears for The Bear Shop in Norwich and will be finishing the final bear this week. I also have a big bear in progress, to share on my website shortly. Last week I received a fabulous piece of gold mohair for a very special birthday order and am very much looking forward to starting work in time for my collector's big day.

I also received another piece of the beautiful blue mohair I created Wynter teddy from at the tail end of last year and plan to use it to create a completely different style of bear from Wynter. The mohair was such a pretty blue I couldn't resist ordering it again when I saw it was available!

Lastly for now, I should receive a parcel of Harris Tweed in the next few days ... it is definitely time for some of my Tweedy Teds to make a return this year, as they were a little too quiet in 2022!

I think I made my very first teddy bear from a child's kit in 1992 and after making a couple of mohair teddy bears also from kits, attempted to design my own bears in 1994. I plucked up courage to begin selling a few locally in 1996. I would never have dreamed that almost thirty years later, my teddy bears would be living all around the world and I would be excited about yet another year of teddy bear making! 

Happy New Year!

 

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!

Thanking you all hugely for 2022!  I couldn't have done it without you!

I am so grateful to my All Bear adopters and followers and would like to wish you all a very happy 2023.

I am delighted to report that all the bears I created for you in 2022, found lovely new homes around the world. I am now looking forward to beginning a fresh year of work creating beautiful new teddy bears to share with you and will be back among the mohair in my workroom later today. I look forward to introducing my first bear of 2023 very soon...

In the meantime, may 2023 be a year of peace, harmony and good fortune for all.

Happy New Year xxx

A trio of teddy bears

 

A TRIO OF TEDDY BEARS

This trio of lovely traditional teddy bears will be wending their way to 'The Bear Shop' in Norwich next week!

If you would like to know more about shop exclusives Alfie, Archie and Arnie, please pop along to https://www.bearshops.co.uk/

A Halloween Rune

As you know, a black bear is a rare bear from All Bear.. but with Halloween approaching, I couldn't resist squeezing this fine fellow in!

Photographing black bears is always a challenge and yesterday it was raining with no hope of photographing outdoors, so I decided to take my latest teddy bear's pics against my favourite sofa cushions, set the camera to 'auto' and keep my fingers crossed... and as it turns out, they weren't too bad and didn't even bleach out Rune teddy's pretty nose embroidery!

Happy Halloween Rune teddy! 

Let's hope you find your special person in time for some magical Halloween cuddles.

You can visit Rune and see more of his photos on my website ...

www.allbearbypaula.com

I hope you enjoy your visit!

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!

Peggy's progress

PEGGY

Earlier this year, I told you about my Grandmother's childhood doll Peggy, a 1920's Armand Marseille doll, manufactured in Germany. Peggy was presented to me in a box, as naked as the day she was born, so I decided to research turn of the century knitting patterns and knit Peggy suitable clothes that my Gran might have approved of. So far I have made her a pair of pants, a dress and a bonnet to protect her real hair wig. I have also knitted one teeny tiny sock in crochet cotton on very skinny needs, which sent me boggle eyed! I will finish the other sock and knit a pair shoes and coat in the coming weeks... but in the meantime, here is Peggy wearing her new knits and looking much more like a well-loved dolly, a hundred years after she was first created.

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!

Peggy

 

PEGGY

I first met my Grandmother's childhood doll Peggy many years ago. She was carefully wrapped in a soft white cloth and lived in a stout cardboard box, which for many years was tucked away in the depths of one of my mum's cupboards, safely out of reach of my sisters and I. Peggy, an Armand Marseille bisque doll, was one of a few cherished belongings which passed to Mum when her own mother, my lovely Gran, sadly passed away in Autumn 1975, at the age of just 54 years.

