Here are some pictures of the tacking process, ready for the proper "building of Ed Ted" to begin:
Isobel used red cotton yarn to tack the pieces together, so it would be easy to remove once the bits were assembled together.
All pieces having been cut out and tacked onto their corresponding original bits of Ed Ted, Isobel decided to begin work on his head. This she hand-sewed, as it's such a business getting out the machine, and she can make sure that everything gets sewn in better that way. Some of Ed Ted's original body that we could save was smaller than it's corresponding side, especially in the case of his head, so it was better for hand-sewing to be carried out. To make sure that all the bits stayed tight, Isobel hand tacked the loose bits before stuffing began.
Isobel then spent quite a long time before getting on with the next bit - putting in his eyes. Now, these are Ed Ted's original ones, and we felt it was important to try and get them as near as possible to the same location on the new head, as they were on the original one (which is, of course, under the new fur). Its terribly easy, I imagine to get the eyes wrong, and then the whole facial features won't look right. However, after tidying up boxes of toys joints - a job Isobel has been putting off ever since she was given them by an elderly lady next door who used to make Bears until her fingers gave out - she took a deep breath, switched on her digital camera so that she could look at Ed Ted's original photograph (the one with all the bandages on) and made the necessary holes in either side of his face. (To see what I mean, please refer to our earlier post at www.ColdhamCuddliescalling.blogspot.com/07/25/2011/First Bulletin on Ed Ted's treatment)
After a bit of a struggle - we're sewing through three layers of material on each piece now - a small hole was made and Isobel managed to "persuade" the wire loops on which the glass eyes are fixed, through. She then made sure they were firmly fixed on the wrong side of the head. She threaded strong cotton (strong enough for sewing jeans) through each wire loop, then once they penetrated the material layers, she individually wrapped threads round each loop and tied the two pieces of yarn together, very firmly. Hopefully, Ed Ted will not undergo quite the same treatment in future as he has undergone heretofore! Then the head was stuffed and it now resides on the ironing board (which is where most of the recent photography sessions have been based) ready for the ears to be sewn on and the facial features to be embroidered on. We've used one of the bigger joints for the head, which hopefully will mean that it won't wobble when fixed to the body.
(When Isobel made me, she had not sorted the joints out - so she used some she had in for the smaller toys and bears. So, my head initially was very wobbly - which is why she sewed it onto my body - rather than having a swivelling one! Now I'm used to it, I think prefer it!)
However - the facial features are better left until the head is fixed onto the body - and that only happens once all the limbs are sewn up and stuffed. That's the next stage, and as we are off to the seaside tomorrow for the day, it may be a couple of days before we're in a position to show you how things are progressing.
Meanwhile, listing on the Groove Press site is almost finished and then Isobel will be activating all the Cuddlies family. It will be interesting to see what, if any, reaction there is to their appearance on the new shop site.
I'll end now .... hope everyone reading this blog is enjoying the suspense of Ed Ted's emergence as much as I am watching it! Cy Bear
