Now for the next project.......?

The  Red Teds before leaving for their destination

As has become customary since my arrival at Coldham Cuddlies (http://www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com/.) and becoming the official mascot, one of my duties is to say goodbye to those destined for pastures new.  In this case, for Little Red Ted it was  going Home:  Big Red Ted was the new boy!  Needless to say I'm thrilled that they seem to be happily ensconsed and now look forward to what happens next - especially after the mistake involving Little Red Ted's eyes and ears!  After all the poor little chap had gone through, too!

Isobel has just cut out the pattern pieces for the next version of Hairy Brown Bear - replacing Edmonton Hairy Bear and the room is floating in bits of fur left over 

A Bunny Tree, perhaps?



from the cutting out process!  Bit uncomfortable for folks with breathing problems, which is why most of the sewing involved in the Cuddlies' production gets done in the second bedroom, rather than in the living-room where Peter spends a lot of time.  Then, next on the horizon, in between Isobel trying to fathom how to get other sites' "buttons" set up on this blog - something that is driving her stir-crazy, for reasons I do not understand (nor want to) - are two new Foxes (a Mr and a Mrs - to be named when their final costumes are selected), a replacement Koala (for the one that also went to Edmonton, Alberta) and then, just maybe, another Teddy Bear rejuvenation project.  That's under discussion, so time will tell.

Meanwhile, it's nice to be able to talk to you all again.  Here's another picture with me and the Little Baby Rabbits.  Plans call for me to be pictured with all the other Cuddlies shown on http://www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com/ (one at a time) but that's going to have to wait - as the weather seems to be breaking and the light may not allow for the photo-shoots to take place.  Then between us, Isobel and I will introduce them to you in this blog - incorporating the information already included in their Shop descriptions and, where needbe, adding more.

Red Ted Bulletins - Final Posting

Making Big Red Ted was a doddle - compared to the problems encountered with the little chap.  Big Red was made using the same patterns as I've used for all the other Teds in the Etsy shop (http://www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com/.)   So instead of taking three weeks to sort Little Red Ted, it was only three days before Big Red was ready for stuffing and having his facial features added.


Here are the Two Red Teds together

Red Ted was made with Red Plush fur and stuffed - as all the Coldham Cuddlies are - with polyester fibre meeting international standards.  As I did not have chamoix leather to use for his pads, I used beige felt instead and the look fits him well, showing off his black, double knitting wool embroidered claws to perfection! 

Although they were not meant to, it's amazing how alike they look in their facial features - almost like father and son, don't you think?  However, as the two preceding posts indicate there is a matter of some 70 years difference in their origins!

Having successfully completed both toys, it was then a matter of introducing them to Mrs. P - something I have to admit to being somewhat apprehensive about (regarding Little Red Ted:  not Big Ted).  When introduced, Mrs. P said she would not have recognised Little Red Ted, but did approve of his new looks!  The shirt, trousers and cummberbund he arrived here with were declared to be redundant - "he now has fur again"!   Here is a picture of Mrs. P with both Red Teds sitting together.  So pleased is she with the final result and this picture that  it may feature as the family Christmas card later this year!  Now that is unexpected praise indeed!

Finally Home

Cy Bear's views on the whole episode will form the basis of tomorrow blog.  Meanwhile that's it for today"

The Rejuvenation of Little Red Ted - Part 1

As promised (or threatened?) recently, am now ready to tell you what has been happening in this field of activity in the life of the Coldham Cuddlies (all of whom are featured  http://www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com/).

 Little Red Ted (our name for him:  we don't know what his owner calls him) joined us at the end of March when his owner - I'll call her Mrs. P for this article - and I met at a meeting of the local branch of  The Royal British Legion Women's Section here at the Hospital of St. John.  Having seen pictures of Cy Bear, she asked me if I could do her a Big Red Ted for her youngest grand daughter. (She specified Red, because she had had one as a child herself and loved it to bits!)   When I went to see her to show a sample of the only red plush fur fabric I could find from my current suppliers, she introduced me  to Little Red Ted - who was indeed very much loved, but in such a sad  state of repair that I offered to see if I could rejuvenate him.  She was happy for me to do so.

