TBT224

THE artists’gallery■ Beautiful one-of-a-kind bears, all designed and hand-stitched by talented bear artists. ARTig + frech Bears Little Piggies Originals Bereguod Bears by Ursula Schwarz ITBAA Best In Show 2016 Vintage inspired traditional bears. Hugglets, hall 1, stand 60 Hugglets - Hall 4 Stand 130www.artigundfrech.jimdo.com www.littlepiggiesnursery.com www.facebook.com/bereguod Black Mountain Bears BowerBird Bears Cobblestone Creations Unique hand knitted artist bears Hand-made in Wales Book Club Buddies Tel: + 44 (0) 1873 860395 by Gill Cattroll www.cobblestonecreations.net [email protected]://www.blackmountainbears.co.uk www.bowerbirdbears.co.uk 51TEDDY BEAR TIMES

Padfield bears Jan’s Tiddy Bears Elegant CreationsHand crafted by Michelle Doig Award winning artist bears and critters by Vicky Lougherhttp://www.padfieldbears.co.uk Hugglets stand 12B. Tel 07889 794637 www.vickylougher.comE: [email protected] email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Bear-i-ety Bears Miraberen Pinney Bears By Linda Ellen Brown-Trinckes Designed by Miranda Rolfes Designed by Margaret Jackson www.trinckesmusic.com Email: [email protected] www.pinneybears.com Web: www.miraberen.blogspot.comemail: [email protected] [email protected] TEDDY BEAR TIMES

Sandras Bärenbande Pamda Bears Bear in Mind Collectibles ...die mit den Rosen Bears & Friends by Pam Pontious Designed by Linda Joan Chiasson By Sandra Kunz www.pamdabears.com Web: bearinmindcollectibles.comwww.sandras-baerenbande.info email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] ThReAdTeDs® Pipedream Bears CarroBearsArtist (Thread) Bears & Friends By Jan Cardey Hugglets stand 99, hall 3 Mini-Fabrics & Supplies web: www.bearsandpugs.com Email: [email protected] www.threadteds.com email: [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/CarroBears 53TEDDY BEAR TIMES

Lolly Bou Creations Baby Talk Bears Jennibears Artist bears to treasure Designed by Soyo Hand sewn OOAK bears by Jean http://lollyboucreations.co.uk/ Hall 1, stand 29 at Hugglets + 44 (0) 1625 877184 www.facebook.com/lollyboucreations http://babytalkbears.moo.jp www.jennibears.co.uk Heir Bears WESTIE BEARS Advertise in the Gallery By Jane Woodard Wild, Wacky but Wonderful! Showcase your bears here www.heirbears.com [email protected] Call Maria: + 44 (0) 7730 622416 (UK) email: [email protected] www.westiebears.com Call Sara: (507) 634-3143 (USA) If you missed out on the first Teddy Bear Artists Who’s Who, you will not want to miss out on the updated version, going live soon. Call now for further details and to book your space. Maria for the UK and Europe Tel: + 44 (0) 07730 622416 or email: [email protected] Sara for the USA Tel: (507) 634-3143 (USA) or email: [email protected] magazine. 54 TEDDY BEAR TIMES 59TEDDY BEAR TIMES 10/11/2015 16:05 58_TBT 220.indd 59

BEAR TRAILSThe story of CiderB BY LORRAINE HITCHINGS, GINOS BEARSefore I begin my story, I moved to Lavender Grove andwould just like to dispel continued to produce their rangethe myth that because I of toys but now included somesell old and antique teddy bears, mohair Teddy Bears.I do not love and collect bears Ed too is very beautiful in hismyself. Absolutely nothing could own way, although he has lost anbe further from the truth. I have been ear and most of his fur coat.collecting teddy bears for many years Soon Ed and my new old friend, who Iand if I didn’t sell some of them, I would had yet to name, had become very goodfirstly need to be a millionaire and sec- friends. With so many teddy bears livingondly, I would need to live in a very large with me, it is sometimes a little bit dif-warehouse. ficult to find a name that has not alreadySo you see, I still get very excited been used and it can take a while beforewhen someone special gives me a teddy I find the right name. This was the casebear (and anyone who gives you a teddy with my latest friend but suddenly itbear has to be special don’t they?) came out of the blue, I would call himIt was Christmas morning last, when I Cider! Living in the West Country, we arewas given a gorgeous Old Merrythought well known for our love of cider and asTeddy Bear who was made many moons he was now going to be a West Countryago; sometime back in the 1930’s so I Bear, what better name could there be?believe. In April this year, I celebrated yetCarefully unwrapping my beautiful another birthday and when asked wheregift, the first thing I saw was the sweetest I wanted to go, I said I would like to takeold teddy face looking up at me and my Cider Bear on a visit to ‘Thatchers Cider’heart immediately skipped a beat. As in Somerset. He loved it and so did I. WeI pulled him out of his bright red shiny had an amazing lunch at the restaurantwrapping I could see that he was a Mer- there and as Cider Bear sat next to me, arythought Teddy and I wondered, could number of people stopped to say ‘hello’he have been given as a present in his – he was thrilled.previous life? Then, with big, full stomachs we car-For ages he sat on my lap and we just ried on to the factory, where Cider Bearlooked at each other and gazing at him, I was given a red apple medallion as ahave to tell you I was in awe of his charm reminder of his day.and beauty and I do believe I little tear When beautiful Old Teddies like Ci-slipped silently down my cheek. der and Ed, who have lost their previousWe shared our Christmas with anoth- lives, are re-homed, I sometimes feel aner Old Bear named Ed, who was also a aura of sadness around them, until theygift. He was made by the famous English realise what their new lives hold in store.makers, W.J. Terry, a company similar in I hope that Ed and Cider Bear are happyhistory to that of J.K. Farnell. Originally a with their new lives.skin merchants that was founded by Wil- www.ginosbears.co.ukliam J. Terry back in 1890, at the turn ofthe century the company began produc-ing soft toys that were covered in real furbut by 1909, after the success of a dognamed ‘Terry’er’ that was based on KingEdward VII’s dog Caesar, the companyfound itself in a position to open a largefactory in Hackney, London. In 1913, they 55TEDDY BEAR TIMES

Black&whit Who can resist the appeal of a panda with their dark eye patches and cute expressions?Quilts-N-Critters Wacky Walker Bears Rolabären56 TEDDY BEAR TIMES

te delight The CoventryTeddy Bear Gallery CarroBearsR. John Wright Les Petits Luteciens 57TEDDY BEAR TIMES

