The Coldham Cuddlies French Connection(s)

Am having a frustrating few days dominated by car troubles, so in an effort to calm the nerves, have decided to post about the current toy-making projects.  Am well into the creation of the replacement Brown Rabbit destined for his Forever Home with MmeAB in Versailles France.  Have decided, given that he is the  first French connection for www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com that I'll call him Mons. Brendan Lapin for the purposes of this blog at least.  What MmeAB decides to label him upon his arrival (hopefully he'll be on his way by the end of this week) is entirely up to her, of course.

Waiting to be topped and tailed

As it is getting close to the festive season, I've given him some braiding decoration around his cuffs and around the neck of his waistcoat.  His boots are ready for sewing together and stuffing and his head is on its way as you can see by the next illustration.

Still needs a face and ears - not far off!

Completed his white bobtail last night and sewed the ears together.

The latter are due to be attached after I've done this blog and are shown below, together with the boot pieces awaiting attention.  Being real glove leather they do take a bit longer to sew - I don't use the sewing machine, even though my Janome Harmony 2039 model is supposed to be able to handle it and I do have a needle capable of doing the job.  The Coldham Cuddlies are hand made toys, and I'm sufficiently picky as to feel that is what they should be - by and large.  When making up the calico body prior to dressing them, as well as some of the jackets, waistcoats and dresses, I do resort to the machine.  The seams involved make it seem a worthwhile exercise.

Now to the other Coldham Cuddlies French connection:  in the last post I mentioned the arrival of  a Mr. Fox and a Mrs. Rabbit made in the 1970/1980's for my sister-in-law.  Well IM, my sister-in-law, being Mauritian by birth is a French speaker and actually lives in France - and has done for many years.  So, I feel justified in describing  Mons. Reynard and Mme Lapin as French residents as well.  Here are a series of pictures showing them as they arrived for treatment in the Coldham Cuddlies Soft Toy Clinic (Etsy Listing #79124185) last week.

I've taken several other photos, and will post them as I describe their treatment - but here is a taster.  There's no deadine for the jobs to be done, but it's nice for all of you to see them before their transformation.

For toys that over 35 years old, think they are in pretty good condition.  Mme Lapin is in the best condition, both need re-stuffing as I seem to remember I used either cut up foam rubber (highly unsuitable these days) and/or cut up nylon stockings/tights - again similarly unsuitable.  However, I'll fill you in on their requirements as and when I get to them!

In the interim, must close so that I can have a sewing session on Mons. Brendan as planned!  Goodnight and all the best!  Isobel

This and that - tidying up some loose ends

Hello there, everyone!

I Have been doing a lot of sewing this last week, as well as sending off the Baby Rabbits (yet to be listed) to Saudi Arabia, so there are a few loose ends to tie up.  I've also completed the O.O.A.K item now known as Noel, The Christmas Bunny and he's been listed in the Cuddlies' shop at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com earlier today.  This is the main picture of him in the shop, all complete in his party finery - and the Etsy Listing is #84913542.

Standing on the printer in my work-room

Some of the pictures on the site were taken last evening, in the setting sunlight.  Thus, his colouring is somewhat different to those you've already seen in our last post (10/24/11/Latest Rabbit to join the Cuddlies family).  After completing the post, I finished off the final Saudi Bunny and the next night got to grips with Noel's wrongly sited boots!  These are now firmly on the right legs and this is how he looked when I quickly snapped him last night, before the twilight completely disappeared!

Standing on a garden bench in the twilight

I've got a whole collection of lovely pictures of the Saudi Baby Bunnies, but as I said in my last post - and have repeated to MB-P and CB-P, my clients, I'm not going to publish them until they've arrived safely in their hands, and they've given them their approval!  I'm pretty satisfied with them myself, I have to say, and am confident the my clients will be happy with their purchases, but I don't want to take anything for granted.  After all, the customer is always right, aren't they?  Nevertheless, it is awfully tempting to include just one taster picture -- but I'm not going to!

We had an unexpected, but lovely surprise visit from husband Peter's brother, who normally resides in France on Tuesday afternoon.  He, his wife, son and his partner, and their lovely young daughter called in on their way back from a visit to nearby Glastonbury last Tuesday.  It was our first chance to meet our Great Niece and her Mother, and as it's Little One's third birthday on November 11, she was offered the choice of an early birthday present from the selection of Glove Puppets.  She made a bee-line for the Panda Bear version and he was duly christened "ME"!

Not only did we meet Little One, but I was re-united (after over 35-ish years) with a Mr Fox and a Mrs Rabbit that I made for my sister-in-law, after making them for my daughters and her son in the late 1970's!  They've been settling in to the Soft Toy Clinic (Etsy Listing # 79124185) to await their turn for treatment.  (There are two other long-term patients waiting for their therapy still!).

There is really not that much wrong with them, I am pleased (and not a little surprised) to say.  Mr Fox requires proper eyes and re-stuffing.  Originally, I made the eyes with felt and yarn and he looks a little slant-eyed - although they do appear quite foxy-looking.  Mrs Rabbit, however, does need a bit more attention.  Her apron has accumulated a lot of dust, which may not respond to a wash, and her dress has got to be replaced because the skirt is faded, and I cannot just replace that alone.  The dress top and sleeves are made separately, and in any case I cannot match the green gingham from which she was originally made.  She, too, needs re stuffing.  I think I used either foam rubber or nylon stockings to make them - neither of which I am prepared to countenance today, but at the time, located as we were in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada it was all I could find!

Needless to say, they will be shortly the subject of a blog post - just to show what they look like now (so that comparisons can be made once their treatment has been completed).  Fortunately, none of my current patients have a deadline by which they have to be completed, but Tommy Teddy (daughter, P's Bear) has been waiting a long time and I've promised him he'll be done just as soon as I've completed the two Uncle Brendan Rabbits in production at the moment!

That means, Panda Bear Glove Puppet is temporarily deactivated from www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com - but the replacement will have to wait until I have completed the two versions of Uncle Brendan Brown Rabbit (Etsy Listing #56013030).  However, they are both cut out, and one version - the one destined for MmeAB in Versailles, France has most of its clothes sewn, I'm due to get going on his head, paws and boots this evening, and all being well he should be on his way by the end of next week.  The delay in providing them has been due to my complete inability to source brown plush fabric from any of my sources - at least until yesterday morning, when - praise be - my local haberdashery shop in Warminster came up with the goods!  What a relief!

Right, those are the loose-ends - all but one, anyway - tied up.  The continuing one is the promised post about Slater's Barn, the venue in the village where the recent MacMillan Cancer Grand Coffee Morning was held.  As some of you will recall, it was when I was taking the pictures of the place that my former camera upped and died on me!  Having rescued the pictures on a disc, I've just now got to do some research about the place, and then will be able to post about it - as I think my 68 Followers will be interested, and it makes a change from my constant waffle about the toys!