Gran was born in 1921, so my guess is that Peggy must now be fast heading towards a hundred years old. Imagine that! Armand Marseille dolls were produced from 1885 until about 1930 and their bisque heads were created from unglazed porcelain with a matte finish, which gave a realistic, skin-like, texture. The thing that immediately resonated with me is how loved Gran's doll must have been to have survived for almost a century! In the 1920's and 1930's, these china dolls were very fragile so must have been dressed and carried with immense care ... it is a complete wonder, not to mention tribute to their careful young owners, that any survive intact today!

I have loved dolls and bears from childhood, through adulthood and don't mind admitting to adopting an occasional elderly dolly to share with my own Granddaughter ... in fact we seem to have gathered a lovely little collection of 1960's dollies over the past couple of years and they are regularly 'fed', dressed and taken for walks by their dedicated, almost-but-not-quite-four year old, custodian.

When Mum arrived at my house for a cuppa recently, I didn't notice a cardboard box tucked in her bag. We sat on the sofa, chatting about everything under the sun as usual, while we sipped mugs of hot tea (Mum) and coffee (me) ... then Mum handed me the box. At first it confused me as I instantly knew what was in the box, but wasn't sure why Mum was handing her doll to me. I carefully slipped the lid from the box and gently unwrapped Peggy from her blanket, taking care to support her china head as if she were a precious newborn baby.

I asked Mum if she would like me to dress her doll as poor Peggy was as naked as the day she had first been created by Armand Marseille (a popular doll manufacturer situated in Koppelsdorf, Germany). Somehow Peggy's original clothes had been lost through the passage of time. Mum smiled knowingly and that was when a strange thing happened, or maybe not so strange after all...

So, Peggy now lives with me and while she waits for me to finish knitting her an age appropriate dress and undies, she has borrowed a pretty cotton dress and knickers from my Tiny Tears doll, to cover her modesty. I have had a fascinating time researching vintage knitting patterns from the 1920's and 30's, so that I can knit something akin to what Gran and girls of her era may have dressed their dolls in. It has been an interesting dip into the social history of my Grandmother's day but more importantly, Peggy has given me a wonderful means of reconnecting with my Gran. Taking care of the dolly Gran cherished as a very young girl, has bridged the decades since her loss when I was only twelve years old and offered me a fresh view into my Gran's life as a young girl ... an elderly dolly always comes with a window into history, you just have to take the time to peek through the layers of dust and try to piece together the past.

I am so grateful to my Mum for passing Peggy into my care for the future and absolutely thrilled to be able to show her to my Granddaughter and tell her about how my Gran, her Great-Great-Grandmother, loved her dollies too.



Incidentally, for those of you wondering who Peggy's little teddy bear friend is ... he was made by the wonderful Pamela Ann Howells of 'Bears that are special'. Pam, a doyenne of the UK teddy bear world and on a personal note, a very lovely lady and old friend from my show days, was previously assistant designer to the famous Chiltern Hygenic Toy Company, in the 1950's.

A black and white memory

 

A BLACK AND WHITE MEMORY

There is something so appealing about a panda bear don't you think?! I don't make many each year, but as a teddy bear maker, I always enjoy putting my own vision to the panda theme...

The panda bear is a member of the bear family and is called 'Da Xiong Mao' in China, meaning Giant Bear Cat. Giant Pandas mainly live in large bamboo forests in mountain areas of southwest China’s Sichuan, Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. The mountains are about 1200-3500 metres above sea level and covered with dense bamboo forest, which is the giant panda’s food.

One little panda bear cub called Chi-Chi, was caught in the wild in 1955 and taken to Beijin Zoo in China. She subsequently travelled from China to Russia, where she failed to mate successfully so was moved to Frankfurt Zoo, prior to being loaned to several further European Zoos. Poor Chi-Chi was shunted from pillar to post and even sold to a US zoo in Illinois (but refused entry to the US as a result of a trade embargo)... Chi-Chi eventually arrived in England and in 1958, was purchased by London Zoo for the princely sum of £12,000. There had been several pandas at London Zoo since the late 1930's, but sadly earlier panda bears had only lived short lives in captivity, so it was hoped Chi-Chi might be successfully mated to produce cubs.