BUSINESS PROFILE Birthday celebrations: a decade of bears Bear It In Mind are celebrating a bear making and restoring milestone this year: 10 years - and counting!W e have been writing the BY AMANDA MIDDLEDITCH & JULIE TATCHELL As a nod to the importance of en- restoration feature for Teddy couraging children and making them Bear Times since July 2012 take on more and more restoration and welcome, we decided immediately and were thrilled to have this repair jobs. The High Street presence that we would never turn any requestopportunity to take you back in time was helping the business to move on away. And that still stands today. We willto 2006 when our business first began. in an area we hadn’t really considered repair, restore or clean any soft bodiedSome of you will have been following at the outset. toy, regardless of age or condition.our adventures since the start but, forthose who haven’t or have simply for- A lifelong interest in bears of all Bartie’s storygotten, enjoy reminiscing with us as we sorts had established Amanda as ashare our journey to date. There are well-known artist trading under the Let’s not forget what else was goingalso details of a fantastic competition name Hairy Hugs. The ability to design on with the business in the early years.for you later in this article. and make her own bears had been In 2007 we introduced our brand helped along the way by a passion for bear to the world. The original design Bear It In Mind started trading from earlier designers and manufacturers by Amanda was inspired by Julie’sa lovely, old premises on High Street in and with this came the expertise to sketch of a bear she had incorporatedBeaulieu in the New Forest. Originally repair and restore. Initially able to take in to her business logo. He becamebuilt as donkey stabling, the length patients back home to repair, it soon quite the personality! He was the frontof the building leant itself perfectly to became necessary to make some ad- man for the New Forest Teddy Bearbecoming half studio and half shop. justments to the studio in Beaulieu. Festivals which we ran annually for six years. He created his own artist’s In the studio we offered children’s We had to make a tough decision. excellence award, raised funds for acrafting sessions and parties – all on Should we stop the crafting sessions number of charities including doinga beary theme of course – as well as and parties or discourage the visitors a bungee jump for Cystic Fibrosis,traditional bear making classes for who needed help with their bears? organising a pink tea party for Breastadults. In the shop we specialised in The answer was clear to us both and Cancer Awareness and getting allartist bears and British bears, although the restoration wing of the business his friends together to form a chainthe constant stream of visitors to beau- became official! around the village in aid of Childrentiful Beaulieu meant there was also in Need. He is also the main charactera market for plenty of other types in a series of children’s books writtenand makes. by Julie (and still hoping to be pub- lished). Right from its earliest conception,Bear It In Mind established itself as a We continued to make Bartiebusiness that encouraged customers Bristle throughout 2007 and, fromto realise the importance of objects the next year to date, have made ancreated traditionally, by hand and, in annual edition in limited numbers asthe main, here in the British Isles. well as special editions and be- spoke requests. One such request With courses running frequentlyand Amanda already established as was for an Elvis tribute Bartie, foran in-store demonstrator, it wasn’t Fiona Lady Montagu’s 70th birthday.long before we were being asked to58 TEDDY BEAR TIMES

BUSINESS PROFILE 59TEDDY BEAR TIMES

BUSINESS PROFILELong distance patients In fact it was quite the opposite. Al- on their own business journey. though grateful for the chance to start 1. Be prepared to allow your busi- Although the restorations were com- in a high street location, we are nowing in regularly, we needed to address able to focus exclusively on our res- ness to change – your customers willthe problem for people unwilling or toration work and Bartie Bristle manu- dictate your direction.unable to get to the shop with their facture. We are also able to spendpatients or unhappy to post them. We time away from the studio without it 2.Own a good website and keep itinvented the Bear It In Mind ‘Pop-Up’ having a negative impact on the high updated and informative.Clinic in an attempt to address this. street: a closed door never felt like a comfortable way to leave the shop for 3. Keep smiling! Already attending Hugglets in Lon- the public, even though it was for thedon twice a year, we had to find other purpose of work. Party Bartie 2016venues where we could invite peopleto bring their bears along for us to as- And so that’s where we are now. We At the start of this article, wesess. If they were happy for us to do so, are in the enviable position of being promised you a competition.we would then take the patient back to able to look back over ten exciting, Well here it is! One lucky readerthe studio to complete the work before interesting, tiring, maddening, happy will win a beautiful Bartie Bristle.returning again six months later. We and satisfying years. Between us, over Party Bartie 2016 celebrates ournow ‘pop-up’ regularly at Koko’s Bear ten years we have found a lasting 10 years in business and will beShop on the Isle of Wight, The Alton friendship, grown in our knowledge the last annual Bartie we are go-Bear Festival, Portsmouth City Mu- and interest of our subject, survived ing to make.seum, Woods Restaurant in Tunbridge life threatening illness, become grand-Wells and The Merrythought Shop in parents and celebrated milestone To win him you will need toIronbridge. birthdays. We have travelled around visit our website www.bearitin- the country as the Teddy Bear Doctors mind.com and find our Mission Our working relationship with Mer- for Ikea during one of their fundraising Statement.rythought is an area we are particu- campaigns, run a teddy bear weekendlarly proud of and we feel honoured to at a five star hotel in Ireland, welcomed We would like you to tell us thebe their restorers of choice. Recom- Bunny Campione to tour our business definition of the word ‘conserva-mendations and reviews are an impor- and also lead talks in primary schools. tion’ as written in this statement.tant part of our business and we are You can enter by sending yourgrateful to all who take the time to offer We are pleased to say that we re- answer to us via email, throughthese for us – thank you. ceive work, not just from this country our Facebook page or by post to but also from Italy, Canada, Dubai and Bear It In Mind, The Studio, 2 Nel- At the end of 2014 we decided to America. We are also receiving re- son Court, Hythe, Southampton.move the business into Julie’s home quests to do work for insurance claims SO45 3GR, UK.where we have a purpose built studio. more frequently – there is never a dullQuite a big decision really. Our con- moment. All entries must be received bycerns were that we would be harder 1st October and the winner willto find; perhaps it might look like we And finally a few tips gathered by us be drawn shortly thereafter. Thewere taking a step back. We had to over the years for anyone setting out winner will then be announced inmake sure that this wasn’t the case. a future edition of TBT. Good luck!60 TEDDY BEAR TIMES