Till then - God Bless and take good care of yourselves!  Isobel

Latest Rabbit to join the ColdhamCuddlies family

Hello  Folks - Cy Bear here again to introduce the latest member of the family to you all!

Noel, The Christmas Rabbit, as he seems destined to be called,  is not quite complete, although he looks like it to me.  However,  Isobel has just decided that his boots don't look right, so they're coming off tonight, before his final portrait is taken, and together with his various other views,  listed at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com. Apparently, when sewing them on, the right boot went on the left leg and vice versa!  Result is that he doesn't look quite right and standing is definitely not too easy for him at the moment!

Before going any further, though:  here are some pictures of Noel's head before it got completed and fixed to the body - which usually is one of the last items to be added when Isobel makes one of these toys.

This picture is Noel's right side image, with his eyes and ears added.  The next one shows him head-on, but still needing his facial features.  You can see - he's a very hairy rabbit!  And, because we've finished all the brown plush fabric, he's also likely to be a "one-off"!

You had a taster in our last post - when Isobel was announcing the arrival of her new camera - of what his jacket looked like at the beginning of the dressmaking process.  Here's the jacket, the other way around, with the edging being where the hem of the jacket is when finally completed:

Alas, this is really mid-way into the process of making a Gentleman Rabbit - be he a Daddy, Uncle, Cousin or whatever!  But, Isobel forgot to take the pictures as she was going along doing this fellow, so she will include these early steps when she makes up the two Uncle Brendan replacements - which are next-but-one in her list of "Things to Do!"

The reason they are not the next item is that there seems to be a dearth of brown plush fur fabric to be purchased anywhere we've tried, and Isobel is having to wait until the end of this week before she can get any to make the two Uncle Brendans! 

Noel has been made with the last of her brown plush fabric stock, after making the two Brown Rabbit Glove Puppets in time for the MacMillan Cancer bazaar at the end of September - and try as hard as she has, so far, Isobel has been unable to locate anything - on the internet or locally.  She's been promised some for Friday this week,  by our local haberdashery supplier in Warminster, so we're all keeping our fingers crossed.  We did get a sample sent from the supplier of the fleece we're going to use to rejuvenate Tommy Teddy.  I'm told it was beautiful quality stuff - but far too good (and therefore pricey) for the job(s) they are intended for.  As a ladies' coat, absolutely spot on:  as a skin for a cuddly toy, well -  not really appropriate!

So, having missed the basic elements of rabbit body making, here is the first shot of Noel, The Christmas Rabbit beginning to get dressed.  Once his body is stuffed, Isobel makes his plus-fours/jodhpurs/riding kit - call them what you like - and fits them on to the body.  Noel's are made in a shiny, silvery satin type fabric which we felt looks nice and festive!  To keep the trousers' shape, Isobel then added a little of the polyester fibre stuffing.  With the darts that are added to the waist line, it's usually a pretty tight fit, so adding the stuffing can be tricky - but is usually accomplished with the aid of a judicially placed knitting needle, shoving the fibre between leg and trousers!

Isobel  then makes up and puts on the waistcoat.  It's cut out double, front and back being sewn separately, turned inside out and pressed and then sewn together at shoulders and along the side seams.  They have to be fitted individually, because whatever Isobel does, she can never make an identical body each time she makes a toy - whether it is a lady toy or a gentleman one.

Here is Noel with his waistcoat on, showing his jacket arms already in place, together with his furry paws.

Once the waistcoat is on, the furry white  bobtail is sewn together, stuffed and added to the body, and when adding the jacket, Isobel has to make sure there is a gap cut and sewn in the jacket back to accommodate it.  You can see that quite clearly in the jacket picture above, as well as the taster photo in our previous post.

Tail being attached with yellow-headed quilting pins, and  cotton trailing

Then she adds the jacket, which she has sewn together at the shoulder seams and neck.  The jacket is lined in order to hide the seams because velvet - as everyone who has used the fabric knows, frays incredibly.  Sometimes, Isobel has to over sew all the seams, but on this occasion, it was not necessary on all the seams.  So that saved some time. The jacket arms have already been made and sewn into the body, so the jacket is added and sewn to the body, using ladder stitch all round the armhole gap - which is why all our rabbits have arms outstretched to their sides.  That's the way the pattern goes!

Once the jacket is on, then come the boots, which have to be sewn together, individually, and Isobel tries to help them to stand up by themselves, by adding a bit of cardboard cut in the shape of the sole of the boot before she adds the stuffing.  It's not always successful, but does give them some sort of a platform which helps them to lean better against an upright wall, shelf or what-ever!  All gentleman toys boots are made in real leather - this fabric is obtained as off-cuts from a local glove manufacturer, based in Warminster.  The firm is called Dents, and has been making gloves and handbags for over 150 years here in the West Country of the UK.

A contrast piece of felt is then cut, sewn and added to the bottom of the trouser leg and then the boot gets sewn on - in theory at least.  However, Isobel really does have a problem sometimes in getting the boot  and legs right first time around.  Noel is not the first one to have his boots taken off and re-fitted - and I don't expect he will be the last either!

(Don't tell anyone, but she has a similar problem with getting heads on the toys first time around too!  She had quite a job with mine, before she was satisfied, and Noel's had to be taken off at least once!  Still, that, I suppose, is the good thing about hand-making soft toys - you can change it before you finally list it on www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com!)

While Isobel has been waiting for the brown plush fabric to arrive, she has not been idle - you'll be pleased to hear, I'm sure!   The four little bunnies destined for Saudi Arabia have been cut out and sewing has gone ahead -  for two reasons.  The little six-year old girl for whom they are to become a birthday present needs them by November 29, and they have to be on their way as soon as possible, in order to negotiate the postal services involved between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.  Two are completed, a third is almost there and the final one has to be stuffed, and have his ears and tail sewn on.  We're hoping they will be on their way by the middle of this week.

The next post will show Noel, The Christmas Rabbit completed and ready for listing (if he has not already arrived at the www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com shop).  We will wait to tell you about the production of the Saudi Arabian bunnies, and show pictures of them, until they have safely arrived.  After all, they are as much a surprise to MB-P and her sister, CB-P, as they will be to their little baby-sitting client and to show them in a blog post before they arrive would spoil it for all concerned.  We know that we have readers in Saudi Arabia (according to the Blogger Stats, anyway) so they may be among them!  Suffice to say that Isobel and I think they're very sweet and that they should be enjoyed by all concerned!

That's it for now. Goodnight everyone! Cy Bear.

Back again - quicker than expected!

