Introduction of New Sister Bears: and Catching Up on a Recent Patient

Hello again Everyone! Cy Bear signing in once more.

My word, but this week has flown by:  but it's good to be back again, and starting off this week's post with the promised photographs sent to us showing Benjie Bear (a.k.a. Teddy Bear Thornton, when he was a patient with us before Christmas last year).  These were taken after he'd met his Forever Friend (from the current generation of the Thornton Family) MsAT,  What is rather nice is that MsAT has created a biography-to-date, which sums up where Benjie's life is now:

On his new seat when at home with MsAT

Sporting his newly provided warm scarf

Sitting on a carpet shortly after meeting his new Friends

I'm now going to include Benjie's Story up till now, but you know the thing that caught my eye?  That is that he's already a centenarian!  He's now 104 years old!!  Isn't that great?  

This is Isobel's main reason for loving restoring toys for use by future generations!  Thanks a million to the Thornton Family for both introducing us to Teddy Bear Thornton in the first place - and allowing us to make him ready to face the future!

Now to some Bears who we are hoping will prove as long-lived in another context.  Our Clerical Bears were originally created purely as a fund-raising tool to help the St. Barnabas Cathedral Restoration Fund which helps to keep the Cathedral maintained.  However, their mission has been extended to being part of the 175th Anniversary Celebrations of St. Barnabas' Opening which begins in May this year.  The original 6 Bear Collection has now been expanded with the addition of three new Sister Bears, all of whom are made "in the style of" Orders of Nuns who have served in the Parish during that period.  These have included The Sisters of Mercy, Poor Clare Nuns (as they were/are known) and The Little Company of Mary (or The Blue Nuns - for reasons that are pretty obvious:  their distinctive blue veils).  

So, as they are all made from the same pattern, with just their habits and veils being different, I'll show you pictures of each of them, with a brief description of how they are made:

Sister Breda

Each Sister Bear has a separate body cut out in the same colour fleece as their head, paws and ears.  The fleece paws get sewn to the appropriate colour "habit" fabric, and then each arm is stuffed separately, with a plastic disc sewn in to the top of their two arms.  The bodies and heads get stuffed, with the eyes and nose being fixed in the head, before the stuffing gets added.  

Sister Clare

Then the veils are attached to each head, with each Bear's ears being sewn on, and once each Sister Bear's bodies have been stuffed, the "dress" is pulled over the body, and the arms are fixed in place with a matching plastic disc - through holes in the side seams of "habit" and body pieces. (That's quite an exercise for Isobel's increasingly aarthritic fingers, and now has to have the assistance from a pair of pliers in order to get the arms safely in place.)  The arms can therefore move slightly - something that should become easier as time goes by:  but currently, their movement is somewhat limited. 

Sister Mercy

Once the head and body are sewn together, Isobel then puts the outside collar - where there is one - around the Bears' necks and sews that in place. (The narrower collar is sewn in place before the head gets attached to the body).  Then a small plastic crucifix (obtained from the Cathedral Repository as and when needed) is fixed in place with the aid of a piece of double knit yarn.  (That's an after thought on Isobel's part, and is easily removed, if the eventual recipient deems it to be a good idea!).

There is also a Pink Nun (in the style of the Order of Holy Spirit Adoration Nuns, who can be found across many States in the United States of America).  She was ordered by Coldham Cuddlies' good friend, and multi-buyer, MrSS from Tulsa, Oklahoma (he's also helped Isobel design Cuddlies as well as buying them from us!).

Sister Ruth and Sister Rose

The ladies of the St. Barnabas Cathedral Artisan Arts & Crafts Group (Isobel is a member, and the financial results from the Clerical Bear sales are being calculated with the contributions that the Group makes towards St. Barnabas Cathedral's well-being)) felt that Isobel should give each Sister Bear their own names:  one of the original Pink Nuns - like Sister Ruth went to Tulsa, and Isobel made two different versions to become part of the Clerical Bear Collection so that they balance the dual look of our Missionary Bears!

Clerical Bears Missionary Staff - still awaiting names!