the growlerGIVE YOUR BEAR A VOICE. ‘GREAT GROWL’ OF THE MONTH WINS A HERMANN BEAR. EMAIL [email protected] needed with tried my hand at making Festival furry GGRREOAWT Lheirloom bears and I am well and truly hooked! So much has Dear GrowlerDear Growler changed in my life: I am no Having read in issue 223 about the editor’s I have recently inher- longer a bear fair virgin, I now know that my bear friend who takes her two bears to lots of functions,ited a beautiful teddy bear collection should be called I had to tell you about my bear Bob (named afterwhich has a label saying a ‘hug’ and I am slowly get- Bob Dylan). He loves going to music festivals withit is a limited edition (no.6 ting to grips with mohair, me, especially Glastonbury and the Isle of Wightof 20) Threepenny bear alpaca and plush. More that plus some of the smaller ones too.We have beenmade by Jenny Travers of anything, I have realised all over the UK together watching bands and nextThynne Bears for Teddy what a friendly world the year we hope to go to Europe to discover the festi-Bear Times; it’s dated bear world is, with bear val scene there. Are there any other musical bears2003. I was just wondering artists, suppliers stand out there?if you could give me any holders and other collec-more information about tors all being happy to offer Suzi Cooperthis bear as I can’t seem to help and advice.find another one anywhere. You see I am addicted to bears…one day.She’s a beautiful thing and I am making lots of new mohair - I’m not sure if it’svery special to me as it friends and have discov- the beautiful softness of the Rebecca Goodebelonged to a very close ered Teddy Bear Times pile or the wonderful rangefriend of mine. - such a lovely magazine of colours it is available in TBT: Rebecca I know just about all aspects of teddy but I find it so hard to resist! what you mean! I’m not Sharon Druce bear making and collect- I am having to find more sure there is a cure for it. A ing. Thank you from your and more space in which to friend of mine tries to makeTBT: What a lovely me- newest fan! store my coveted purchas- at least one bear from hermento Sharon. I’m sure es and my house is close stash before she allows her-this bear is very special Rose Marshall to bursting at the seams. self to buy any more fabricto you. If anyone can help I’m sure I will eventually - but I often see her fingerswith information about the TBT: Thank you Rose and turn them all into wonderful twitching over that bargainThreepenny bears by Jenny a very warm welcome to bin…Travers, please email edi- Teddy Bear Times. [email protected] hope you continue to enjoyor call +44 (0) 1903 884988 meeting new friends and(US contact details inside creating your own teddyfront cover). bears.Happiness is… Uncontrollable addictionDear Growler I have always been an Dear Growler I am an enthusiastic bearenthusiastic needlewomanand have loved teddy bears collector but I also makefor more years than I care them and this is the partto remember. However, it that is giving me a problem.is only recently that I have 61TEDDY BEAR TIMES

MAKE A BEAR PDArTeTaEmRNe:r This traditional style bear with a rustic charm is a dream to make and will be the envy of many a bear lover BY ELLEN VAN BAKEL OF ELLENCE BEARSCutting out: Head: Sew the head sides together wood wool. from point A to point D. Do the same with the arms and the Trace the pattern pieces onto thecardboard and then trace them on the Sew the gusset in between from legs.back of the mohair. point A to point B to Point C. This mix makes the bear a little Pay attention!! Make sure the grain Body: Sew the front of the body from heavier and gives an old-style feel to theline marked on each pattern piece point A to point B bear. When you are done with the stuff-runs parallel on the selvedges of the ing, you can close all of the openings.fabric. Cut out all pieces with an added Sew the back of the body from5mm seam allowance. point C to point D and from point E to Now it’s time to sew the ears into Point F. Leave the back open from point place and embroider the nose. Cut with the tip of your scissors to D to point E.avoid damaging the fabric. Place the eyes.You can put a pin in Put the front of the body and the first to see if the position is right. Sew Hands and soles can be made from back of the body right sides together. securely in place.other types of fabric such as Suedette Sew the pieces together.or linen. Making the bear look vintage: Arms: Sew the paws onto the arms. Cut out the arms and legs (2 x right Sew the arms but leave a small You can do this by putting someand 2 x left in mirror image) opening in the back for stuffing. distressed ink in a vintage colour on Legs: Fold the legs and sew them the tip of a brush and gently rub it on Cut out the bodice and side section together, leaving the bottom open and the desired areas of the bear, such asof head (1x right and 1x left in mirror a small opening for the stuffing. the nose, the tip of the paws, the tip ofimage. Sew the food pads into place from the feet and heels. point A to point B to Point A. Cut 1 x gusset. You can also use some dark brown Stuffing eyeshadow to get a vintage effect.Sewing together Turn all the pieces right side out. Be careful and use in moderation - Ears: Sew the earpieces together, Stuff the head tight with fibrefill and you can always put some extra on.turn and close the bottom edges. string a sturdy thread in the bottom of the head then put the joint in. Now you Dreamer is ready. If desired you can Materials can close the head. give him some clothes. String a sturdy thread in a small ■ Mohair: 35 x 70cm. stitch on the top of the body and close. Good luck with creating your own ■ Linen: 20 x 20cm Now place the joint and connect the Dreamer. ■ Joints: 3 x 30mm and 2 x head. 20mm Now place the arms and legs with ■ Eyes: 7mm the joints on the body. ■ Black embroidery thread Stuff the body, by pouring mineral ■ Sewing thread granules in the bottom of the body ■ Stuffing: fibrefill, woodwool then stuff the rest of the body with and some mineral granules62 TEDDY BEAR TIMES

MAKE A BEAR 63TEDDY BEAR TIMES

MAKE A BEAR64 TEDDY BEAR TIMES

MAKE A BEAR 65TEDDY BEAR TIMES

MAKE A BEAR66 TEDDY BEAR TIMES

MAKE A BEAR

AWARDSInternational Teddy BearArtists’ Awards 2016There were many highly talented bear artists’ skillson display at this year’s exhibition and once again,the judges had a variety of classes to assess BY R E MCLINTICa nother ITBAA Competition Republic. The Class calls for Beauty finished entry. The 2nd and 3rd placed has been and gone but is not and the Beast and Lesley’s Beauty was bears were excellent and, although not forgotten. It has, yet again, a beauty and the Beast was definitely winning outright, were much appreci- produced a wealth of artistry in a beast.teddy bears and friends and brought ated.to the fore the skill of both old and new The Miniature Class came The ITBAA has annuallycraftsmen. The Competition assists art- up with three very commend- supported a charity such asists that may have no other valid path able bears. The winner last year’s Brian May ‘Saveinto the long term vocation of teddy was Iveta Rakova. Her Me’ Trust to protect wildbear artistry. This year is no excep- miniature was exquisite animals. This year was thetion and I hope both new and previous in detail. Sculpted eyes, Liberty’s Owl, Raptor andcompetitors will be encouraged to nose and paws. The fabric Reptile Centre, a charitycontinue their efforts. choice was excellent and that runs a sanctuary for the accessories were a well injured owls, birds of prey The organisers of the competi- crafted contribution to the and abandoned reptiles.tion are keen to respect the origins of whole. Jan Aldogan tookthe teddy bear and always include a second with her well acces- Artists were invited to designTraditional Bear Class. This year it was sorised Jester. Third was a very worthy and make an artistic representation ofwon by Amanda Blinko, with her truly bear that may have benefited from an owl, dressed and accessorised withtraditional bear. The fabric choice was more accessories. In a Class that calls the entire proceeds from the Classgood, with air brushed features, good for accessories then they are included donated to the Centre.nose detail and paw pads. He also had in judging. Fabric choice is particularlya growler, popular in traditional bears important in miniatures. I am looking The Class was hotly contested withof yesteryear. for scale. If you scale the whole animal the winning entry finally taking the up, then some fabrics would deliver a International Teddy Bear Artists Award Another Class that is always includ- coat with fur around 60cms long! for Artist of the Year. Very high qualityed is the opportunity for new artists entries were received that were nar-to enter a competition. This year they The Class for a Steam Punk-inspired rowed down to three: Hayley Walker,were asked to make a bear prompted a lot of interest. Gabi Szita from Iceland and Lesleybear from a specified The Winner was Gill Cattroll Sutton. The Winner was Hayley Walker.pattern. Although using whose bear showed excellent This young lady is extremely talentedthe same pattern, the detail throughout. The features in her craftsmanship and quietlyresults produced highly of the face were all finely craft- researches any subject thoroughly.differing bears. The ed and a lot of work went into Her owl showed a lot of the bird’s realwinner was Julie Kemp. the paws. The attributes but did not lack in artis- accessories tic interpretation – exactly what the The ‘Beauty and the were a novel schedule demanded. The clothes andBeast’ Class was won idea and accessories were exquisite in detail,by Lesley Sutton and contributed right down to the berries and roots onthe runner-up was Iveta a lot to the the ivy that entwined the owl’s staff.Rakova from The Czech Hayley makes teddy bears along68 TEDDY BEAR TIMES

