Treatment offered Teddy Bear Thornton - Part Two.

Very Happy Mothering Sunday wishes are sent to all Mums and Grandmothers who may be reading this story today (oh, and everyone Else too!).  That's what Mother's Day is called here in the UK, and it's always celebrated on the Fourth Sunday of Lent.  In some churches all the children at the main Sunday service are still given small bunches of flowers (usually daffodils - and when they used to be wild in the UK, primroses), which they then give to their Mothers.  Some churches still do have that lovely ceremony, I'm told:  but being a Beaver Lamb Bear, I've never attended one myself.  Do like the idea, though - so I hope it will continue (and prosper) in the years to come.

Now, back to the story of Teddy Bear Thornton (TBT for convenience here) and his treatment in the Coldham Cuddlies Animal Toy Hospital - https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/670854959/dinosaur-toys-rejuvenated-animal-toy?ref=shop_home_active_1  When the mohair fabric arrived from Isobel's supplier, TBT and I inspected it with interest.

The furry blanket on which TBT and I are sitting happens to match  TBT's paw covering well, doesn't it?

We think it was a pretty good match, given the passage of time, adventures and other events, including life in an attic for an indeterminate period, that TBT had survived.  Also the fact is that dyes and fabric manufacturing has changed over the several decades we're talking about.  (When matching mohair for repair purposes, it's actually the backing fabric into which the mohair is attached that is used to get the results being sought - not the outside furry bits).

All the pieces having soaked in lukewarm soapy water, they looked like this after their second rinse

Meanwhile, TBT's individual pieces - or those that were usable anyway - having been washed, dried and pressed flat were used by Isobel to create templates so that the new body could be cut out.

You can see the cardboard template pieces on the right from which TBT began to emerge

Here were all the pieces that were required for Isobel to put TBT back together. (The smaller pieces are the original, rescued bits, together with its' matching new one). He actually had more bits than she is used to having when making a Coldham Cuddlies Bear these days, but once she had worked out exactly how they fitted together, sewing began - and proceeded quite quickly, once all the original pieces had been matched and tacked together.

TBT's new head/face, waiting for his original eyes to be fitted

Where possible, Isobel actually sews each original piece to its matching component in the new version (with the wrong sides together - furry side on the inside of the finished toy).  It means the original Teddy Bear still "exists", even if it can't be seen - and it also reduces the need for too much extra stuffing.  Many Teddy Bear owners are also much happier thinking that their old friend is still with them (rather than consigned to general waste) - and actually results in a slightly larger Toy in the long run because the new version's seams have to be that much bigger.  So, more Teddy Bear to hug eventually!

Above New Legs and Body ready for stuffing:  Arms and Head in lower row

The pads were created using a mock leather fabric Isobel uses for just such a purpose - and it can also be used when she's making Owls' beaks, and other bird claws and such like when creating new Cuddlies for our shop  (https://www.etsy.com/shop/coldhamcuddlies)

TBT coming to life - the mouth is almost exactly where it showed on his original pieces.  

Inspecting TBT on arrival, we noticed that he'd come with signs of having a brown woollen embroidered nose and other facial features  - but as most Bears usually have black ones, Isobel decided to give him the latter colour.  We used his particularly well kept eyes.  His ears, having been cut off to be used in the matching process, Isobel provided a completely new pair, without using the original ones - which had shown more wear than the rest of TBT's original body pieces.  (Ears often do get used to "haul" teddies around by their devoted owners!  Not that I'm saying that actually happened to TBT, you understand!). 

All that was required then was to "build" the new look TBT - ready to be sent to MrsAT in time for planned the Christmas 2018 hand over.

I'll show you the finished article next time around, as well as some lovely photos sent when TBT and his Forever Friend, MsAT met on Christmas Day.  Meanwhile, do hope everyone has a terrific week - whatever you are planning to do.  See you all then!