Hello everyone - as the title indicates, things haven't turned out too badly after all.  But, before going any further, thank you so much for your sympathetic comments on my plight!  I heard from several new people (welcome to the world of Coldham Cuddlies!) and some good friends too.  It was such a comfort! Especially to find that some of you had suffered in a similar manner - and felt as bereft  as I did earlier this week!

As I feared, though:  original picture-taker, a.k.a digital camera. was declared terminal when I took it into the camera shop in Salisbury city centre on Monday!  Guess what, though?  There was a special offer on, and I'm now the proud, if slightly apprehensive, owner of a Canon Power A1200. It seems to be easier to understand and get my non-technical head around than my original, but...... the practice pics I took when I got the new toy home certainly seem to be a lot better than I have been taking, so....  once I've completed the sewing tasks, etc listed in the last post, I'll have to take new shots of every one in the shop at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com - because as husband P says, this new gizmo should certainly help to sell the toys better!

My fears regarding the memory card on the original camera were also realised.  However, the problem of saving the pictures I had on it have been solved.  Originally, I appealed to techie daughter and son-in-law, who were prepared to lend their expertise without equivocation (bless them, I knew they would!)  However, I just happened to be going past Boots, The Chemist's local shop in Warminster yesterday, and wondered if they could help - and guess what?  They have a Kodak Instant Photo kiosk within their walls!  So, this morning I negotiated the various steps involved in transferring pics to CD, and this evening have managed to transfer them from CD to my picture gallery.  So, in the next day or so, once I've taken the final pics of Christmas Rabbit (he's going to have to be called something else when listed, but this name will do for the time being) and listed him, his construction process will be posted here, with relevant illustrations along the way.

The pictures of Slater's Barn have also been salvaged - and, as promised, will feature as a separate post.

As I said, not such a bleak picture after all! And, here's just a taster for the next Rabbit post!

New Rabbit's jacket in its early stages

Good Night - and God Bless you all.  You're a bunch of stars in supporting me!  Isobel

Update - with mixed news

Isobel just looking in with a quick update - and as the title indicates, the news is mixed:  mostly good, but some problems are looming, which may mean a break in blogging activities for a week or so, but hopefully not!

Let's deal with the problem first:  my digital camera has succumbed to a recumbent position!  In other words, it's kaput.  Was in the middle of doing a shoot of Slaters Barn (where we held the MacMilllan Cancer Coffee Morning on September 30) when everything just jammed.  Even turning it off, taking out the batteries, putting in news ones all resulted in the same thing - a black screen with "Version 1" blinking.  Occasionally, the pics would come back when I hit one of the buttons (I tend to panic when technology goes wonky!) but it would be accompanied by a pathetic beep, so I realised things were bad.

On Saturday morning, I took the offending equipment to the only place in Warminster that might have been able to give an opinion - the local photograpy shop (we don't have such a thing as a camera shop in town!)  The young man there said the Menu button was stuck - and without that, the camera was definitely unwell, if not terminally ill!  I cannot even get the memory card to load onto the computer, which the young man in the photographer's den said might be a possibility.  So, the pics I had in the camera - some blow-by-blow accounts of the latest Christmas Rabbit as well as Slater's Barn - are on the memory card, but I don't have a camera with which to load them onto the computer.  Without a camera therefore, blogging is going to become somewhat boring for you nice folks to read;  hence the possibility of a break in communications.

However, all may not be lost.  Tomorrow, husband (P) and I are due in Salisbury for one of his regular hospital check ups.  I know they have camera shops in that city, and one is  near a shop that we have on our shopping itinerary!  So, will take said dying camera in to see if they can resurrect it - and if not, well we'll have to see about getting a replacement.  The camera in question was purchased some five or six years ago, as a special offer (saving some 30-40 GBP) and was not quite the latest thing at the time - only offering 6.0 megapixels, when 7.5 or 8.0 megapixels were the latest thing!  Didn't really know what that meant then (am not sure that I really do now, actually!) but I know cameras that are on the market now offer a whole lot more.  When I got it, I was fearful of it - now cannot do without it, whether it be on www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com business or general family duty.  P and I have decided a replacement must be considered, so.....watch this space.

Thus, all may not be lost, because I presume that the memory card I have should be useable in the new one?  Unless, of course, like everything else related to technology, they have moved on and the one I have has now been superseded by some whizzy new version that will not accept my current card!

So, having covered the bad news - and got it off my chest!  What's the good news?  Have got two more orders.  Yes - two of them, all in one week!   Another Uncle Brendan Brown Rabbit has been requested by Mme. AB a resident of Versailles in France (and the replacement for Uncle Brendan currently en route to Everett, WA has yet to be started!).  Then the funds arrived by the usual route from MB-P in Saudi Arabia for the four customised Baby Rabbits.  

Incidentally, I am indebted to MB-P for the title, tag, label - call it what you will - for the Purple Baby Rabbit she has ordered.  When I make a batch to list on www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com, once the project is complete and the Birthday Present is on it's way,  they will be entitled "Lovely Little Lavender Rabbits"!  (If they were French, they'd have to be "Lapins" would they not?)  Think the alliteration rather catchy - don't you?  Anyone got an idea of how to label the Pink ones that are also part of the custom order?  All ideas welcome, as I'm not really terribly original when it comes to catchy names!

Christmas Brown Rabbit is almost complete (he was originally meant to be Uncle Brendan's replacement - but I got hijacked by some other material I came across when sorting out fabrics for the replacement project, never dreaming I'd get another order for him so rapidly!  His leather boots are stuffed and ready to be fixed to his legs, his coat just needs to be firmly attached over his waistcoat - and he's going to have a bow-tie rather than a stock to finish off his oufit.  Then he'll be brushed off and get listed (once I've got the pictures ready to do so!)

So, guess what - not only may I not be blogging because of lack of professional equipment, but I'll be busy sewing the rabbit families in order to get them off.  Wish someone could invent a way of sewing, blogging and photographing all at the same time!  Life might not get quite so complicated then!

William White Bear - looking a little wistful.  He'd love a new Christmas home!

Wish me luck - on all fronts.  Bye for now.  Isobel

Off to Everett, WA and Home again once more

Hello Everyone:  it's Cy Bear continuing the information provision about all our family and friends at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com!

Brendan Rabbit and Cy Bear at the door

As I told everyone in our last post, Brendan Brown Rabbit is now on his way to his Forever Home in Everett, WA, USA to join his new Best Friend, Georgia Dunn who is a fellow blogger under the name of Pseudoctopus - The Art & Adventures of Georgia Dunn.  She paints wonderful pictures and tells great stories about them.  Isobel loves reading them and thoroughly recommends folks to visit the site and see for themselves.

Am pleased to say that Brendan's replacement is well on his way to joining the Family at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com.  Isobel has sewn his head - he just needs his facial features to be embroidered on - and his body and clothing is ready to be put together.