AWARDSwith various breeds of dogs and otheranimals. I recall one year seeing avery confident Mandrill Ape gracingthe Competition stage. Hayley alsomakes ‘real life’ human babies. Sheshowed one around four years agoand many people gathered aroundher stand to make sure they were notseeing a real baby. Should any ‘prop’buyers from TV or film companies bereading this, they may find Hayley avery useful contact. The Hampshire Teddy Bear Festi-val always has a real buzz and a veryrelaxed and friendly ambience. Thisyear, Liberty’s sanctuary broughtalong to the fair a Tawny owl and aBarn owl that had been saved follow-ing severe injuries. Both owls are nowunable to be put back in the wild. Thebirds were quite happy to sit with theirhandlers and be stroked by many visi-tors to the fair. Lesley and Andrew of Brewins’Bruins always manage to add that lit-tle extra gem that makes a visit to theshow so worthwhile. Well done!Above left: Traditional Bear 1st AmandaBlinko, Blinko BearsAbove: Lolly Bou CreationsAbove right: “Oakley” by ITBAA Artist of theYear, Hayley Wallker, Little Piggies OriginalsRight: Miniatures Class 2nd Jan Aldogan,Jan’s Tiddy BearsFar right: Steam Punk 1st Gill Cattroll,Bowerbird Bears 69TEDDY BEAR TIMES

DEAR JULIE Taking a little extra time to prepare the pattern pieces before stitching will be well worth it in the endIn this issue I am going to address a ‘ By Julie Shepherd caution and trim a little less than you couple of questions about prepar- think you need to. By doing this you will ing your pattern pieces before you loosen them which could then give a be minimising the amount of pile that begin working on your bear. As with less than perfect finish to the seam. And may get caught in your stitches but willmany things in life, the secret of a good speaking personally, picking pile out of be able to avoid the mistake of cuttingoutcome can lie in the preparation. Time my stitching is one task that I absolutely too much.spent on invisible tasks may seem like loathe, so if I can avoid it by preparingtime wasted but will usually result in a my pattern pieces in advance I would I’m convinced you’ll find that takingmuch better finish. rather spend the time doing that. the time to prepare your pattern pieces will be well worth the effort and the time So I’m going to concentrate on seam I realise that spending time trim- spent doing it will actually save you timepreparation - which I know may sound a ming pile from seam allowances, when in the long run.little boring but believe me, a few extra all you really want to do is get on withmoments spent preparing your fabric the more interesting parts of making a Q I have seen you write about usingcould save a lot of angst later on. bear, is rather tedious but I can’t stress enough that I really do believe it’s worth Fraycheck or something similar on fab-Q I have seen you recommend that pile taking the time. If you are using a fabric rics that have a soft backing and a ten- with a very sparse pile you might get dency to fray. I’ve tried it and I just can’tis trimmed from seam allowances before away without doing it but you will prob- get a neat thin line of it around the edgespattern pieces are sewn together. Is it re- ably still have the problem of pile in the of my pattern pieces. It seems to flowally worth doing? Will it make that much stitches to deal with. And having to do too freely, even if I have it on what I thinkdifference to the finished bear? this has the potential to take longer than is the minimum opening. I end up with trimming the seam allowance in the first great big splodges of it and it can reallyA To give you a simple answer - yes place. spread badly on certain fabrics. What’s going wrong and how do I stop it?and yes. I always, without fail, trim the But even if you do trim the seam al-seam allowance from my pattern pieces. lowances, always look at the seam after A I do know what you mean! FraycheckSkipping this step in the bear making stitching and check there is no fur whichprocess would not be something I per- has become caught up. If there is, there and other fray stopping products usuallysonally would ever consider as most of should be much less of it and it will be so come in a bottle with a nozzle on the topthe fabrics I use have a very dense pile much easier to tease out. The aim is for which can be screwed up and down to- and it’s often quite long too. the seam to be as invisible as possible control the flow of the product. Sounds and by trimming and picking the seams, great in theory but unfortunately in prac- Just going ahead and sewing the piec- you should be able to ensure that all the tice, the experience can be rather lesses together would create a lot of bulk pile is on whichever side of the stitching positive.around the stitch line and the pile would, it belongs.however carefully you sew, inevitably get Having the nozzle in a position ascaught in the seam. This would then have But a word of caution - take great care near to being completely closed asto be teased out so that bristly clumps when trimming the seam allowance to possible will restrict the flow and shoulddidn’t show on the right side of the bear. ensure you don’t trim too much. If you help you to get a very thin line of prod- trim beyond the seam allowance you uct around your cut edges. Teasing the pile out of the stitches can will have created another problem - the trimmed bald areas will show on the But a quick word of warning - if you’re‘ What’s going wrong right side of your bear and make a real going to use Fraycheck, always bear in and how do I stop it? feature of your seams for all the wrong mind that it can react to the ink in some reasons. pens and make it bleed into the fabric so be careful in your choice of pen for It’s much better to err on the side of70 TEDDY BEAR TIMES

Be very careful to only trim the The finished seam should pile from the seam allowance. be virtually invisible.Fraycheck can react badly Pour some Fraycheck into a container.with some inks.Some fabrics seem to soak up Fine glass headed pins areFraycheck causing it to spread. perfect to work with.marking out. I did see one particularly need to complete the fray checking of paring your work for stitching can makeawful example where the product had your pieces in one sitting but I think it a huge difference to how comfortable itcaused the ink to bleed across the entire could be the answer to your problem. is to work with them.seam allowance. I squirt a little of the fray checking so- Pins vary enormously and remember, Of course the best way to avoid this lution onto a small plastic dish (the lid of the longer the pin, the thicker it will be,danger is to cut your pieces out just a pot of cream is perfect) and then I dip so look for something around 25mminside the pen line. If you do this very a cotton bud or glue applicator (used in long.carefully, you should be able to remove paper crafting) into the solution and thenall the ink and therefore the potential for I can carefully apply it to the cut edges of I always use fine glass headed pinsthis to be a problem. my pieces. for two reasons - having the glass head makes removing them so much easier If you still can’t get the Fraycheck to You will find you are completely in as you have something to get hold of andflow slowly and controllably, I do have control of what goes where as you can the narrowness of the shaft means theyanother tip - and I usually do this myself. apply a very small amount at a time. glide through the backing of your fabric.I use a lot of alpaca and the backing on And as an added bonus, the brightlyit can vary enormously. Some has a firm It works for me and so I hope it will coloured glass makes it difficult to losebacking which is a delight to work with work for you too. them.but often it has a very soft backing thatfrays as soon as you look at it. Q This is a really silly question, but is My favourite pin is made by a com- pany called Prym and they are wonder- When making smaller bears, being there a type of pin which is best to use? ful to work with.able to control the flow of Fraycheck I’ve got some and find it really difficultbecomes even more important and as I to push them through the weave of the I’m sure if you track some down you’llgrew tired of wrestling with a bottle that fabric when pinning my pattern pieces find your pin problems are over.just wouldn’t behave, I came up with an together and it pulls things out of shape.alternative method.You will, if you do Are all pins about the same size? Well, that’s all for this issue. But pleasethis, inevitably waste some of the prod- keep your questions coming and I lookuct and once you’ve decanted it, you will A There is no such thing as a silly ques- forward to solving more problems for you next time. tion! The type of pin you use when pre- Until then, happy sewing! 71TEDDY BEAR TIMES