All the Clerical Bears Collection are due to once again be displayed after Mass once the Anniversary Celebrations begin in May. The original Sister Rose is the name given to another model like her being purchased by MsMP, a regular at St. Barnabas Cathedral masses  - who is determined to have her own full collection of Coldham Cuddlies Clerical Bears.  She's bought several already:  but keeps finding people to give them away to as presents!!  Isobel has reassured her she'll keep making Sister Bears (as well as Padre Bears and Bishop Bears - she has bought those too!) for just as long as she keeps sending in her orders!  So, watch this space, folks!!

The Clerical Bear Originals in September 2018 on a bench in St. Barnabas Cathedral garden

It's been some six months since the Clerical Bears were first displayed on several Sundays after the mass celebrations each week.  Isobel is intending to combine these appearances, with "spreading the word" about the Sisters (and the Gentleman Clerical Bears as well) with articles in local newspapers, and possibly other media outlets too.  She's got a busy few months ahead of her seemingly - oh, and the total sold, including the Vicar Bear who I told you about last week, now is 16!  We hope we'll be settling lots more all over the UK and the world, soon too.


See you all next week!


Your Friend, Cy Bear

Yet more Bears - Headed for Many parts of the Globe

Hello there Everyone - Cy Bear back once more, and wishing you all a Very Happy Easter from both Isobel and Me, and the various Coldham Cuddlies who remain in the Storage Area awaiting Forever Homes - from anywhere they may need to travel to!

This week, I'm going to tell you about four new Teddy Bears, made from the same pattern that I am made with.  Two of them were made with Silver Grey Plush fabric, and two in Yellow (or Oatmeal as the supplier insisted on calling the fabric colour!) plush.  One Grey and One Yellow Bear were ordered by a good friend of  Isobel's family, a fellow worshipper at St. Barnabas Cathedral, who wanted to give two young boys a special gift before they left with their parents for a missionary life in Papua New Guinea.  She had watched both little fellows grow from being babies to the ages they currently were (something like 6 and 4 respectively), and wanted them to have something special to take with them to remember her by.

Before Both Oceania-bound Bears left our Shop

So, just after the Clerical Bears had been introduced to the world, she began on the Silver Grey Bear.

He eventually ended up looking like this and originally had both arms and legs that moved  (as in the picture earlier).  However, after a week or two, our Buyer decided she would be happier if only the legs moved, so both Bears returned for a brief spell in the Animal Toy Hospital, to have their arms sewn on to their respective bodies.  The Silver Grey Bear's face ended up looking somewhat solemn - but MsJP, who ordered them from us, liked this expression, so we ended up calling him Solemn Grey Bear - for the purposes of listing him on our Shop (www.etsy.com/shop/coldhamcuddlies).

Once Silver Grey Bear had been finished, Yellow Bear was cut out and sewn, and ended up looking like this:

The photo of Yellow Bear shows him with his arms sewn in place (whereas Silver Bear's picture does not) - and keeping his arms immovable means it's easier to get both Bears to sit comfortably when  being hugged as happened to these two eventually once they'd been introduced to their Forever Friends.

When both were finished, Isobel placed them in a large plastic bag she had handy, and delivered them to MsJP one Sunday morning, after Mass just before Christmas, last year.  (The yellow ribbon tied on the bag, looks like it was "snaffled" by Yellow Bear's Forever Friend upon introduction!)

Then, in the last couple of months, we got a request in from a long-term family friend, for two copies of these bears.  MrsCC-F actually lives in  Bedford, New York State, USA but for some time lived in a small village in Normandy, France where Isobel's sister- and brother-in-law have lived for the past 30 year.   She had ordered a similar bear for another family member once before.  He looked like this fellow - who has proved to be a popular guy over the years" too.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/618964107/cuddly-decorative-present-for-anybody

This time, Silver Bear was destined to be a Forever Friend for a young man, called Thomas, who  is grandson to a friend of hers and lives in the same village in Normandy, or nearby.   The Yellow version is destined to become the Forever Friend of MrsCC-F 's newly arrived Grand Daughter, who lives with her in New York State.  This really does show just how multi-national Coldham Cuddlies has become over the 9+ years we've been in existence - a fact we are delighted to crow about!!