We've heard from our great friends in Saudi Arabia, too.  Eldest daughter of the family, MB-P, is leading this order for 4 special baby rabbits.  There's one of our White Baby Bunnies in the collection, but it is being joined by an all-Pink  Baby Bunny, a Pink and White fronted Baby Bunny and a Lavender and White-fronted Bunny.  They are destined as a 6th Birthday Present for a little girl that MB-P and her sister baby-sit and Isobel has got to have the package in Saudi Arabia by the end of November.  Not much time left, then!

And, finally, for this post anyway, we've received a picture of our friend Brr Bear - enjoying the late Autumn sunshine with his Best Friend, Mrs. DK, sitting on a table in the garden a couple of week's ago.  Doesn't he look a smart, happy chap now he's got his new coat?

That's it for this post.  Cy Bear signing off - until the next time!

Officially introducing the Coldham Glove Puppets

This is Cy Bear posting tonight, because Isobel feels it's appropriate for me - as Official Coldham Cuddlies Mascot - to introduce the new members of our Family to you and by that I mean The Glove Puppets..  There were six in the picture below, but only five have been listed at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com - because one of them, Rabbit Glove Puppet - was sold on the very first day they were launched by Isobel last week.  Just to remind you, here is the picture of the six Puppets:

Isobel has already replaced Rabbit Glove Puppet and she will be listed on Etsy after we've completed this post.

As you can see, some have neckwear, others do not.  The neckwear is different - to differentiate them as boys and girls.  Boys have stocks, or neckties:  the girls have collars, on which Isobel has embroidered dots and crosses, and because they are intended as Christmas presents or Stocking Stuffers (whatever that means!), the colours Isobel used for the colours are bright, festive ones - reds, greens, yellows and in the case of Fox Glove Puppet, they are blue and purple decorative additions.

So, the first Glove Puppet to be featured in this blog is the one on the left - Golden Teddy (Etsy Listing #82953359).  He has appeared in a previous blog, when Isobel first told you about the original Bear Puppets patients in the ColdhamCuddlies Soft Toy Clinic (Etsy Listing #79124185).  But, in case you can't remember - or cannot be bothered to look for the photograph - here he is again, but this time the picture is taken outside in the garden here:

(Etsy Listing 82953359)

All the Glove Puppets are the same size in the hand area, but their head dimensions do vary because they have different shaped ears and faces.  The bear puppets, because Bears look more complete with them, have paw pads made of suedette.  The others do not, because when Isobel pinned them on, they did not look right!  However, if anyone buying any Puppets lacking these additional features - but wants them - of course Isobel will be happy to add them.  The hand area of the puppets are 9-1/2 inches (20 cms) wide and 13-3/4 inches (35 cms) long from shoulder to hem.  The hems are bound with cotton seam binding and all the finger guides are cardboard, covered with calico - to keep the polyester fibre stuffing used in each head from being pulled through when being played with.  That does mean that the Puppets are not washable, but could certainly be dry-cleaned if they got very dirty.  But then, I am sure whoever becomes a Forever Friend of a Puppet would not make them dirty in the first place!

The next Puppet to be introduced is Fox Glove Puppet (Etsy Listing #82957532)- who has a white felt collar decorated with purple dots and blue crosses.  Here is a picture of her:

Fox Puppet, with hand inside

Panda Glove Puppet comes next sitting on the bench, and although he is a Bear Puppet, he does not have paw pads as you can see.   Because his arms are all black - instead of being all the same colour as the other puppets are - Isobel felt that he had sufficient additions without having brown suedette or felt coloured pads fitted.  He has a blue stock, which is fixed in place with a sprig of holly, made with felt, sewn on.  If anyone wanted a girl Panda Puppet, that would not be a problem.  Isobel just needs to be told.

The hand inside Panda is a man's big hand which just fits!

The next Puppet featured is Rabbit Glove Puppet - the one who was sold on September 30.  As I said earlier, she has been replaced, and will be listed later - so at the moment she does not have an Etsy listing.  We'll give that to you all in our next post, but meanwhile here is a picture of her:

Sitting next to Rabbit Puppet is the Puppet which looks a little bit like me.  He's a Brown Bear Puppet (Etsy Listing #82955598), and together with Golden Teddy will be given away (or a replica of them will be) to a children's hospital or hospice, once Ed Ted's Best Friend has decided where they will be sent.  He has paw pads made of light beige felt, because the suedette would not show up very well.  The two bear puppets don't have neckwear, because they were made from the composite of the two original home made puppets who were Soft Toy Clinic patients, and they had pads, but no neckwear.  The ties and collars are  Isobel's additions - and I  like them.  Hope you all do too!

The lady' whose hand is moving Brown Bear had her spectacles round her neck at the time!

Our final picture is of White Rabbit Glove Puppet (Etsy Listing #82961072).  He's terribly fluffy and looks much bigger than the others, but is made from exactly the same pattern as all the others.  He was made from a piece of fabric Isobel was given which was just the right size to be used for this project.  He has a bright green felt stock tie on, which is fixed in place with a yellow, felt star (or Isobel's version of a star!).  He  was almost sold on September 30 in place of the Brown Rabbit puppet.  The lady who made the purchase decided that Brown Rabbit was perhaps  more "practical" for a 2-year old Forever Friend than White Rabbit would be.

(Etsy Listing #82961072)

So, there you are - the whole Glove Puppet troupe, all looking for their Forever Homes and meanwhile, waiting to be joined by who ever Isobel decides will be made next.  Presently, she's begun to make Brendan Rabbit's replacement.  He's off to Everett, Washington State, USA at the week-end, and we'll be posting a farewell picture of him and me when we come together next.  Meanwhile, think this is enough for you all to be going on with.  Bye for today!  Cy Bear.

Report on the MacMillan Cancer Greatest Coffee Morning in the World 100th Anniversary Celebration

As promised in the last post, here is a more detailed report on the recent 100th Anniversary celebration of  the MacMillan Cancer charity organised in Heytesbury, Wiltshire, on September 30, 2011.  It was but one of many such parties taking place in the local area, as well as around the country.  I have just telephoned the organiser of the event to learn that the grand total at our particular venue raised a magnificent 1,157.00 GBP (USD 1,780.53)!  The whole national jamboree was entitled The Greatest Coffee Morning in the World.

It was a two-hour session, held in a venue situated in a parkland setting, about 3 minutes drive from our home, and while normally walkable, with all the Cuddlies in their various bags to haul round, a car ride was the logical means of delivery!

The venue is called Slater's Barn, and  has quite a story attached to it - which will form the subject of another blog.  The building  looked most inviting upon arrival last Friday morning.  The sun was shining, the temperature was comfortably warm at the start - heating up rapidly as the event carried on - and seemed to be well attended.   Apparently, from a regular participant's viewpoint, the turn-out was a little disappointing, the cause being the unseasonably hot weather.  When temperatures are hitting the low 80's, one does not tend to think about Christmas presents - rather when it will be possible to get to the seaside with the family, I think!  Most years, the autumnal weather is a more reasonable 50 degrees max, usually damp and purchasing Christmas gifts do provide a welcome distraction.