So, in order to be able to create a pattern to carry out the process, I unpicked the seams - and found some problems.  In order to prolong his existence,  he had been "mended" very often - threads of at least three different colours had been used over the years and the seams were threadbare.  When he was made, hand made toys used very different materials. Polyester fibre had not been invented so he was stuffed with a mixture of kapok and wood shavings (large sawdust) and his eyes were glass with a very thin wire stuck to it (with what I do not know).  When the deconstruction process was complete,  I separated these items - and took this photograph to show what I found.

The wire on which the glass eye was fixed had just simply been shoved into the kapok, which provided a thin lining into which the saw dust had been poured.  No attempt had been made to stop the items from being pulled out and, even if they were the originals, the thought of what might have happened if "little fingers" had been active, is somewhat horrifying.  Mrs. P told me that Little Red Ted has been played with by her, her children, and grand-children, as well as having been attacked by a dog(s) in the past!  As it was, when I attempted to carefully separate the wire from the kapok into which it had been pushed, one of the eyes separated from the wire.

The cotter pins are very much thicker and heavier than the plastic joints which are now used when making Bears or other cuddly toys.  Little Red Ted's body was almost too small to handle five of them (head + four limbs).  So I decided to remove them totally and replace them with the modern versions which are much lighter and less cumbersome.

The next stages were to create cardboard templates from the original body pieces, trim round the edges and applique them on to calico sheeting.  I then cut out another set of pattern pieces in the new red plush fur fabric, laid the appliqued pieces on the matching new fabric pieces and sewed them up to create a new, unstuffed toy.  



                                                     

                                                                  Showing treated head pieces and an arm





The pale "cut out" areas are where the cotter pins had been placed



The next instalment in the rejuvenation process will follow in the next blog.

After the Royal Wedding - what next?

We've spent practically all day glued to the television - watching the crowds in London watching the Royal Wedding.  Was very restrained and did not switch the television when I first got up (the broadcasts began at 0600 BST) but waited till my husband got up and allowed him to put it on instead (that was about 0800 BST) and it stayed on .... and on..... and on. Very moving and thoroughly enjoyable:  makes one proud to be British again.

However, am pleased to say that it did enable me to finally repair the damage to Big Red Ted.  The interrupted photoshoot will thus take place tomorrow, and then I will be in a position to blog about the production of both Red Bears (Little Red Ted's rejuvenation as well as the production of Big Red Ted).

The rejuvenation process was indeed a challenge, but it's given me an idea:  to broaden the Coldham Cuddlies shopping experience (visible by visiting http://www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com/)  by offering to rejuvenate the beloved Teds of everyone else.  There are few households around I suspect that does not hold a beloved soft toy (not necessarily just Bears) that is in need of some TLC. Some folks might say the tattered toy has "character"  and it would be shame to lose it - but how about prolonging its existence for a few more years instead?   If I did proceed, dolls would not be included - have never been a "doll person" and I'm not planning on becoming one now!  Have nothing agin them:  just prefer cuddly, furry animals instead.

It needs thinking about - but meanwhile, wonder what the great big Etsy (and others) world might have to say?  While I await - with bated breath - any comments on this idea, I'll end for today with a picture of Cy Bear with all the new Baby Rabbits, four of whom were included in yesterday's post.

New Listing on Etsy as part of the Social Media Blitz e-course

 

www.etsy.com/listing/01234567/light-brown-baby-rabbits is the actual Etsy.com listing (further information regarding these new members of the ColdhamCuddlies family can be found on my shop site at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com). These little guys replace the former Brown Rabbit who recently left the ColdhamCuddlies family for a Canadian home They are made from the same pattern but look smaller than the original Brown Baby Rabbit because the plush fur fabric from which they are made is thinner overall Also when making them I inadvertently left out a pattern piece However I think they have a better overall appearance than the original Brown Baby Rabbit and will be selling them at a slightly lower price with the pattern piece missing They measure 6" (10.5 cms) from tip of their ears to their sitting position and can be made with a white front or be completely self coloured They come with their own ribbon enabling them to be used as pram or cot toys This ribbon can be easily taken off if needed All baby rabbit toys are made in a smoke free and animal free environment and can be machine washed to 40 degrees Personally I would stick to 30 degrees just in case the dyes in the plush fabric are not fast ones Hang by ribbon to dry although they probably would survive a short tumble drying session