Chi-Chi the panda cub was playful and cute and quickly became a much loved attraction at London Zoo, drawing visitors and media coverage from far and wide. I recall the thrill of visiting her with my parents at London Zoo's Mapin Terraces, in the mid 1960's.

As pandas were worringly rare in the wild and generally lived short lives in captivity, attempts were made to breed from Chi-Chi. It is believed they were unsuccessful because she had been raised by humans and simply didn't know how to respond to a male of her own species. Nevertheless, Chi-Chi became the inspiration behind the original 'World Wildlife Foundation' logo (a poster I proudly displayed on my bedroom wall as a young girl!) and the symbol of international wildlife conservation and hope for the future.

At age eleven years, Chi-Chi sadly died in captivity in 1972 and was mourned by the nation. Her body was preserved after her death and is now exhibited in London's Natural History Museum. It is worth noting, that in the wild, panda bears are known to live for twenty to thirty years.

The first toy panda bear toy was designed by Richard Steiff in 1938, in recognition of the first giant panda bear arriving in America, in 1937. Thanks to Chi-Chi and the other London Zoo pandas, panda bear toys became popular gifts for young children in the UK from the 1960's and were produced by British manufacturers such as Chiltern, Deans and Merrythought.  Like many other children, I was given a panda bear toy as a baby in the early 60's and have an old black and white a photograph of me, snuggled with my panda bear, as a baby. I can only assume that this gift, together with the visit to see Chi-Chi at London Zoo as a little girl, stayed with me and continues to inspire my own panda bear designs!

Sadly the panda bear, considered a national treasure in China, still has 'vulnerable' status in the wild today, a status upgraded from 'endangered' only recently. There are currently only 1,864 wild pandas recorded in existence, but thankfully, due to the work of the WWF to prevent further human encroachment onto their natural habitats, together with the recognition of the importance of the panda by the Chinese Government, numbers of these beautiful bamboo eating creatures are slowly increasing; although it should be stated that they still remain scattered, vulnerable and in need of awareness to further protect their habitat.  

After being taken from the wild as a cub, poor Chi-Chi lived out her life behind bars, at the beck and call of mankind. It is a sad tale witnessed through the eyes of an adult, yet through the eyes of a child I admit, it was a magical experience to be able to visit her in the UK.

If you would like to read more about the panda bear and support the work of the World Wildlife Foundation, please follow this link...

https://support.wwf.org.uk/adopt-a-panda 

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.

Thirty nine years

 

THIRTY NINE YEARS..

I was just twenty years old when my baby girl was first placed in my arms, not much more than a girl myself. Thirty nine years have raced by and my baby girl has become a daughter any mum would be proud of ... independent, free thinking, compassionate, hard working and always determined to create the best in life, both for herself and for those she loves.

Happy Birthday to you Daughter, may all your days be full of the sunshine, love and laughter, you so deserve.

All my love always,
Mum xxx

A moment to recharge

 

A MOMENT TO RECHARGE

So what do teddy bear makers do in their free time? Well, Leeds Castle is not far from where I live, the perfect place to grab a camera and take a stroll in the beautiful grounds, breathe in the peace and enjoy the scenery.

This week I visited with my mum, armed with our cameras for a leisurely stroll round the lake, snapping away as we wandered through the gardens. Then we bought hot drinks, found a bench to sit on and had a natter as we watched the many birds who wander around, stopping to say an occasional hello to visitors as they busy their way around the lake. It was such a lovely way to recharge our batteries and take a moment out from the worries of the wider world.

Dolly Days

 

DOLLY DAYS

I wonder if you recognise this dolly? If you do, I am guessing you were probably a child of the fifties or sixties, like myself. I stumbled across dolly by chance on Ebay recently and before I could talk myself out of it, had contacted the owner to see if I could buy her...