This snapshot was  taken by a neighbour who happened to be passing the table on which the Coldham Cuddlies from www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com, were displayed.  I didn't lay them out in any particular order of preference or size, but somehow they all looked very happy to be where they were.  They certainly must have preferred being open to view - rather than cooped up in plastic bags however spacious- and squeezed into a cupboard in our bedroom, which is where they are usually to be found!  Ed Ted and the gentlemen toys were propped up on the window behind me - which was open to a gentle breeze wafting in and keeping the blazing heat from making everyone in the facility over warm.

There was sufficient space between each display stall for ease of movement from front to back of each table, and I must say,  I was very impressed by the facility itself.  There was a nice carpetted floor, the walls were a neutral cream shade, which set off everyone's products well and there were about eight stalls offering their hand-crafted materials and products for the citizens of  Heytesbury and the surrounding villages of the Wylie River valley.  There were several radiators to be seen - a comforting prospect for most occasions of this sort in the UK and there seemed to be adequate lighting on offer too. Mind you,  my experience is limited  in matters of  charity bazaar venues - this was only my first attempt at participating in a bazaar sale.

One accessed the venue through a floor to ceiling glass door - if memory serves - and entered a vestibule with sufficient room for a table offering hot beverages (coffee, tea - and on this occasion, plenty of cold drinks).  Exhibitors were plied with as much coffee/tea as they required (for free!) and products ranged from the Cuddlies hand made toys, via decorated plant pots, painted key holder boards, and key rings, via a stall offering hand-made electric clocks (with backgrounds which could be chosen to order), there was a table for selling Christmas cards and wrapping paper, another featuring aromatherapy products - many home made, two more were selling raffle tickets (well attended - and I won a bottle of cider!) and finally a table featuring handmade calendars and cards of Heytesbury and the surrounding villages.  In the entrance area, as well as the Coffee area, there was a Home made Cake Stall which seemed to do brisk business.

In the opinion of the organiser, the Silent Auction (a variation of the Tombola theme) was responsible for the greater proportion of the final total.  This is a fund-raising concept that I'd not come across before arriving in Heytesbury three years ago.  Items on offer are laid out (there were three on this occasion, including a three-day trip to Paris in a 5 star hotel - which raised 300 GBP (USD 461.54) by itself) with a sheet of paper and a pencil beside it.  Visitors are invited to place a value on the item and the winner is the one that places the highest value on it.  The modus operandi seems to be very popular hereabouts - I wonder how many of my Followers and readers have come across it?

From my viewpoint, the event was the launch pad for the new Glove Puppet range I had been developing over the past few weeks - which have featured in recent posts in this blog, particularly in "Introducing Glove Puppets to the Cuddlies" - 02/09/2011.  Despite plans to make 8 or 9, time ran out and I was only able to produce 6 completed Puppets.  Having photographed them the day before, so that they could be listed after the event on www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com, they were given a prominent place on the table and I was surprised and very pleased that they attracted a lot of positive attention, and one was even sold.

Six Glove Puppets sitting on a wooden bench

All the Glove Puppets, shown together in the picture above, will feature in their own blog shortly, so I won't tell you which Puppet was sold.  She is destined to become the Forever Friend of a little 2 year old relative of the wife of the former Head Coachman to H.M. Queen Elizabeth.  She and her husband have a home in the village.  I don't think Glove Puppet will be living at Buckingham Palace, but I do know that the gentleman has sons who presently continue to fulfill that duty for Her Majesty - so maybe, Glove Puppet could be living after Christmas on the estate at Hampton Court Palace in Surrey, where I believe the Royal Coaches are kept when they are not on duty at various State Occasions.

In addition to the Glove Puppet sale, two Baby Rabbits (one Brown and White (Etsy Listing #73079287) and one Grey and White (Etsy Listing #73147987) found New Best Friends.  The Grey and White Bunny's Forever Friend (due to be a little girl) was in fact due to arrive in the world that very day!  Have yet to discover whether that happy event did take place.

For a first attempt, I was satisfied with the proceedings.  I learned a lot about display etc. made some new acqaintances from the village, and  may be receiving another patient for the Soft Toy Clinic - another bear.  The lady took a card - but, alas, I was not "on the ball" enough to take her contact details at the same time.  My sales technique requires some brushing up!  However, one lives and learns - and as I mentioned earlier, it was my first venture into such activities. 

Till the next time - when the new Glove Puppets, already listed at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com, will be featured.  All the best.  Isobel

Just checking in - and playing catch up as well

I cannot believe that it is nine days since I posted here - so think it's appropriate that a degree of catch up takes place with me notifying you of what you're likely to be seeing from both the Etsy shop (www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com) where we have a definite departure scheduled for later this week, and six new listings.  Both items will probably form the subject of at least one blog post.

The Greatest Coffee Morning in the World in aid of MacMillan Cancer's 100th Anniversary took place as scheduled on September 30.  Attendance, according to the regular participants, was not as great as usual.  That  may have been because the temperatures were soaring into the high 70's-low 80's and people's minds were just not focussed on Christmas present purchasing - more likely to be how they could pack the family off for the week-end to the nearest coastal town to bask in the promised sunshine.  Nevertheless, from the Cuddlies' point of view, we had three sales in the two hour session - one of which was a newly-launched Glove Puppet.  I'll be posting a separate blog about all of them, of course, but meanwhile here is a taster:

Six Little Glove Puppets sitting on a Bench

I'll not identify the one on her way to a  2 year-old New Best Friend for Christmas.  That can wait till the blog itself appears.  All the Glove Puppets were received with enthusiasm and have been listed at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com with their own Glove Puppets Section.  It is my intention to make more of them, once I've sorted myself out.  They are attractive, individual, reasonably quick to make (2-3 days maximum) and I think are an exciting addition to the ColdhamCuddlies family. All five remaining ones have already been favourited by one of my fellow Etsians - and they were only listed late on  Saturday evening!  Even allowing for the fact that the USA is behind us in time zones, think that is a pretty amazing result!

The venue for the Charity Bazaar is a pretty amazing one - Slater's Barn  is a specially constructed facility which presumably is used for outside functions, besides the annual MacMillan Cancer jamboree.  It has it's own kitchen facilities and is carpetted, has central heating (so can be used year round) and good lighting (which was not required on Friday morning - given that blazing sunlight was streaming through the windows).  I know I said I would take the camera with me to take pictures of the display table - alas, in the rush to get out in time to set up, although I took spare batteries, the camera did not make it into the bag!  (All was not lost, however:  one of our neighbours was dragged by his wife to the bazaar, he had his camera with him and he kindly has provided some snapshots - which give an indication of the stall and it's owner!) 

