Newest creation...

I have finally produced another miniature bear. It's taken a long time to overcome the complete lack of inspiration and motivation that has hovered over any attempt at tiny teddy production, but I have done it! Here is the first completed miniature of 2011.

Huge thanks to HB for inspiration - she liked the idea of a series of snowflake-inspired Christmassy bears and this little teddy has gone from idea to reality in a very short space of time. Maybe the rest of the series will follow...

 This little red bear has a ruff crocheted from gold embroidery thread. He is definitely a "he" although as yet unnamed. I'm still searching for a suitably snowy boy name...

He is 5cm tall when standing and made from red cashmere plush fabric. This fabric is delightful to work with - very easy to sew and turn (and reasonably forgiving of errors) - and the finished effect is lovely. Unfortunately I have discovered that it is impossible to photograph successfully. Without the flash the colour isn't true, but with the flash the sheen is too much for the camera! More experimentation needed...

The bear is lovely (though I say it myself!); he's come out really well. I'm not 100% sure about the ruff yet - it may change before he gets his final name...

Let me know what you think. Any suggestions or name possibilities welcomed!

A week of ups and downs

It's been a funny old week really...

It's been a week of car-related stress: getting rescued by the RAC from a chilly M4 (2nd call-out in 2 weeks), 8 hours and 20 miles after getting the car back from the garage; anxiously waiting to hear from the mechanic to find out if I would have to cancel all my appointments AGAIN; and driving nervously through the countryside hoping that it won't conk out on me in the middle of nowhere.

It's been a week of family events: packing the OH off to London for a month; a visit from my parents; and a lovely meal with Mum, Dad, sister, brother and sister-in-law.

It's been a week of elephants: 

one whose progress is interminably slow (body complete on 3rd attempt, legs... don't ask!) 

and one who was just a delightful surprise!

I think the spice boat tips the balance though...

...it's been a good week!

Elephants marching through my dreams...

I have spent the last week covering notebooks. This is not, perhaps, the most inspiring of projects but very necessary as I would like to do a craft fair soon. The main drawback of taking miniature teddy bears to a craft fair is that my entire stock would only fill a space the size of an A4 sheet of paper: not really an eye catching display on the average table! So I have been busily making other fabric items that will take up that extra space. 

Don't get me wrong, I do like the notebooks. The overall effect is good and they have a nice finish to them. It's just that another project has been haunting me since it popped into my head and if it wasn't for my OH's very sensible veto on experiments until the table-fillers were completed, I wouldn't have covered any notebooks at all!

Yesterday I finally reached a satisfactory notebook count so was allowed to spend the afternoon on something else. So naturally the experimental project was given some time. Well quite a lot of time actually...

All year I have been making elephants: 

small felt elephants; 

 

 the YDC Mystery elephant for the March charity auction on eBid; 

and a small Liberty fabric elephant (as-yet-unfinished).

But there is another elephant: one that I have been drawing since I was a child. I don't know where it came from but this elephant has always been very close to my heart. So I thought I'd give it a go. After a few quick sketches, I cut out the templates and ultrasuede and started to sew. I was expecting that this attempt would be very much a prototype so that I could see how to change the pattern to get the right shape but actually I have surprised myself.

Apart from slightly bruised finger tips (the ultrasuede is quite stiff to work with), sewing and turning was easier than I expected...

the shape is good, although perhaps a tiny bit wide across the crown of the head...

 

and the trunk worked very well.

 Now all this elephant needs is a body...

Meet the bears... Christopher

I have just realised how long it has been since my last post, so it seems like an ideal time to introduce another bear.

This is Christopher. He is made from "old gold" coloured cashmere plush fabric with cream ultrasuede paw pads. His limbs are thread jointed, his nose is hand embroidered and his eyes are tiny black glass beads. He stands just 4.7cm tall. 

Sometimes a completed bear wants no embellishment and this was certainly true of Christopher. Although obviously a boy bear he didn't seem to suit a bow or any other clothing. The cashmere fabric he is made from gives a glorious textured look to his fur and it seemed such a shame to cover it up. For a little while he remained just as he was...

A little while later I stumbled across the art of crochet and, after a little practice, the inevitable happened: I began to wonder if I could crochet items in miniature for the bears. With a little perseverance and a lot of patience I finally completed a miniature blanket in turquoise thread...

As soon as Christopher got his paws on it I knew he was complete. Christopher and his blanket are now inseparable.

 

 

If you would like to see more of my bears visit my website, my Folksy or WowThankYou shop.

Flower inspirations

It is not often that I can say that flowers have inspired my work. 

This beautiful little flower, growing happily in a meadow garden in Avranches in France, may prove to be the exception. I think it is some form of Cranesbill, or wild Geranium. I just love the striking contrast between the crisp white and the deep purple...

And these delicate Hydrangea flowers with their butterfly-like blossom...

And last but not least a bright little flower, Meadow Saffron, nestling in the shade of Westonbirt Arboretum's native woodland...

These small sparks of colour and beauty have found a place amongst the other ideas that float around inside my head. One day they may just form themselves into a new creation - when they do I'll let you know!

Meet the bears... Bella

Today I would like to introduce you to Bella.

As soon as this little bear was completed, it was obvious that "it" was a "she". Her big eyes and rounded head, set slightly to one side, left no doubt. How to dress her took rather a lot more thought. So she sat for a while (as most of my bears do) trying out a bow for size as I waited for inspiration...

A while later I saw a delightful photo of a friend's little girl. Like most small children she loves to dress up and in this photo she was wearing a fairy costume complete with wings and a wand. She was sitting looking up at the camera with her head slightly to one side....

The tiny bear's expression was so much like that photo that I knew that she would have to have a fairy costume.

So now she has a skirt made from pink and white flowers cut from Guipure trim. She has tiny bows made from a single strand of embroidery cotton and a tiny pink bead. In her right hand she holds a wand made from coloured beads and topped with a star.

Bella stands just 5cm tall. She is made from a light brown upholstery velvet with cream ultrasuede paw pads. Her limbs are thread jointed so she can stand or sit. Her eyes are black glass beads; her nose is hand embroidered with black cotton.

Bella has now been adopted and is enjoying life in her new home. If you would like to see more of my bears visit my website, my Folksy or WowThankYou shop.

This week...

This week, I have mostly been falling in love... with Liberty fabrics!

Once again I have been raiding my mum's immense fabric collection: this time for scraps to cover buttons. It's so hard to make decisions when it comes to fabric (and I'm not the most decisive person at the best of times!) but it became even more difficult after a rummage in the precious Liberty scraps box. That was it. Suddenly I understood the fascination: the pretty, intricate designs; the gorgeous feel of the fabric; the lovely colours. I'm surprised Mum could bear to part with any of it!

I came away with my haul and have been experimenting this week. I decided hair clips would be an easier starting point than buttons (slightly less fiddly but still small enough to use the little scraps of fabric).

The fabric is such a delight to work with. It is light enough to be used for delicate projects (adding little bulk at the seams) and yet strong enough to hold its shape without stretching or fraying.

The intricate patterns really come into their own on a small project.

And the new camera really does take great close-ups. So much better than my old one!

I love it! I'm looking around now for other projects to play with!

It's a shame that it's too light a fabric to make bears from... although I'm sure some of my bears wouldn't object too much to a little Liberty fabric outfit...