She reminded me very much of a slightly larger version I owned as a little girl. I think my dolly was around 19" tall, and a more substantial doll. This smaller, more manageable version, is just 15" and fits comfortably into my granddaughter's dolly pram. Izzy promptly named her 'Grumpy Dolly' and took her to the local playground for some fresh air. Grumpy Dolly (also named 'Rosemary') arrived at my house tightly sealed in a plastic bag with two other 1960's dolly friends, a little Rosebud doll and a larger Palitoy baby doll. I like to think she appreciated her new dress, hairbrush and a caring young owner to take her out in the pram for walk and a play on the swings after being stored for over half a century.

Tucked away in my knitting pattern stash, was a vintage knitting pattern featuring the 'Chiltern Babykins', so I knitted her a pink dress and matching knickers to cover her modesty. I think I will make the socks this weekend. After so many years, she was due a new outfit!

For anyone still wondering, my sweet dolly was designed by the Chiltern Hygenic Toy Company, the same UK company responsible for creating our wonderful Chiltern Hugmee teddy bears. She was modelled to suck her thumb, with knees bent, just like a real baby. All Chiltern Babykins dolls had hair that looked as though a child had been left alone to hack it with a pair of scissors!

In the days of glamorous dollies, these dolls were sturdy, a more unusual style with their 'grumpy' faces but nonetheless, very endearing. In fact, I have rather a soft spot for them!

Sadly, my original Babykins doll 'disappeared' in my teens, most likely in a garage sale. As you can imagine, as one of five daughters, it wasn't always possible to keep childhood toys, so I have loved this trip down Memory Lane with my little Granddaughter, sharing dollies and making new memories together.

Weaving a gentle magic

 

WEAVING A GENTLE MAGIC..

Years ago I established 'The Guild of Master Bearcrafters', celebrating the work of teddy bear artists around the globe. Our group ran successfully for many years, uniting the creative work of many international bear artist members. Some of the most outstanding and imaginative creations presented on the Guild, were designed by talented teddy bear makers from both Russia and Ukraine, teddy bear makers who seemed to weave a gentle magic through their work. I was always in awe of their skill and learned much from their inspired vision of the teddy bear.

To hear this week of the invasion by Russian military forces into Ukraine is both shocking and heartbreaking. To think of the fear now instilled into the lives of the creative people I knew as talented needlecraft and soft sculpture artists from both countries, makes no sense to me. To think of the wider issues implied by this act of aggression from one country to another, is simply too frightening to fully comprehend...

The teddy bear makers I knew from both Russia and Ukraine, worked with a passion for their craft, inspiring creativity in others as they pursued gentle, homebased businesses, creating teddy bears to share with the wider world. They were deft with their needles and generous with their knowledge.

They don't deserve this war.

No one deserves this war.

Teddy bears, a tradition

 

TEDDY BEARS, A TRADITION

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

In fact, I remember my early classic bears as old friends.  'Becks' and 'Scrump' for example, two gold teddy bears made by my sister and I way back in the mid 1990's.  They were made from glorious kid mohair in two alternative shades of gold. As sisters, 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!

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

Not long after Orwell, came 'Timeless', a whopping 26" growler of a teddy bear. I made him for the  final Hugglets' 'Festival of Artist Bears' show in Stratford Upon Avon, in the mid 90's.  I stood behind the exhibition table with my sister 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 on the spot! We had a super time at that show standing among the most famous bear artists of the time ... it was a completely thrilling day for two bear-making sisters, quite new to selling their own range of handmade teddy bears!

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 immensely proud. I gave this bear a gentle nod to modernity by introducing hand painted glass eyes and subtle shading to the eye socket, which really brought him to life.

Leaping forward several years, reminds me of dear 'Bellamy,' a magnificent 23" bear commissioned by a devoted gentleman collector.  Fabulous German mohair helped me achieve this very handsome bear ... there is definitely something about kid mohair, which lends itself to creating teddy bears of distinction.

I have designed many, many traditional teddy bears over the years, some large, some smaller, but all with a special simple charm. There is 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. They are where the teddy bear began and have earned their place in every collection.