However, I have a cunning plan:  the property owner is a fellow attendee at the weekly Zumba Gold exercise sessions I have recently started to attend.  We had a brief chat at the Bazaar, and this Tuesday, I'm going to ask if I can go round and have a clicking session on my own.  If that happens, think Slater's Barn history would make an interesting change of subject for a future post.  It is set in idyllic parkland, about 3 minutes drive from our home. There are several examples of lovely parkland settings  in this delightfully picturesque village - and provided the weather plays ball (which it looks as though it's not going to!), that can make the fifth future post  lined up for your edification!  Must be something of a record - at least for this embryonic blogger!

Then I'm pleased to say that one of my dressed Male Rabbits has found a new home - in Everett, Washington State and will be on his way early in the week.  It's Uncle Brendan Brown Rabbit (Etsy Listing #56013030) who has been selected, so that's another replacement project to be scheduled in between the rejuvenation of Tommy Teddy and Big Koala - the two remaining patients in the Soft Toy Clinic (Listing #79124185) .  Here is a picture of Uncle Brendan to remind you of how he looks:

There's another potential new development too.  For the past few weeks, I've been discussing with Ed Ted's Best Friend, RFE the possibility of having some special ColdhamCuddlies labels woven. (RFE  is a very capabale Graphics Designer, whom we have known since we returned from Canada in 1987, now based in Italy, but travelling regularly to Dubai and, occasionally, the UK!  Thank goodness for the internet - how did we manage without it for such matters, I sometimes wonder?)  One never knows - sometime in the future, the current Cuddlies might one day become valuable vintage toys - whose value can only be enhanced if there is a recognised label attached.  My husband has been keen to see if the idea was practical and it is increasingly looking as thought it might be!  We've got the artwork, we're in the process of getting quotes - and I hope to be attaching the chosen labels to future Cuddlies in the not too distant future.  That could form the basis of yet another blog, methinks.  I'll have to make a list - or I'll forget what I'm going to do - I'm not immune to "senior moments" these days, alas!

Right, I think I have caught up - will be posting, with Cy Bear's help, in the next few days.  Meanwhile - good bye for the moment!  Isobel

Announcing some tweaks and changes

Following our last post - or rather Cy Bear's last post - about Brr Bear's completed rejuvenation, have decided to announce some changes in future Coldham Cuddlies blog contents.  While there's still plenty to post about, feel after 72 posts plus nearly 50 Followers to our name (to those who are here, welcome - and thanks for your support), perhaps I can afford to let others participate as well.  Thus, in the next few weeks, I shall be inviting fellow Etsy toymakers,  and friends who have invited me recently, to Guest blog here, and will also be providing links to other interesting, toy-related items that I've come across as well.

Before doing so, think one has to wrap up some unfinished items - and I'll begin with an update about Panda Bear who left us recently to go to a new home in Saudi Arabia.  A photograph arrived earlier this week from his new home, showing him looking very comfortable with his new Best Friend.  I don't know what Best Friend's name is, but Panda Bear definitely looks as though he needs to do a bit of growing!  On the other hand, Best Friend will soon be big enough to want to cuddle him, so perhaps he'd better stay the size he is!

Next, in an effort to increase the "relevancy" of my tags for the toys in the Shop at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com, I've slightly changed the names I've given to all the dressed toys.  Over the weeks I've been posting here at www.ColdhamCuddlies.blogspot.com. I've been referring to the ColdhamCuddlies family at varying intervals.  Decided (when I was ironing the other day,  or it might have been when I was washing up - both activities encourage thoughts and new ideas!) that the inclusion of family type labels might be helpful in attracting viewers to the shop.  Accordingly, if folks want to visit www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com, you will see that the Foxes are now labelled:

Auntie Prim Fox   Daddy Ferdinand Fox   Uncle Chuck Coyote   Mummy Fox (those my daughters had - and one still has - were christened such!)  Uncle Charlie Coyote  Cousin Francis Fox (although very smart, he doesn't look paternal - to my mind at any rate)

The Rabbits have been similarly labelled - Daddy White Rabbit  Aunty Grey Rabbit  Uncle Brendan Brown Rabbit  Grampa Grey Rabbit  Grandma White Rabbit  Auntie Brenda Brown Rabbit

Don't know what will happen - but when I checked the Activity site at www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com before starting this post earlier, the Brown Rabbits had both already been favourited!  Here's hoping for increased viewing activity anyway.

Finally, with a view to being ready for the Greatest Coffee Morning in the World jamboree in aid of MacMillan Cancer Research on Friday, September 30, I've begun to really focus on the Glove Puppets (three are finished, one is almost complete and I'm hoping to have at least another four or five more before the great day).  Any left over (hope I'm not being too over-optimistic, but I'm quite excited by their potential, I have to admit) I'll list in the shop immediately.  (Incidentally, MacMillan Cancer are celebrating 100 years this year, which is even more exciting, don't you think?)

Before the great day, though, I am looking for something to perch them on - to display them to better advantage.  I have contacted some embroidered t-shirt and promotional badge companies in the area - good old Yellow Pages! (as well as my upholstery friends in Frome - the source of my polyester fibre and off cut materials).  I have asked if they can save me some of the plastic cones that the yarns they use - either wool or cottons - are spun round..  The Frome friends have said they'll keep some out of their bins for me.  The other contact has yet to get back, which means they probably cannot help.  I'm hoping for about 12-24, if I can get them in time.   I  also think the Lady Toys might look good perched on them,  as well as the Glove Puppets.  It would show off their skirts (and maybe pantaloons, as well!)  If not, I'll have to make do and mend somehow, but think the cones would be great, if I can get  them.   Obviously, I'll be taking the camera along, and if lighting etc. permits, will be photographing the stall etc.

Also, this morning, Brr Bear was handed back to Mrs. DK - who was seemingly very pleased with his new look.  One comment made was that until I'd mentioned the wrong nap on Brr's original coat in one of my blogs about the renovation project recently, she had forgotten that she had always had to brush him differently when she used to "fluff him up" as a child!  She has promised to have a photograph taken of Brr Bear sitting in his accustomed position on her bed - and it might also contain her beside him!  That would be a fitting close to that particular chapter of this blog, I believe.  When received, I'll post it on the blog to complete the rejuvenation story.

And that, my friends, is it for this post.  Will be taking photographs of the Glove Puppets when more are complete, and they will form the next post here - shortly.  I did promise not to specify dates, as I never seem to be able to keep them!  So... for now.....Good night, and God Bless!   Isobel

Renovation of Brr Bear - Final stages

Hello there folks - Cy Bear back again, ready to continue Brr Bear's story.  As you can see from this post's title, Brr Bear is now finished.  Here is a picture of him, before I continue the blow-by-blow account of the final stages of his treatment.

