A Trio of Trouble!

Hello my lovlies! Its been quite a while since my last entry, and for that I apologize profusely! The last few months have been pretty hectic, but fear not! The bear making is alive and well, and I have had a couple of my sweeties adopted! Don't get me wrong, dear reader, I am not doing this for making monies. Indeed, if I manage to buy an extra iced lolly from the ice cream man with what I make, its a sweet deal.

I finally have my very own sewing machine, which I admit I am completely useless at putting the bobbin into. But on the plus side, sewing limbs and torsos is now a lot quicker! I still hand sew all the delicate parts such as the face, ears, paws and nose, to which the calluses on my fingers bear witness.

For now I shall leave you with a picture of 3 of my darling bears, who are still looking for a home (nudge nudge)

                                                               Molly, Cuthebert and Poncho

My first mohair bear!

Mohair!

I have put together a few bears now, and I decided it was about time to use some precious mohair. I chose a piece that had dark brown guard hairs and was golden underneath, so his muzzle would really stand out. I really enjoyed making this fellow, I found the backing fabric a lot easier to work with than the faux fur. Well, here he is, Treacle, and he is available on ebay for auction!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/271098929272?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649

Well folks, time to take the plunge

This fellow is Toby, who took me flipping ages to make! Took nearly 2 weeks due to the sheer amount of fluff that I had to get through in order to sew him together. This is indeed taking a plunge for me, my first bear up for sale, "what if nobody likes him/ what if he doesn't get adopted/ his photo isn't professional enough/ I need more chocolate" constantly charging around my mind. Well fingers crossed, and if any lovely soul would like to adopt Toby he is available on my ebay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toby-OOAK-artist-teddy-bear-fully-jointed-13-/271085161963?pt=UK_Dolls_Bears_RL&hash=item3f1def4deb

Bear making is messier than I thought

Well, a week later and the living room table has been officially taken over.  It turns out I needed more than just a needle and thread, so after ages internet shopping, a vast horde of tailoring materials was in the post.

 For my first try I ordered an all in one bear making kit. I figured this was the best course of action, I didnt want to ruin a good piece of mohair or crack glass eyes in my newbishness. The kit contained some wooly material, plastic eyes and joints, felt for the paws and the thread. So, equipped with an array of needles, pliers, scalpels and scissors, I set to work

Is that...a foot?

It took a few days and a lot of, "Noooo I did it wrong!!!" random shouting and 50,000 cups of tea, but something resembling a bear was created. The instructions that came in the kit were alright, but i did find myself having to look on the internet and in books for certain things. I named the bear "Beady" on account of his beady looking eyes. He's a bit wonky, and probably wouldnt be able to take any rough handling, but I learned an awful lot from making him, and have ordered a batch of faux fur for the next project.

Beady has his eye on you!

Project Teddy Bear

Can a complete sewing novice step up and create top notch teddy bears? Well, I'm about to find out, equipped with little more than a cheap sewing kit and a head full of dreams. 

Let me clarify, my experience with sewing is pretty bad. I can just about sew up a hole in a shirt without losing any limbs, but thats as far as it goes. Making anything, let a lone a bear, has always been pie in the sky "thats what old people do" kind of thing. 

What are you looking at!

So whats with the sudden "genius" idea  to make, and perhaps even sell my own bears? Simple answer, Ive been having a love affair with these furry guys since I can remember. They just melt my heart, especially the grumpy looking ones and grumpy is what I want to aim for with my bears, they just need more hugs and an extra cookie. So come join me, as I bumble my way through the ins and outs of sewing hopefully without causing too much injury.