Re-opening the blogging posts

Blogging regularly is about to re-start - in a day or so.  However, yesterday, I began to follow the latest offering from Tim Adams, leader of the Handmadeology Team on Etsy.com which is designed to help those of us who are clueless about Social Media - full-stop!  Believe me - I'm the original  in that department.  Know that there is something called Facebook, have used it to post photographs of my toys being offered in my Etsy shop (http://www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com/) but am still not sure that either of the sites talk to each other or how to correct the fault if they do not.  Am a Twitterer, and tweet occasionally (when I remember) and yesterday registered with Digg, Stumbleupon and a couple of other sites recommended by the Social Media Blitz course. 

Was supposed to blog about it yesterday, but I find myself doing all this internet stuff quite late at night, and being a Silver Surfer, can get in a bit of a muddle at times as a result.  Doing it during the day doesn't always work - husband, Peter, often comes in and wants to know what is happening, without really being that interested.  However, he can have a malign influence on my computer - so his enquiries are not always appreciated!

So, having discovered Handmadeology, following my interview on the http://www.insideetsy.blogspot.com/. site earlier in April, I've been trying to keep up with all the helpful hints being provided.  They are wonderfully helpful, but they don't seem to be doing much to assist my problem in making sure that folks are actually reading the blog.  However, now I think about it, I was warned by a fellow Etsian (Yenbo), who was kind enought to create the Shop banner for me,  that it could take 6 months before I began to get regular comments on the blog.  SundayAfternoonHousewife has also been most helpful, and I hope soon to be able to follow her helpful hints too.

This may explain the lack of blogging from me in the last couple of weeks - and I've also been up to my eyes in Red Teds.  Little Red Ted is now fully rejuvenated - and will form at least a couple of future blogs (stage by stage pics will be included) and so, too, is Big Red Ted.  However, this afternoon, the latter suffered an unexpected injury by losing his left arm while involved in a photoshoot.  Until I've re-joined that to his torso, photography has had to be suspended (much to Cy Bear's annoyance - he rather likes his involvement as the ColdhamCuddlies mascot!).  However, it's not such a big deal, and I hope to resume progress in that matter tomorrow - as well as find out a bit more on how to make Facebook and Twitter work for the ColdhamCuddlies product and myself  - from the Social Media Blitz e-course being provided via Tim Adams.

Till then - bye for now.Isobel

News from Nottinghamshire

Hello again:  Cy Bear calling!

Isobel has just had the following message regarding the reception given to the Little Black Bunny that was sent to Nottinghamshire earlier this month.

"Thought you would want to know... Laura's Bunny (the black and white one) was hand delivered on Saturday. She LOVED it. Put it on her wrist right away and danced around the house with it! :) After much debate we decided it was a girl rabbit, and we decided that it would be nice if it were to be called Isobel! :) Sam's rabbit has also been delivered... I think he is going to get his bunny on Easter day though! I shall report back when I know how he liked it! :)"

Isobel tells me that "Laura" is something called a God-Daughter to one of Isobel's own daughters and Sam is her God-son!  We're looking forward to hearing about Sam's reaction to his Easter present:  somehow we don't think it will be to dance around the house:  but you never know! Not much has happened today on the ColdhamCuddlies Etsy site (http://www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com/) because it was the  annual clothing changeover (from winterweight gear to their summer wear for Isobel and Peter.  That means ironing shirts, dresses etc. so it may mean there won't be a post tomorrow. Meanwhile, to end today's input, here's  another picture of me and the newest Little Rabbits - Grey, Brown and Black/White.  It was taken with some of us balancing on the trunk of a very old Mulberry Tree in our garden here at the Hospital of St. John - which may (or may not) be nearly 400 years' old.  Certainly, Isobel says the trunk seems to be  made of metal, not wood! Bye for now - Cy Bear