Brr sitting on the left-over piece of his coat fabric

When I left you last time, Isobel had got Brr Bear's head sewn up with the wood stuffing inserted in his muzzle.  The next day, she completed sewing up all his limbs, ears and body and then began to stuff each of them individually.  Before putting in the polyester fibre, she tacked  Brr Bear's original body pieces to the matching piece of his new coat before sewing up each seam.  That way, Brr Bear remains in body, if not in view!

Each limb had a joint attached and because there were two pieces of fabric for the post to go through, Isobel used a knitting needle to make the initial hole.  The joint post then went in quite easily as a result and the arthritic fingers Isobel suffers from coped quite well.  She does find it quite difficult to get the limbs to stay tightly together, but they are fine for Brr Bear I'm pleased to say.

By this time, it was Friday again (where do the weeks go to, I wonder?) and the weekly meeting with Mrs.DK Brr's Best Friend took place.  The chosen brown eye was returned.   It was agreed that the growler would be put in so that Brr Bear spoke when he was tilted forwards (the positioning of the growler inside a bear apparently is crucial in deciding whether  he/she has to be tilted forwards or backwards in order to make a noise!).  The things we bears have to put up with!  Finally, Mrs. DK did not want claws to be embroidered on to Brr's legs and paws - as she could not remember him ever having any!

Brr prefers to sit down, so he is propped against the printer for his sideways view

With all that settled, Isobel was able to put the eyes into Brr's face immediately she began Friday evening's sewing session, and then stuffed the rest of the head, gathered the neck around the joint piece and attached his head to his body.  Then each limb was put in place and the body began to be stuffed.  Isobel laid Brr Bear on his tummy, put a layer of polyester fibre in position in the middle of his body and then put the growler in.  After that she arranged the stuffing all round the growler, making sure that the end with the holes in faced backwards so that he spoke properly!  Once he was fully stuffed, the final seam on his body was completed and I'm told you cannot feel the growler at all - but he certainly makes a noise when he gets moved!

That item was a first for Isobel, and she is very relieved that it appears to have worked!  She has a booklet provided to her by another company providing bear basics which gives her step-by-step instructions on how to put growlers in, sew on ears etc. which she refers to all the time. However, it's one thing to read about it:  quite another to actually do it!

When the body and head were fixed together, it was time for Brr Bear's ears to be placed on his head.  With the eyes in place, and head on the body it is much easier to see where they should be attached, and Isobel pinned them in place - but left them to be completed the next day, because they can always look different in daylight!  With the aid of the picture of Brr Bear which she had been consulting along the way, there were some adjustments to be made, but she thinks she has now got them in more or less the right position.  (It may not be exactly where he had them before, because with a new coat and two layers of fur there is a slight difference in size - not really noticeable - but it does affect the position of such things as ears, noses and mouths.)

Brr isn't lop-sided:  it's just that he does not like to stand!

Having got the ears sewn in firmly, the penultimate thing  to be done were the facial features.  His nose was embroidered on, as was his mouth and then Brr Bear was ready to be introduced to the world once more.
However, when Isobel looked at him this morning, Brr Bear looked as though his mouth was a little crooked.  She undid the stitching, re-did the mouth and - hey presto - he now has a really cheerful, straightforward look and I'm proud to call him my latest Bear friend and honorary member of the Coldham Cuddlies family!

The final thing Brr Bear needed though was to have his muzzle plucked.  This is an optional bit of facial grooming, and Mrs. DK specifically asked that it be done for Brr Bear as she could not remember him looking any other way but bare-nosed!  This action, too, was a first for Isobel and took quite a bit of time.  Using a pair of tweezers (from a manicure set) Isobel plucked the fur off and used the wood stuffing edge to provide the borders.   This action is provided as an extra treatment in the Clinic (Etsy Listing #79124185)
 at a cost of £10.00 GDP.

Brr Bear - ready to stride off back home

With that, I'll end this post -  Cy Bear.

Isobel, meanwhile, is pleased to tell everyone that Brown Bear Glove Puppet is complete and she is well on the way to completing Panda Bear Glove Puppet.  These will form the next post in a couple of days or so.  Tommy Teddy's fabric arrived at the end of last week, but his treatment is not going to begin until after the Greatest Coffee Morning in the World (in aid of MacMillan Cancer) on September 30.  Philippa, Tommy Teddy's Best Friend is quite agreeable to the delay and it will enable me to produce some more Glove Puppets with different animal heads in the interim.  They seem to be taking me a couple of evenings to produce, which is helpful!  Now I, too, will end this post!  Isobel

Brr Bear Renovation Project - the next stage

Hello again - Cy Bear here, being allowed to tell you what has been happening to my friend Brr Bear. In our last post, Isobel left him waiting for a bath, I believe, and I am pleased to tell you that the dousing happened later that evening.  He was soaked in a lukewarm bath with a soapy substance especially meant for "delicate" fabrics.  His pieces spent the whole night in the solution, and early next morning, he was thoroughly rinsed until there were no suds left and then Isobel stretched and pulled each piece back into shape and they were hung on a rack to dry.  Here is a picture to show you what I mean!

In the interim, while they dried, Isobel had a conversation with Mrs. DK, Brr Bear's Best Friend.  It was agreed that the wood stuffing used to stuff the muzzle area of Brr Bear's face should be used again, that his eyes would definitely be brown, but bigger than the ones that had been taken out and the growler to be placed within his torso was also chosen.  However, when Isobel got back home, she realised that she had more than one version of a brown eye!  So, she sent a sample of each to Mrs. DK for her to choose and the answer was received by telephone this morning.

So, while Isobel was waiting, she actually cut out and started sewing another Bear Glove Puppet - this time a Brown Bear - who by the look of it is going to resemble my good self!  He's not made of Beaver Lamb like me, but a nice soft dark brown plush fur fabric (whose label is Bruno, actually - which I am told is a bear type name!)  We'll post about him another time, because this is supposed to be all about Brr Bear, but you may be interested to know that the body is completed, as is the head.  They've just got to be put together, once the ears have been put in place.

Then last night, Isobel suddenly realised that it was already Monday evening and Brr Bear was supposed to be ready to be handed over on Friday.  So, she got a move on, and ironed all Brr Bear's pieces, drew a cardboard template of all of them and then transferred them on to the mohair fabric that we'd got from Bear Basics a few days ago.

Taken under electric light - hence the yellowish tinge to the fabric!

One thing that Isobel noticed when she was deconstructing and washing Brr Bear was how on some pieces the way the fur laid on the fabric differred.  Now Isobel takes a great deal of trouble to ensure that all our fur is lying facing the same direction.  In this picture - of Brr's arms as it happens - the fur is going in two different directions - can you see?