Your Friend, Cy Bear

News from the Coldham Animal Toy Hospital

Hello Everyone from your Friend, Cy Bear.

Once again, thanks to a mixture of technical issues (solved for time being, seemingly - fingers tightly crossed!) and off line matters needing Isobel's attention (both at home and elsewhere), blogging has had to take second place.  However, today, we're hoping to once more start a regular routine - until the next "issue" takes over!!

Since we moved to Nottinghamshire in 2014, the services of our Animal Toy Hospital haven't proved that popular.  We did try a spell of advertising on a countrywide advertising platform, but didn't get any response.  After a time lapse though, we received unexpected enquiries from several different sources, and we have three recent patients in the Animal Toy Hospital to tell you about, so let's first introduce you to a magnificent Teddy Bear who arrived with us in November last year.

He didn't actually have a name when he arrived, was well into his sixties in age, and belonged to a lady, MrsAT who hadn't realised he was still "alive".  Her sister was involved in downsizing her home, and when clearing her attic came across the Bear - which both ladies thought had been thrown away long ago.  (Different versions of this account are such a familiar story in the Teddy Bear world, by the way!).  MrsAT had been given him by her Grandfather, and she decided she'd like to give her Grand Daughter MsAT (she's at University, rather than being a "little girl", which is why I'm calling her this) this Bear -  renovated - as a Christmas present.  MsAT, who apparently likes vintage/old things, was over the moon at the idea, so MrsAT  - having found our Animal Hospital via Google, asked Isobel to have a go.  

From the "get-go", it was obvious that TBT (Teddy BearT) had been a much loved Bear, as you can see from these photographs:

Isobel promised to give him back looking as nearly as he might have done at the beginning of his life - but as everyone knows, she cannot duplicate new toys exactly, and restoring someone back to his youth when one is quite a lot older (especially without photographs) can be an additional challenge.  One thing that was agreed on from the start though, was that TBT's eyes would be used in his new look.  As there was just a faint trace of his original mouth left on his face, Isobel said she would try to copy that as well.  How we did, we will show you later.

TBT travelled by post from Rotherham, South Yorkshire (which is not too far away from us here in Nottinghamshire) and he just fitted in nicely to the box you see him in.  That was kept for him to travel back in, together with the packaging which you can also see.  TBT's treatment took the usual format - beginning with Isobel unpicking the seams that made him in the first place.  (The pink paw pads were obviously an addition to his original ones, which were actually red baize ones from what we could see - unless, those too, had been a replacement for the more usual brown pads that Bears of this age usually have).  

Why do we think this?  Isobel suspects that TBT could well have had some past trauma (such as being involved in wartime bomb damage perhaps, and was restored so MrsAT could continue to love him).  That scenario could well explain the mixture of stuffing (using anything/everything available at a time of wartime shortages) with which we found him when we were carrying out the restoration project.  MrsAT was unable to substantiate that thought:  so we will never know, nor do we really need to.

Parts of the original mohair covering was pretty thin by now, so it was difficult at times to keep it in one piece.  However, Isobel managed to do it sufficiently to save the necessary pieces for use in the restoration process.  Here are some of the stages BEFORE his original pieces were given a luke-warm soapy bath, rinsed and then left to dry naturally.

Beginning with the head: his nose had wood chip stuffing, plus an unknown woolly stuffing for the rest of it.

The cotter pin holding his head to his body was massive

TBT's stuffing:  again, unusual and we think indicating a previous treatment process(es), including the red paw pads

Washed pieces drying, before a template for TBT 2018 was created

While this process was going on, Isobel had taken one of TBT's ears, and sent it to our Mohair Bear fabric suppliers, who came back with the best match he could find - given the time lag between his original arrival in MrsAT's family and 2018.  (We learned that our supplier was assisted in this process by another professional animal toy restorer- just happened to be in the shop at the time Isobel asked for help, so we know we couldn't have done better! They got a letter of thanks for their help, needless to say!)   Isobel discussed it with MrsAT who agreed that construction of the new look TBT could go ahead.