theBEAR DOCTORS+++ +BY AMANDA MIDDLEDITCH JULIE TATCHELL ++ +Darn it! These teddybears are so wrinkly!Drawing on vintage skills for vintage fabrics, acouple of patients required some specialistdarning to make good their repairW e hope you have enjoyed bear, seemingly abandoned on a shelf. It do we mean by darning? your summer as much is quite normal to feel that no harm could It could be a generational thing but as we have enjoyed ours. come to him now; after all, he isn’t being We never seem to slow played with anymore. Unfortunately this we always thought of holes in woolydown much regardless of the season but is exactly the time when a lot of prevent- socks or fine mending of a tear or holecertain signs do dictate what we will be able damage can occur and ‘wrinkles’ in a tablecloth or dress. To darn some-doing next. are one of the warning signs. thing actually means ‘to mend a hole in woven/knitted fabric by interweaving The colour-changing leaves remind us Check your older bears regularly. If yarn with a needle’.that we will soon be back up in Iron- one is sitting with his chin on his chest,bridge with the ladies at Merrythought he will most likely have a wrinkle of fab- We use darning when it is impracticaland that Hugglets is also on the horizon. ric across his body. The bending of the to patch, such as for a very small hole onLet’s hope the warmth and sunshine fabric causes strain on the fibres which which a patch would look wrong. Darnsstretch right on through these inbetwee- are already aged and weakening. If this are rarely invisible and sometimes weny months as they so often do. is the case then it will almost certainly use a combination of both patching and follow that the weight of his head falling darning. Because darning is a dying Mark October 1st in your diary - it forward will be causing the opposite to craft from the era of make-do-and-mend,is the closing date for the competition happen at the back. The fabric will be it fits perfectly with the vintage bears asfeatured on page 60 so please don’t being pulled taught (often across the a method of repair. It is not unusual forforget to send us your entry or you will disc of his neck joint if he has one) and some of the darns we effect to have quitemiss the chance to win one of our very wear will be taking place from inside. an open appearance.special Party Barties 2016! Both these problems are easily recti- The decisions we make on what type With the days starting to get shorter fied without spoiling the appearance of of darning is going to be used dependsand usually quite a lot of rain, October your bear and without, in our opinion, on the age and condition of the patient6th will find us back at The Portsmouth detracting from the value. We would at the time of his assessment and is fullyCity Museum. And so the year rolls on! usually advise the addition of some more discussed with the customer. We have stuffing to fill out the wrinkles and an in- tried to include photos which illustrate In the last issue of TBT, we told you ternal lining of felt between the disc and darns and wrinkles for you as examples.that we would be sharing some of our the fabric to prevent further wear againexperiences of darns and wrinkles.Yes, from the inside. Case studiesteddy bears can have wrinkles too! For those of you who have been fol- Two of our case studies for this issue This subject is very important to us lowing us for some time now, you will include some examples of the use ofbecause it arises frequently and espe- remember that ‘darning’ is a word we darning and the Merrythought Punkin-cially when we work on the older pa- use often in our case studies – but what heads are just a delightful treat for you!tients. There is something quite endear-ing about the sight of a slightly saggy old Our first patient was a 1960’s Dean’s72 TEDDY BEAR TIMES

73TEDDY BEAR TIMES

mohair bear which had several areas THE BEAR DOCTORS will understand, we were absolutelythat required darning. His original paw thrilled not only to have a chance to seepads were made from velvet. His owner pamper we set about making a new these precious little bears but also tohad asked if we could preserve them lining for Pink Monkey out of felt, using be able to work on them, thus ensuringrather that replace or cover them. On the original as a guideline. Once com- their future survival.close examination we felt that by lining pleted and in place, we gave him a newthe paw pad fabric first, we would be moulded nose as close to his original The Punkinhead was made in threeable to repair using the darning method. one as possible and then we re-stuffed sizes and our examples were the twoHe also needed a couple of little darns him using polyester filling. We have a smaller ones: the ten inch and the 16to his muzzle and his nose stitching very large supply of new noses in all dif- inch. The smaller bear was in reasona-needed filling in. ferent shapes and sizes which is always ble condition, needing only two replace- a good thing! ment felt paw pads and a good clean. We started with the darn on his muz- According to his owner, it was quitezle. Matching our thread as closely as The darning that followed was helped common for children to over-brush andpossible to the faded colour he had along by the fact that Pink Monkey now sometimes even cut the top-knot andnow become, we were able to fill the had a realistic form. With the firmness of so it is not surprising that this examplehole. We were then able to replace his his stuffing and the felt lining as a guide was a little thin on top! We advised themissing nose stitches, giving him back it was easier to repair the ladders and customer not to replace the fur and shehis handsome face. We then moved on tears thus returning him to as close to agreed that his baldness added to histo his paws and were able to slide some his original shape as possible. Finally history and character.soft felt underneath the original fabric he received a good brushing and wasand once again darned the hole. The returned to his owner looking very The larger of the two bears neededfelt lining allowed us to stitch into this pleased with himself. new eyes, repairs to his feet, a new pairdelicate fabric without causing it too of shorts and a little tidy to his mouthmuch strain. He was then cleaned and International ‘guests’ stitching. To start with we had to find apampered and ready to go home. pair of clear glass eyes in the right size Our final case study for this issue cov- and then paint the backs to replicate theAreas of weakness ers two very rare (and very naughty) original white-backed eyes he would Merrythought Punkinheads. Sent to us have had. This done, we popped them in Pink Monkey arrived in the post by a customer in Canada, these little place and tidied his mouth stitching.looking somewhat the worse for wear! guys were made by Merrythought forHe was a classic example of lining and one department store only and it was This bear still retained his originaldarning. There were lots of areas of called Eaton’s. At the time, this was card-lined feet but the felt had beenthinning and weakness, and damage Canada’s largest chain store. damaged by moth and his feet werecaused by previous repairs which we bulging, making it impossible for him tohad to remove. The first Punkinheads were designed stand. Loosening a few stitches around by Florence Attwood and were first seen the felt pads at his heel enabled us to Unlike our older patients, in this case in 1949. These bears influenced the reposition the stuffing and he was nowwe emptied and cleaned him before design of the new Cheeky bear which able to stand again.starting to work. After his clean and followed a year later and was available in the UK. Punkinheads continued to be We then covered his footpads with produced for Eatons until 1956. As you matching felt and left the original Mer- rythought label exposed. The last job Those naughty was to make him a new pair of shorts as Punkinheads his original ones had also been dam- were a bad aged by moth. Luckily there was enough influence on us! left for us to be able to make a template Pandas wearing ensuring an exact copy. Both bears were glasses? then cleaned and pampered and soon Whatever next! on their way back to Canada to rejoin their Punkinhead family. Do join us here again for the next is- sue when, amongst others, we will share the story of the panda inside a panda which was inside another panda inside another panda and it was a dog! www.bearitinmind.com Tel: 07867 78779574 TEDDY BEAR TIMES

