Greetings to everyone on what is
Thanksgiving Day in the
United States of America. When we lived in
Canada,
Thanksgiving used to be celebrated in
October, and often seemed to coincide with my birthday, and here in the
UK, we don't celebrate it at all. Nevertheless, the good wishes of all of us at
ColdhamCuddlies to all our
Friends and
Followers of this blog is heartfelt and sincere!
Now, according to my research (thanks to
Google Search) the usual collective name for a bunch of
Wombats is a
Mob of Wombats. Now, that may hold true for
real wombats. Those who form part of the
ColdhamCuddlies Family being somewhat
creatures of my imagination - they began as
Badger Heads for a possible
Glove Puppet addition; then became their current offering - a
Bed
Adornment, Hot-Water Bottle Cover or
Pyjama Case, depending on the use
to which their
Forever Friends wish to attach to them - are to be given a different designation. So.....
In my view,
"Mob" does not provide the descriptive "je ne sais quois" quotient
I am seeking for the
Coldham Wombats, (currently listed as
Winston in our shop at
www Etsy.com/Shop/coldhamcuddlies/99230084).
I have therefore decided that multiples of
ColdhamCuddlies' Wombats will henceforth be described as a
Wonderment of Wombats (hence the title of today's post). Unless, of course, you, my lovely
Followers (who now number
252 and have been responsible for
9,199 views since the first post went out in
March 2011) can come up with something better. Really look forward to hearing your views!
The subject matter for today's post is a description of the recent process of creating them, which resulted in a foursome
Wonderment of Wombats produced as
Christmas presents for some of our family's
Little People. To my knowledge, none of the parents involved are
Followers or readers of this blog, so
I feel safe in showing you all how this bunch of tactile multi-purpose
Toys came about so that the surprise element of
Christmas opening can be preserved.
They are made using two different fabrics provided in a recent off cuts haul from our stuffing supplier,
Fine Quality Feather Company based in
Frome, Somerset.
One has a stripey content to its plush fabric, the other is a similar
colour, but more speckled and originally reminded me of the natural
colouring of a
Badger - an animal who has many supporters, and equally as many detractors, in the
UK. As a toy, though, they can be very attractive and in the case of the
ColdhamCuddlies provide a very tactile stuffed toy. Whenever one is displayed at a
Craft Fair or
Bazaar in the
Heytesbury localtity, passers-by instintively put out a hand to stroke it and without exception comment on the softness of the fabric.
I have to dissuade too many hands, though, as it's not conducive to cleanliness or long-term hygiene alas, and
I'm
not keen on attracting the wrong kind of attention from those unknown
individuals collectively referred to these days as "Health &
Safety"!
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| A general view of the Wombat working area |
When
I have more than on version to produce,
I now
cut out all the pieces required for however many final productions are
needed. In this case, there were 4 and as each piece was drawn around
its template and cut out, they piled up to end up with 4 quite large
piles of plush, as well as sufficient calico pieces to make four
identical pillows. The latter being provided to plump up the finished
animal toy until pyjamas or hot water bottles are used in their stead.
The pile of loose fur, despite the careful manner in which I cut each
piece out really did fly! The vacuum worked overtime to collect it as
the carpet threatened to turn from a light beige to a rather dirty grey
as each pile was attacked and made up! Luckily
I don't have any breathing problems which might get affected by such a quantity of loose fluff!!
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| One Wombat body and head |
|
Putting the head onto each body does give me some
headaches, and I've yet to come up with a foolproof way of doing it.
The next time I make a Wombat, I have an idea of how I will attack the
problem - hopefully without the need to keep on undoing the stitching,
because the plush is soooo soft that when placed together the two pieces
tend to slip as one sews! Added to which, my flipping arthritic
fingers are not as agile at holding the bits together as they once were -
so different strategies have to be adopted! These are among the challenges
I face each time I make a toy - but they are worth facing (and
overcoming) as it keeps me occupied!!
Here is Wombat One complete and placed out of harms way on the chest of drawers in my bedroom.
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| Wombat Two ready for action |
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The Final Foursome ready for Christmas.
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