I'll tell you all about that process the next time we get together.  Hopefully that will be next week:  in the meantime, have a great week Everybody - and here's to the next time!

Your Friend, 

Cy Bear.

Despite Technical Glitches, Bears Galore - This Time not All of the Clerical Variety

Hello again Folks!

Cy Bear back again - and so pleased to be too.  Thought I'd begin by showing you this:  the beginning of a new look for Coldham Cuddlies.

Currently, this is only visible at the head of our Shop Page - and is the result of wonderful help provided by one of Isobel's Etsy friends and a Leader in one of the Teams of which Isobel is a member. We've retained the original Orange, Green and White of our corporate colours (if you can call us "corporate"!!).   Our friend has always been there for Isobel when she gets into Team technical difficulties (rather more frequently than Isobel likes, really!).

We've had the banner you can see at the head of this post since the early days of ColdhamCuddlies in 2010 (provided, then as well, by a kind fellow Etsian - because we wouldn't have known where to begin!) and Isobel decided that the arrival of 2019 was perhaps a good time for a change of "look"!  We plan using a version of the new banner here soon - when we're sure that technical glitches are over - and also with our business cards.  But we've got a large number of those with our existing design to hand out, so that will have to wait for a bit.

Sorry we were missing last week, but yet again, a technical glitch caused Isobel to be temporarily deprived of access to the laptop.  She has, however, been getting better acquainted with her smartphone (about time, I would say - given that she's had one since it was acquired in November 2017 - in time for the Winter Christmas Bazaar at Thoresby Hall!).  That's happened, because she's found some books that explain exactly how to use a smartphone, and they've really helped her!  That did enable her to keep abreast of some developments in our Shop, even though all is not well there, either.  The listing pages for the Shop are subject to hiccups (caused since technical changes by Etsy itself - the platform from which all the Coldham Cuddlies' activities are launched)  Everyone involved with Etsy.com have been affected in one way or another, and it's taking time for us to all get used to the new changes.

As regular readers of this blog will know, we do make Bears that are bigger than the recently introduced Clerical Bears, and in recent months, we've made three of our Big Plush/Faux Fur Bears - as well as having a couple of  Patients staying in our Stuffed Animal Hospital -https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/670854959/  (that's another story, though!).  We have also been asked to make an Elizabethan Bear (see photograph below), using the Clerical Bear pattern as a base.

This was the result of  an order from our good friend, MsKA - who asked Isobel to make seven versions of my good friend, Oscar Blue Rabbit early last year (2018).

One of the Oscar Rabbits - under construction

Then one of  Isobel's Friends from St. Barnabas Cathedral - and a long time family friend of  the family -  asked us to provide two plush Teddy Bears for young friends of hers who were leaving the UK to live with their parents in Papua New Guinea.  This she did, and here is a photograph of the two of them before they left us to meet their Forever Friends.

Finally (for this week, anyway), yesterday, Isobel was able to hand over the most recently created Coldham Cuddlies Bear - who is actually the 15th version of our Hairy Bear:

It looks as though this Bear is going to become a Lady Bear - which is a somewhat unusual outcome for us Coldham Cuddlies!  She is possibly going to be named  "Izy" - according to MrsGW, who has become a friend of Isobel over recent months, while both of them attended the weekly session of one of the local Slimming World groups.  She loved a farewell photo she was shown, before the 14th Hairy Bear left us - just before Christmas 2018 to live somewhere in Leicestershire, UK.   Izy was handed over yesterday (and is due to join a seemingly large collection of Teddy Bears).  With that outcome, I'll end this week's post.

Getting Acquainted

We're gradually catching up with the events of the last few months when this blog was temporarily off line.  But there are still a few more items to tell you about, and I hope to be back again next week - provided there are no further technical hitches!

Until then, have a great week, Everyone!

Your Friend, Cy Bear.