REAL BEARSNEW HOME FOR ORPHANED BEAR CUBST hree bear cubs have followed their story, am in Europe and Asia are their travel crates to explore rescued from the hugely grateful to the hand- confined in small, barred their new home, and im- terrible floods that ful of dedicated individuals enclosures, persecuted and mediately started to settledevastated Georgia’s capi- who have, at last, succeeded tormented for the bear bile in. Arcturos will give thesetal, Tbilisi, last summer are in giving these orphaned trade or for performance adventurous cubs a greatstarting new lives at a sanc- bears a life worth living.” purposes, or languishing in home.”tuary in the mountains of slum zoos. Please join meNorthern Greece, thanks to Sharing her delight was with Born Free and sup- The three cubs willInternational wildlife charity, The Saturdays’ singer Mol- port our Bear Me In Mind remain at Arcturos and beBorn Free Foundation,. lie King, who made a very Appeal. Our hope is that, give care for the rest of their special visit to Arcturos with with your help, we can help lives. The Greek sanctu- Mollie, Georgia and Born Free last year and bears like Mollie, Georgia ary is also home to BornLouisa were part of a 24 launched an emotional ap- and Louisa and give them a Free’s beautiful brown bearhour rescue operation by peal to help the three bears. chance,” she added. Kyriakos. But they need yourBorn Free with assistance “I am so thrilled that the help. Please donate to helpfrom UK-based dog and cat three beautiful bear cubs The bears touched down Mollie, Georgia and Louisacharity The Mayhew Animal have been rehomed by Born at Thessaloniki airport in if you can - £7.50 will feedHome. The cubs have trav- Free at Arcturos and I was Greece, having left Tbilisi one bear cub for one day.elled more than 1,500 miles so touched and honoured aboard a specially char- £33 will pay for one week’sfrom Tbilisi to Greece and to hear that one of the dear tered flight. They were then vet care and medicines.Youthe world-renowned Arc- little bears is now named transported by road to can also adopt Kyriakos forturos Environmental Centre Mollie! Having travelled to Arcturos where they were just £2.50 per month. Kyri-and Bear Sanctuary. their new home, I know they released into a temporary akos was born in the wild will be treated with kindness quarantine facility in which in 2004 but orphaned at Born Free Foundation and respect and will have a they will stay while their new just four months old. HavingCo-Founder and Trustee, rich, natural environment to and permanent woodland initially been cared for by aVirginia McKenna OBE, was explore and forage and be home is being prepared. shepherd before arriving atoverjoyed to learn of the happy in. Arcturos, his familiarity withcubs’ safe arrival at Arc- Born Free’s Senior Veteri- humans makes him unableturos. She said: “This rescue, “It fills me with horror nary Consultant, John Knight to be safely released backperhaps more than any to think that so many bears BVetMed MRCVS, said: into the wild.other we have undertaken in “Georgia, Mollie and Louisarecent years, demonstrates had a safe and comfort- For more informationjust how difficult, time-con- able journey. They travelled about donating or to followsuming and challenging it is very well, snoozing through Mollie, Georgia and Louisa’sto successfully move ani- much of their journey whilst new life and meet some ofmals in desperate need to enjoying regular drinks and Born Free’s other rescueda life-time care sanctuary. I, snacks en route. On arrival, animals, including Kyriakos,along with the millions who they came straight out of visit www.bornfree.org.uk 75TEDDY BEAR TIMES

DAIARRTYISAOTNF The doppelganger: Andy is alarmed to discover that he appears to be in two places at once!I suppose that it all BY ANDY WEST, OF WESTIE BEARS started when my good friend and customer and you didn’t want me to up”. independent business butSandra came up to me at see you.” I think she then winked has a certain way witha show I was attending a chocolate brownies.few weeks ago. How can This is an interesting at me, although she mightI explain Sandra? For a theory but even at first have caught the sun in Over the next few weeksstart, she thinks of herself glance I can identify her eye. In any event, she I was spotted at our oldas rather a character. When several basic flaws in her left and I thought no more hardware shop, walking ashe takes on the heavy argument: about fancy women or poodle by the river, gettingburden of being a party’s frozen veg. out of a Land Rover andlife and soul, you can see I do NOT have a fancy eating a Ginsters sausagepeople looking over her woman. Most fancy women Two days later, it roll outside the town hallshoulder with a haunted draw the line at someone happened again. I was (incidentally, what sort oflook in their eyes and of my age and indeed my wandering around a well- friend remembers whathope that someone will weight and my wheels! And known chain of craft shops brand of hot snack yourescue them. Yup, that’s our it’s a line that’s so far away, wondering if mini bears were eating!?!).Sandra! I could only see it with the wear high heels with glitter aid of a powerful telescope! on them (like you do!) There is only one Sandra had spotted when Jackie, who used explanation: somebody outwhere I was going through If I did have a fancy to work in the local craft there is pretending to bemy Facebook page and woman, I wouldn’t arrange shop tapped me on the me.came to tell me the exciting to meet her in the frozen shoulder.news. vegetable aisle, maybe the All right there are two biscuit and sweet aisle yes; “I spotted you coming explanations. “I saw you in Sainsbury’s veg - no! out of Costa the other day”in Worthing yesterday,” she she said. “You didn’t seem Either somebody issaid. That was the news. “Are you sure it was to see me. I was about to impersonating me or“But you dodged round me?” I said “You see I was come over and say hello somebody looks very muchthe back of the frozen nowhere near Sainsbury’s but you rushed off towards like me and has recentlyvegetables before I could or Worthing yesterday. the car park and, to be moved into the area.say hello. You were trying I haven’t been there forto give me the slip, weren’t weeks!” honest, I was in a bit HID was not exactlyyou?” of a hurry myself.” sympathetic on hearing my “There!” theory. “Oh no” she said, “Not at all Sandra. said Sandra It was the frozen glancing up from AngryAlways happy to chat.” clapping veg all over again. Birds game. “Not two of her hands in I have nothing you.” “I know what it was”, triumph. “I was against Costa butshe continued. “You were right; you were I suppose the sensiblemeeting your fancy woman waiting for your I take my coffee thing to do would have fancy woman at the little place been to laugh off these and now you’re just off the high incidents and to remark trying to cover it street, which solemnly about the rich is not only an tapestry of life. After all, it’s*= Her Indoors76 T E D D Y B E A R T I M E S