Isobel first completed the Normandy-bound Silver Grey Bear about 10 days ago.  We hoped it would arrive in the village in time for Easter, but he looked like this before he left for his new Forever Home

In her order for this Silver Plush Bear, MrsCC-F asked Isobel to both wrap him up in Easter paper, and also include a message - in French - explaining that the package was intended for their friend's grandson.  There's a another photo of the latest Silver Plush Bear, sitting on the paper in which he was wrapped up, and then wrapped in bubble wrap.  The whole package was then placed in a polythene mailing bag and sent off to Normandy at the beginning of April.  

The New York State-bound, Yellow Bear was sent off about 5 days later, and was wrapped in our normal way - chemical free tissue paper, then in bubble wrap, and then placed in a similar polythene mailing bag, and posted the normal way for all Cuddlies travelling  overseas - Royal Mail Air Mail Tracked and Signed for.  (We've just checked on the Royal Mail website, and find that this package reached Bedford, NY on 18th April!)   We're delighted.  We did want both Bears to get to their individual destinations in time for Easter, although Yellow Bear is actually intended as a first birthday present for MrsCC-F's Grand Daughter sometime in June!  

We're delighted to be able to tell you that we've received another order for a Clerical Bear - which takes us one step closer to the 20 Bear sale count!  This time, though, it's for a Vicar Bear - and is the first order from what we suspect to be a non-Catholic source!  The Buyer, MsDB, from Fordingbridge, Hampshire, UK indicates she wants one exactly like our model, but with the addition of a crucifix.  The original photo - below (used as the main one in our Shop listing)

https://www.etsy.com/listing/676735856/vicar-bear

does show him "sans crucifix", but as the model Isobel includes in our travelling Clerical Bear Collection, he does now wear one - 

The original also does have a somewhat crooked smile!  Isobel will endeavour to create him with a slightly more "normal" look. (It's difficult to change the original look here, because as the facial features are done in black double knit yarn, there is a tendency for a mark to appear/stay whenever a correction is made).   Vicar Bear is  made slightly differently to all the other Clerical Bears, in that his body is not separate from his clothing - and he's also a little bit taller than all the others.  (All the other Clerical Bears, Men and Women, have separate bodies, that are individually dressed).  MsDB, our customer, wants him to have the same colour shirt and trousers, as well as the crucifix - but as many of you may know, Vicars - and their lady equivalents (Peter, Isobel's late husband used to call them "Vicarenes", which I think is a rather nice, grand title for these important ladies) often have their shirts in many different colours.  Isobel is more than happy to accommodate all reasonable alternative suggestions!!  She's already got cream, blue and pink fabrics and stripey patterned alternatives in stock, if anyone else would like to order one!!!

That's it for this week:  I think next week, if we live and do well,  I'll show you the photos we received from the Thornton family (Forever Home to my good Friend Teddy Bear Thornton, a.k.a now as Benjie Bear) and tell you more about the recent additions to the Clerical Bear Family - Sister Bears called Sister Breda ("Blue Nun"), Sister Clare (Brown Habited Nun),  Sister Mercy, and Sister Rose (our "Pink" Nun).  I included a photo of the quartet at the end of last week's post!

Do hope you're all having a great Easter long week-end.  See you all next week - all being well.

Your Friend.  Cy Bear.

  

Two More Happy Patients (Now Anyway) To Tell You About

Hello again, Everyone - your Friend, Cy Bear delighted to be back with you once more!

Before going too far, however, I need to tell you that there's no problem about telling you how the Coldham Cuddlies Toy Animal Hospital operates, and what happens  to their Patients.  We all love Everyone to know how we looked when we arrived, and how we go home better looking (in some cases), as well as different.  This week, we have two Patients to tell you about - as I promised I would last week.  Also, I'm pleased to tell you that we have the missing photographs, plus some extra information about Teddy Bear Thornton - TBT (known now as Benjie Bear) that I mentioned in last week's post as well.  Will share those with you once we've completed this week's news stories.

