Greetings to
Everyone: Cy Bear back again.
Goodness me, another week has flown by and Isobel has not yet got down to posting here. So, I've given her a severe reminder, and she's allowing me to choose three more of my recently renewed COLDHAMCUDDLIES friends to be the subject of today's chat with you all.
As the choice is mine, I decided to have a Black and White theme today, beginning with the Wombat Hotwater Bottle Cover. Now, I know they are strictly not Toys, but they are based on a Badger pattern we have in our files. (That reminds me, I must ask Isobel when she's going to make a Badger - she keeps telling me that she has plenty of suitable faux fur fabric in her store cupboard.) However, back to Winston Wombat and his friend, who presently doesn't have a name (and between you and me, I'm not sure which one in this picture is Winston, and which one isn't!).
Isobel calls them our "Three in One" Cuddlies - because not only are they a Hotwater Bottle Cover (their tails are where the bottle head fits when the bottles have been filled), but they can be Bed Decor ( presume that means they can sit on pillows like they are shown here?).
Both of them are stuffed with their own pillows - all filled with the polyester fibre used to stuff all us Cuddlies. (It meets all international safety standards, by the way). Then, the third way they can be used are as Pyjama or Nightdress Cases. They are lovely and soft to touch and have plastic eyes fixed with metal safety washers. Their noses are made with black felt, into which Isobel has put some stuffing - just to make them look more like noses, rather than a black patch on the front of their heads.
Then I'd like to introduce you to Panda Bear - who is a great friend of mine. His legs are made to move, but the rest of him doesn't and he's a bit smaller than me.
Panda is made with Black and White Plush, and his eyes have black felt backings held in place (as well as stitched in place) with brown plastic eyes fixed with metal safety washers. Isobel embroidered his claws with white embroidery yarn and his nose has been sewn with black double knitting wool. I'm told that Coldham Pandas have found homes in Saudi Arabia and Missouri, U.S.A for starters: wonder where they will turn up next?
While on the subject of Pandas, Isobel has just renewed some of our Glove Puppets, and taken their pictures among the flower beds here at The Hospital of St. John. Here is a photograph of the remaining one in our shop (https://www.COLDHAMCUDDLIES.Etsy.com.) - his partner in crime having gone to his Forever Home in Australia just before Christmas last year.
This time around, though, Panda Glove Puppet has blue eyes - which I think suit him rather well. Perhaps Isobel was running a bit low on the usual brown ones she uses for the Pandas and other Bears. Then, before I forget - and to demonstrate the versatility of the Pandas, they can also become Golf Club Covers - as shown here.
Finally, still on a Black and White theme - here are the Coldham Kittens.
They came into the Coldham Family via the Stuffed Animal Restoration Clinic (Etsy Listing #79124185) when the original Kitten was a Patient about two years' ago. That Toy had spent most of the past 40 or so years in a Toy Box kept in Alan's childhood home and had been made originally by his sister - who is a very clever designer of something called Lingerie. (You'll know what that is: I'm afraid I don't).
Anyway, White Kitten arrived looking somewhat dusty and in need of a good bath. So, Isobel took him to pieces, gave him a luke-warm bath - part of our usual therapy for Animal Toys that need some tender loving care - and then made a template from the pieces before sewing him back together again. He was then stuffed and sent back to live with Alan's Mother in Nottinghamshire. (Isobel saw him when she was last in Kirkby the week before last, as the Toy Box has now been moved to a new home, and Clare and Alan now live in his childhood one).
These little Kittens were made some months later, and this latest photograph shows them basking in the sunshine on one of the many stone walls that divide our garden - and incidentally, make very useful places for Isobel to use as photographic bases and/or backgrounds. Both have been made with the same Black and White Plush fabric as the Pandas and are stuffed with the same polyester fibre mentioned earlier.
Isobel, apart from helping me with this post, has been very busy catching up with Shop activities, making Treasuries and sewing Coyotes - one of whom is due to leave us at the end of this coming week to find his Forever Home in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA. He's destined to become a Companion Toy for a lady's mother, who is celebrating a significant birthday in the middle of July.
This shows that Coldham Cuddlies don't just have to be Toys for Little People. We pride ourselves on being Companions for People of all ages.
I'll end now: hoping everyone is well and having good summery weather. We keep seeing the sun for short intervals here, and then it disappears behind thick clouds. So far, we've not had too much rain, but it has meant Isobel has not been able to do any more photoshoots - not that she's had the time for that just recently!
Good night. God Bless - and see you all soon, hopefully!
Your friend - Cy Bear