not unusual for a person to I headed back to the car is out of my system it’s back Westie bears tip:be mistaken for somebody park. to my more wacky designs To make little hatselse. (That evening I was (many with a naughty twist!)mistaken for Tom Cruse, And then, Miss Marple, it for your bears soakfor example, although happened. Just as I left the Tuesday: How wacky some felt in a solutionthere is a strong possibility store, a complete stranger can I go..? I have a design of water and UPV gluethat I might have been with a toddler waved at me. in my head for a range of then mould into shapedreaming.) “Hello” she said. “Will you fur ball bears; tiny bears and leave to dry… be there on Saturday?” made from a longer decorate then add to However doing the pile mohair. So into the your bear to keep themsensible thing was never “Erm” I said. workshop I go and empty cool in the hot weather.fun. So I went to Worthing She reached into her my trunks of mohair toSainsburys and lurked in pocket and produced a pair get inspiration. The only Big bear hugs to youthe frozen veg aisle, just of glasses. “I’m so sorry; problem is, Lily the cat all Andy, HID and Lilyon the off chance that most without my glasses, you decides to help. Mohair the cat xxpeople do their shopping look exactly like a friend of goes flying all over theon the same day of the my granddad’s!” (She could room and if I want a piece Friday: Britishweek. have said her teenage son that she wants, it’s a real astronaut in space, well but, grandad!!) battle of wills. But I have to that’s inspiration…what I know my place at Before she could say any say Lily always wins! would a Martian bearTeddy Bear Times. My job more, the toddler escaped look like? Multi coloured,here is to be of good cheer and started to run off with Wednesday: HID and star spangled bears oneand to bring a smile to your his mother in hot pursuit… I deliver some bears to thinks…so if you visitface. However, we can still As for Westie bears we a shop in Arundel, West Hugglets and the Westieslearn a few home truths need more hours in the day, Sussex. This shop is in an are not there, look up toabout life along the way. more days in the week and old church building in the the sky and you may see a more months in the year:- shadow of Arundel castle; Westie Bear flying saucer! Well I have learnt that Monday: Just recently lovely!a man in a wheelchair I have been in an The Weekend: Whycannot sit/lurk in the frozen experimental mode wanting Thursday: A customer in do weekends go so fast!?!veg aisle of a popular to make some more Canada has commissioned Usually a lovely bear orsupermarket for more than traditional type mini bears a red, white and blue bear craft show to attend and10 minutes without feeling a in the style of the German to celebrate the Queens talk about beary things.proper chump. manufacturers; these are 90th birthday (happy One of my customers has the bears I love to collect. birthday M’am). My design knitted me a lovely blanket, It soon occurred to me So (or should I say sew) I is not only red, white and although Lily the darn catthat this was a really, really have designed and created blue but has Union Jack has stolen it as her bestsilly idea and that you can a more traditional style bear paw pads. I think her place to sleep.get frost bite sitting next to - or two or three; Now that majesty should give me anthe frozen cabinet! OBE (Old Bear Enjoyer!) So feeling a little foolish, T E D D Y B E A R T I M E S 77

KNITTING PATTERNCute collars to knit &A collar can be the perfect accessory for a bear, either worn on its own or around the neck of a dress or jacket BY JILL MUNDYPlease note: Sizes and stitches used last st from row below. Sl st into large crochet hook with the pattern abovethroughout are UK/metric. Conversion 2ch space; work 3 x tr into space be- may increase the size sufficiently with-charts for US/imperial sizes etc can tween next two trebles. Repeat to last sl out having to add more stitcheseasily be found with an online search st then work 2 x tr into last space. Turn. Summer berry smoothieClassic crocheted cream Row 5: Work 5 x ch then join to top of middle tr with a sl st. Repeat to end, With size 2.5mm needles, cast on Make 41 chain (this should fit nicely joining to last tr of row below with a sl 55 stsaround your bear’s neck but you might st. Turnneed a few more stitches or a few less. Row 1: KTry to keep to an odd number) Row 6: Work 7 x dc over chain of 5 Row 2: P sts; sl st into sl st of row below. Repeat Change to size 2.75mm needles Row 1: Insert hook into 3rd chain to end, joining last dc to top st of last tr Row 3: Kfrom hook. Work 1dc into every stitch on row below with sl st. Cut thread and Row 4: Pof chain to end. Make 3 ch. Turn pull through ch to finish off. Row 5: P Row 6: P Row 2: Work 1 x tr into each space Sew in ends and press lightly. Row 7: (K 3, M1). Repeat to last 4 sts;between stitches. Make 3 chain. Turn Attach a length of ribbon to each K 4 (72sts) end of neck edge and tie in a bow Row 8: P Row 3: Work 1 x tr into first stitch of around your bear’s neck Change to size 3.35mm needlesthree chain; Miss next ch space and OR attach a small button to one side Row 9: Kwork 2 x tr into next ch space; make of neck edge and make a small loop in Row 10: P2 chain. Repeat to end, working 2 x tr ch st or ribbon on other side to fasten. Row 11: Kinto top st of ch at end of row below. For a slightly larger bear, using Row 12: (K6, M1) Repeat toTurn double knitting yarn and a size 4mm Row 4: Work 1 x tr into same st as Abbreviations Materials ch: chain Classic crocheted cream: st: stitch ■ 2.5mm crochet hook sl st: slip stitch ■ Small ball of 4ply yarn dc: double crochet ■ Half a metre of matching ribbon tr: treble crochet ■ OR small button K: knit P: purl Summer berry smoothie: ■ I ball 4 ply or sock yarn78 TEDDY BEAR TIMES ■ 1 pair size 2.5mm, 2.75mm and 3.25mm knitting needles ■ 1 x 3.75mm needle ■ Button or ribbon To fit 10 inch bear approx.

crochet last 6 sts; K6 (83sts) Row 13: P Row 14: (K2, M1) Repeat to last 3 sts; K3 Row 15: Cats off using size 3.75mm needle Sew in ends and press gently. Attach button and loop or ribbons to fasten “Use brightly coloured yarn for a more contemporary look or creams and neutral shades for a vintage feel.” 79TEDDY BEAR TIMES