Very shortly after TBT arrived in our home, Isobel got a telephone call from a worried parent (Dad of a little girl whose Best Friend had got too close to an electric heater, and ended up with a damaged face, with no eye on one side, and a bad hole in one ear).  He'd found out about the Coldham Cuddlies restoration services by "googling" (whatever that is!) and decided to see if Isobel could help.  He was scheduled  to be driving past our driveway a few days after the contact,  and asked if he could call in and show us the damage.

Our new patient upon his arrival

We found out that this cheerful (or normally cheerful) chappie was called Lollopy Dog and his Forever Friend - a small girl - took him everywhere she went.  However, she wanted him to look as he'd done before he got too close to that fire - and was prepared to let him stay with us for as long as it would take Isobel to get him right. 

From a quick inspection (it was Dad's lunchtime, and he had a meeting to go to that he didn't want to be late for), Isobel felt we could do something to assist.  So Lollopy Dog stayed in our bedroom with me, until we could find suitable fleece fabric with which to undertake the necessary repairs.  We'd got brown fleece already in store:  it was the pale yellow that we needed to match.  As we were still waiting for TBT's mohair fabric to arrive from our supplier, Isobel got on a 'bus next day to see if she could find the fleece she needed at one of our local suppliers - the main one, in nearby Mansfield.  She was in luck, with a colour match - even if the fleece fabric was somewhat different (it was actually a piece of felt)  -  so we could begin work pretty well immediately.

Then, out of the blue, one of our previous customers for small Bears this time - MsHG - (who lives almost at the other end of the UK from us - in Devon) contacted us to see if we could help her out with a new Bear purchase she had just made.  He was a finger puppet when she purchased him from somewhere "on-line"  but really wanted him to be able to sit/stand on his own when he came to live with her - and wondered if it would be possible?  That didn't sound too much a problem, and as we were then very much in the treatment/waiting  mode - what with TBT and Lollopy Dog staying with us - Isobel asked MsHG to post him to us.

Little Pooh Bear on arrival

You can see from all these pictures, that Little Pooh Bear was quite a lot smaller than TBT, who is shown minus his right ear (which had been sent to the Mohair Bear fabric supplier for his new coat to be matched).

With Isobel now waiting to begin work on Lollopy Dog and TBT, she looked through our fabric stash, and found a suitable piece of fleece (which is what Little Pooh Bear is made with).  Although it wasn't an exact match, as he was going to be standing on the new base and therefore the work done not in sight, we decided to go ahead and get him back to Devon as quickly as possible.  The job didn't take long.   It consisted of Isobel putting enough polyester stuffing in to the hole where a finger had previously been used to manipulate Little Pooh Bear when he was a Finger Puppet, sewing the resulting seam caused by the new base so that it looked as though he'd always been a small, standing Bear, and then wrapping him up and posting him back to Devon. 

He looked like this before he left us -

The labels were with Little Pooh Bear when he arrived:  so we kept them in place

and as far as we now know, he's been travelling around in MsHG's handbag ever since.

Little Pooh didn't have any mouth:  and we weren't asked to provide him with one - so we didn't!

Now back to Lollopy Dog and his special treatment.  He was quite a handful to cope with, because in the end, Isobel had to replace the whole of his front head and face, as well as both ears. (Using felt instead of fleece really necessitated this drastic change).  This required the existing head to be de-stuffed, and the damaged front of the head to be cut away from the back, which was retained.  She then threw away the damaged ear, and took a template (drawing round the left ear on cardboard), and cutting out the resulting shape for both the ear (cardboard) and the front face (using the existing fabric shape as a guide).  


The brown fleece we had in stock was somewhat darker than his original ear colour, so we decided he would look "odd" if both ears were not the same when he returned home.   Isobel managed to rescue the one remaining eye, made a template for a new one, and using the same fleece used with the new ears, made two new eyes, so that they too matched each other.  Lollopy Dog's nose was re-used too, and as his smiley face had fade a bit with all the loving he'd gone through, Isobel re-embroidered that as well.   She had one or two worrying moments - when she couldn't remember exactly how the face pieces originally went together.  But once she'd fiddled around a bit, all went well, and Lollopy Dog ended up looking like this.