Now I know one arm is the left one and the other is the right one, but even so, it must have been very uncomfortable for Brr Bear  to have his fur going in two different directions at the same time. It was the same for both sides of his face, too.   But then, if it was always that way, perhaps he did not realise it should not have been like that! Isobel is making sure that his new coat has the fur going the same way, all over. (By the way, this is the colour Brr Bear was after his bath!)

Also, talking of his new coat, because we've now learned that Brr Bear arrived in Mrs. DK's life "circa 1953-ish", and he was made by a well-known  British bear factory called Chad Valley (who are not around any more),  it does mean that he may well not be the exact colour he was before he was deconstructed.  Bear Basics provides mohair which is made by the well-known bear-making company Steiff Schulte and they may well use different goats and other materials to those that were used in the 1950's by Chad Valley to make Brr and his friends.  He will still be creamy brown and very soft and furry, but not exactly the same.  But, Mrs. DK has been warned and is ready for it!

Having drawn the pattern on to the selected fabric, Isobel then cut out the new pieces, and put them on top of Brr Bear's original pieces, matching each bit in turn.  She then placed the cardboard templates on top of the various piles - all ready to begin sewing him up, as and when she knew what colour eyes Brr Bear was going to have.  Now she does know, the construction process can begin - and, in fact, it already has.  His head has been sewn up and the wood stuffing put into the muzzle.  His body is ready to be stuffed and waiting for the growler to go in.  Next Isobel will sew up his arms, legs and ears and then the fun bit begins:  putting all the bits together.  So she's going to stop me twittering on, so she can get on with the job!

Here, before I go, is a picture of the template piles awaiting attention (before the head was sewn).  Till the next time! Cheerio.  Cy Bear.

And another thing.... because Mrs. DK's  bedroom is being "done" - to quote her - Isobel now doesn't have to deliver Brr for another week!  That's so good, because she didn't like the thought of rushing to have him finished by this coming Friday!  It also means that we can get to know each other before he finally leaves us!  I like that - as the official ColdhamCuddlies mascot (www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com)

Brr Bear Renovation Project - Deconstruction process

We've been talking about Brr Bear and his proposed treatment in the ColdhamCuddlies Soft Toy Clinic (Etsy Listing #79124185) in several posts during the last few days:  so, here is the first post about the actual process.

This is what he looked like upon arrival in the Clinic towards the end of July this year.  The delay in starting his treatment has been due to the fabric supplier for his new coat being on vacation the whole of August, and because there were other patients already in the Clinic undergoing treatment.  Therapy is offered strictly on a first-cum-first-served basis, or strictly in order of arrival.

Brr Bear sitting in Tommy Teddy's lap, both  being welcomed by Cy Bear

The first step was to send an ear off to Susan at Bear Basics to see if she was able to match his existing coat.  It's a little worn, but not nearly as bad as Ed Ted when he arrived in the clinic in early July.  By the way, Tommy Teddy is a Morrell Bear, who has been in the family since the early 1970's.  He's travelled to Western Canada and back to the UK, and even went to Belgium for a spell while my elder daughter was working there, so can be described as a "well-travelled" toy.  He was an interesting pale apricot and blue bear when new and has been sent to see if he can have a complete make-over so that he doesn't continue to let down the Bear Team back in the UK.  He arrived here at much the same time as Brr Bear, and his ear was sent off at the same time to Bear Basics.  Alas his coat match is proving more difficult to achieve.  Bear Basics has nothing to offer, but am very pleased to say that a piece of  Steiff Shulte 17mm Old Cream Windswept Finish Mohair fabric is ready and waiting to be used to renovate Brr Bear and give him a new long-term future.  Meanwhile, the search to complete Tommy Teddy's treatment goes on - with some light at the end of the tunnel, I'm pleased to be able to report.

Brr Bear while waiting for his new coat material to arrive

Now that the Glove Puppet project has been launched - but not yet listed on the www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com shop site (we're waiting for a few more to be constructed before we do so) - Brr Bear has occupied my full attention.

His sample ear came back and has joined the rest of his pieces, which have now been taken to pieces, prior to being washed.  He has accumulated "wear and tear" dust over the years he's been sitting on his Best Friend, Mrs. DK's bed, had an eye replaced - but in the wrong place, and his paw pads in particular needed replacing, as they had badly frayed.  His coat has several bare patches as well.  Mrs DK also mentioned he once had a voice:  so he will be given back  a growler, as I now have a selection in stock.  Later this week, a conversation will be held between Mrs.DK and myself so that final instructions concerning Brr Bear's reconstruction can be carried out, and she can then choose the right voice tone to be placed within his body when it is stuffed.  Meanwhile, here are some more pictures of Brr Bear - as he currently is:

This one shows Brr Bear's face (right front of picture, next to the unpicking tools),  then in the front centre is the crown and on the left of that his two ears.  Behind them is part of his body (the other half is just out of the picture, but is definitely there!), his two arms come next and on the right at the back of the photograph are his two legs pieces.  They are all inside out, waiting to be first scrubbed with a brush to remove the remaining kapok stuffing before they are washed.  Otherwise, the sink would get severely blocked, as over the years, the stuffing has collapsed and now looks like this:

I've had to put it into a plastic bag, as otherwise it would fly all over the place.  Taking it out was quite difficult and I spent a lot of time sneezing and coughing with the dust and broken down stuffing material.  Though very soft, it was very flighty!  It is destined for the garbage, together with the cotter pins and old growler once this post is complete.  We have no need for any of them now.

You will have noticed the pair of red pliers in the tool kit:  these are a vital component of getting the cotter pins out of any bear I've found.  You can see the collection of 5 different ones I've extracted from Brr Bear's arms, legs and where his head and body were joined and found when getting them separated that the original construction was nothing if not scrappy.  Put it this way - it's not to the standard I offer and it amazes me that Brr Bear has lasted as well as he has!

The final photograph for this post shows the rest of Brr Bear's innards as it were - the cotter pins, the existing non-operating growler (interestingly the current growlers are just as big - which makes the job of selection a lot easier!) - the hard wooden chip stuffing which make up his muzzle and the blue eyes (two of them - Mrs. DK was under the impression that one of his eyes had been brown originally, but when extracted, they turned out to be blue, but not the same pattern - which would account for the misunderstanding).  I'll have to establish whether or not she wants the replacements to be brown or I could still re-use the mismatched ones.  Also, as the wood stuffing is in quite good condition, will she want it put back (which I'm happy to do) or will she go with a stiff, clean polyester fibre stuffing which is my preferred option for any toys with which I am connected. 

Now the next step is to clean up the little chap and see where we go from here.  till the next post then.
                                                                            Isobel