COLLECTOR’S CORNERCollecting with For Teddy Bear Times’ first Collector’s Corner, we take a look into the life and collection of avid USA collector, Mark Allen BY LAUREN NIELSEN ark Allen collects with his His collection includes a broad and the ‘Teddy Rabbitpelt’ bear that range of bears. “It’s really just what- Carol Stewart patterned after TeddyM heart. An avid collector, Mark ever appeals to me,” he admitted. Roosevelt. discovered artist and col- “Like most collectors, I have a lot of lectable teddy bears ‘strictly Steiff Bears. I’ve always been drawn to “You get a special feeling whenby accident’. He said: “My girlfriend Hermann Teddy Original Bears and you can discuss a concept with anand I were vacationing in San Diego several early Canterbury Bears adorn artist and then have them createand she surprised me with an Avanti my collection, too.” something specifically for you,” heteddy bear as a gift. That was all it told us.took to open the floodgates. I’ve still Mark also collects from a widegot that first teddy bear too - but that variety of artists with several unique Out of 400-500 bears, it is obvious-particular girlfriend is long gone.” and interesting pieces. Some of his ly a tough choice to pick a favourite favourites have come from Pamela but Mark’s is “probably ‘Royal Lady’ Beginning his collection in 1985, Wooley, Beverly Port, Michele Brown by Maude Blackburn of Canterburya time when the ‘teddy bear artist and Bev White. “I probably don’t have Bears.”movement’ was hitting its stride, Mark as many antique and vintage bears ashas been collecting bears non-stop I would like but that focus will change Unfortunately, Mark’s current livingsince then. in the future.” situation doesn’t allow him to display his collection but “the bears are in Now, Mark’s collection reaches Every collection has a few nota- a climate-controlled storage envi-somewhere between 400 and 500 ble bears and Mark’s is no different. ronment” and he does “keep a fewbears. “I keep saying I’m going to “Over the years, I’ve commissioned around the house just to stay moti-count, catalogue and inventory the several artists to create bears specifi- vated.entire lot but I never seem to get cally for me. Many of these customaround to finishing the effort. If you bears have a special place in my col- “I get most of my bears fromknow someone that can help me de- lection. Pieces like the ‘Lord Stanley’ shows, auctions and retail stores,”sign and code a smartphone app that ice hockey bears that John Black- Mark told us. “I will buy secondarywould simplify the process, I would burn of Canterbury Bears designed market items online but only whenbe most appreciative!” he laughed. I’m looking for something specific. I haven’t warmed up to general online80 TEDDY BEAR TIMES

COLLECTOR’S CORNERheartsales for new bears yet but I suppose pecially admires is pianist and violin-I’ll eventually get there.” ist, Jena Pang. “He appears extremely dedicated to his collection and by all He recommends that all those just accounts has some really nice bears.starting out do what he did when he I’ve never met him personally,” Markstarted out collecting bears - Mark said, “but he seems to understandcollected bears with his heart. “Buy the concept that we are dealing withwhat you like and what makes you pieces of art and not just stuffed toys.”happy,” he said. “If you’re collectingas an investment, you’re going to be Mark has advice to other collec-disappointed…and poor.” tors in the industry. “As a collector, don’t be afraid to voice your opinion. What Mark loves most about col- Speak up and get involved with somelecting teddy bears is simply the aspect of the industry. Collectingpeople: “It’s going to sound like teddy bears is the greatest hobby ina cliché but it comes down to the the world and we all should be dedi-people. Everyone in the industry is cated to improving and advancingso friendly and accommodating. I’ve the industry. Have fun! Let’s enjoy andnever been around a group of people appreciate the fine art of collectingquite like this. Don’t get me wrong - I teddy bears!”love the travel, the thrill of collectingand getting those special pieces, the THE BEAR FACTS:excitement and chaos of the collec-tor conventions and events, etc. But Mark Allenit always seems to come back to the email: [email protected] and character of the people in twitter: @1_TeddyBearthe industry.” call: 714-272-3337 from: USA One fellow collector who Mark es- 81TEDDY BEAR TIMES

LATSHTEWBEOARRDY If you think you’re having a Bad Bear Day, Christine Pike says you’re not aloneH as this ever happened to you? of time, especially when taking on com- You are racing against the clock missions. If you are making an edition of to get a bear finished and you bears, check with your supplier that thehave just enough mohair to squeeze mohair you are using is regularly in stockout all the pattern pieces.You have cut, and order well ahead of time; nothingpinned and stitched into the small hours is more frustrating than to get partwayand are now ready to assemble your through an order only to discover thatcreation when - disaster! You suddenly your fur has been discontinued.realise that you have cut out two left arms!You have no more fur, it’s the middle of With the right attitude, however, eventhe night and you promised faithfully that the worst BBD can be turned into a posi-this bear would be ready by the morn- tive experience. We learn more from ouring…yes folks, you are definitely having a mistakes than from our successes and,BBD - Bad Bear Day. while failure is an uncomfortable sensa- tion, often it is only a change in perception It happens to the best of artists. I can’t that is needed. So your latest bear didn’treveal my sources but I have heard tales turn out quite as you had imagined?of eyes which have popped out and Somebody will still love him and you canpinged across a shop floor just as a col- work out how to get closer to your ‘vision’lector picked up a bear; one miniatur- next time.ist who actually forgot to put any eyesin at all; and bears whose stitching has Have you been struggling with a newcome unravelled in the middle of a show, pattern and just can’t seem to make itspilling pellets and stuffing in a horribly work? Maybe it’s time to step back andpublic and embarrassing fashion. Shows go do something entirely different.Yourcan be a minefield for disasters! creative brain cells will still be working on the problem and you can come back to it Many BBDs happen when we are refreshed and with a clearer idea of howstressed and rushed off our feet so it to resolve it.is vital to try to stay calm, even when adeadline is hurtling towards you. I recom- So remember, you may think you aremend packing for a show several days in having your worst Bad Bear Day ever but itadvance and writing a checklist of vital might just have a really positive outcome.equipment so that nothing gets missed. And if you accidentally sew two left legs or run out of supplies at a crucial moment or Speed bear making is never a good forget to take your stand equipment to aidea and you should give yourself plenty show - we’ve all been there too!‘Nothing is more frustrating than to get partway through an order only to discover that your fur has been discontinued.’82 TEDDY BEAR TIMES

YOURFREEDIGITALTEDDYLIBRARYSubscribe to Teddy Bear Times and have six teddytimbees arCOLLECTABLEBEARSANDOTHERFURRYFRIENDSfree pattern insidegorgeous issues of the world’s favourite teddybear magazine delivered direct to your door. £5.99 JUNE/JULY 2016 ■ ISSUE 223Plus, we’ll give you access to the TBT digitallibrary completely free, saving you over £29 www.teddybeartimes.com($48). It gives you the best of both worlds at onebear bargain price - you can enjoy the fabulous ■ All the top bear writers LACE,RIBBONS&BOWSfeel of the new-look print magazine while ■ Old bears to collectreading all the available back issues of TBT on ■ Knitting patternyour computer in the iMag library. Pastpatterns and features will all be at your finger- FFAabCulEouSstips to enjoy and print out. So subscribe today, MEET THE ARTIST:and take advantage of this beary special offer. BEREGUOD BEARS 06 issue 223 9 771759 908046 >■ Subscribe online at www.teddybeartimes.com■ r call the o ce calls are free in the U■ utsi e the U call U orONE YEAR MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION (6 ISSUES) £41.99 (UK) $74.99 US . OVERSEAS PRICES WILL BE AMENDED TO LOCAL CURRENCYteddytimbees arQUESTIONS?EMAIL:[email protected]