We rescued both eyeballs, so they could be attached to the new cut out eyes

While Isobel had been handling Lollopy Dog, she noticed that he was pretty floppy, and decided  he could do with some bulking up.  Realising that part of his overall charm was that he should be floppy, (we guessed that had something to do with how he was called!)  she was careful not to make him too firm, but at least now,  when Lollopy Dog and his Forever Friend are together, he'll be more of a cuddly armful to be played with - and, hopefully,  last for many more years than he might otherwise have been able to do.


Lollopy Dog stayed with us for a couple of weeks before returning home - so that he could be picked up by Dad when he was going home after another meeting with his client in our area.  As far as we know,  everyone had a terrific Christmas and life now goes on as normal.  (But hopefully, without Lollopy Dog getting too close to electric fires again!)

Meet Sister Clare, Sister Breda, Sister Rose and Sister Mercy Clerical Bears

Since our  Patients returned to their respective homes,  Isobel has been busy with the Clerical Bears.  They have increased in number - with the whole collection now numbering 9.  Plans are being laid for another session of Sunday morning airings after Easter - to remind people that they are still available, especially as St. Barnabas Cathedral is about to start a year long celebration of being 175 years old this year.  She's also made four Big Bears (using the same pattern as me) recently, so we'll be telling you about these new Coldham Cuddlies in the coming weeks, too.  They're all destined to be well-travelled Bears when they've got to their eventual destinations!


Meanwhile, that's it for this week.  Hope to be back again sometime next week-end, but it  is Easter Week-end, and who knows what might happen then?  Have a very Happy Easter, Everyone - until we meet again.

Your Friend, Cy Bear.

A New Future for Teddy Bear Thornton Beckons

Hello Again, Everyone! 

I'm so pleased to be back once more this week, and delighted to be able to tell you all about the final episode of Teddy Bear Thornton's treatment, and his progress to his future life.

This is the picture with which I ended our post last week, showing how TBT's facial features came about, and using the eyes with which he arrived in the Animal Toy Hospital last November.

Isobel then set about "building" the rest of TBT, so that the Head could be attached and TBT prepared for this journey home to Rotherham, South Yorkshire - in time to become a special Christmas Present.  The photograph below, shows the Head (before his facial features were added; stuffing only took place in this case after the eyes were fitted - then the stuffing is done, and the ears and facial features sewn.)  

Also included are the newly re-created arms (with new brown leatherette padding replacing the pink and red baize used earlier for his paws) and the body pieces sewn together ready to be stuffed as well.  The legs were there, but somehow got missed from in the picture!

Once all the separate pieces had been stuffed, Isobel attached the limbs to the still empty body, then filled in the body, and added TBT's completed Head. 

MEET THE 2018 VERSION OF TEDDY BEAR THORNTON

Before Isobel wrapped  TBT up in the packaging in which he had arrived, the usual Farewell Photograph with Me was taken:

When Christmas Day arrived (TBT got there just the week-end before the Holiday), we gather that TBT was handed over to his new Forever Friend, MsAT, that he was admired both on the day, and over the Christmas Holiday by everyone who came to meet (or renew their acquaintance(s) with him).  The following photos show him with his immediate Family members, three generations of Thornton Ladies:

Early in the New Year, MsAT sent Isobel a message a few days after he'd gone home with her.  Apparently, he now has a new long term name - Benjy (MrsAT's Grandfather who originally gave TBT  to her when she was a young girl was called Benjamin, I believe - so that's rather appropriate, isn't it?).  She also sent us a couple of picture of  Benjy in his new home, but presently, Isobel can't remember where she "hid" it among all her files.  I'll see if she can get them sent to us again, and we'll include them in another post soon.

Meanwhile, I'll close this episode - and look forward to telling you about two more Patients who came into the Toy Animal Hospital (https://www.etsy.com/listing/670854959/dinosaur-toys-rejuvenated-animal-toy?ref=shop_home_active_1 ) at the same time that TBT was a Patient.  It's curious how things happen:  we've gone almost 5 years without anyone needing assistance in that quarter:  and then we were asked to treat three - very different Toys - all at the same time.

See you all next week - fingers crossed!  Have a good one everyone!

Your Friend,

Cy Bear