Cuddlies Update - and extending Good Wishes for Christmas and The New Year!

Good afternoon Everyone
Having allowed Cy Bear the chance to tell you all about the Tiger Puppets and the New Member of the Cuddlies Family, Harry the Sitting Cat, as the Shop (www.COLDHAMCUDDLIES.Etsy.com) is slowing down to cope with Christmas and the New Year,  I decided to use the opportunity of this week's post to wish everyone a thoroughly Blessed Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.  (Alas, "Happy" and "Merry" when applied to Christmas these days can have some unfortunate connotations - not that I am sure these could ever be applied to our Friends and Followers!! )
The plans for the Puppets remain on track, although Grandpere Tiger has yet to reach his destination.  The tracker on the parcel indicates that he reached the USA, but he has yet to reach his Forever Home with JS and his family in Tulsa, Okalahoma - a victim, doubtless, of the international Christmas mail rush, and super security at all Customs facilities thanks to the unsettling events which we keep hearing about on our news programmes these days.  JS has promised to let us know when Grandpere does reach him, and I'm praying (literally) that he'll make it before Christmas, even though he's not exactly a present as such.   As a result of this hiatus, it has been mutually agreed that even if completed, the Puppet bodies that have been ordered will not be consigned until after the Christmas/New Year period is over.  
Meanwhile, Cy Bear did mention last week that I was intending to make some curtains for the kitchen windows of my new home.  The mission  has been successfully accomplished  and now keep the draughts out, even though the room is somewhat darker than of yore.  

 
These provide an idea of what they look like - and I'm very pleased with the way they have turned out.  It's been nearly twenty years since I made any curtains - but I suppose, like the skill of riding a bicycle, once you've acquired it, the knowledge does not go away - merely reposes in the memory, and one hopes it can easily be resurrected when required!  This time around, having been asked to help daughter Clare recently when she made a pair for the first time, the memories were still relatively fresh!
Once the curtains were up, I also put up a new Christmas Tree, and decorated it with some baubles and lights that Clare and I had purchased a week or two ago.  For the last seven or eight years, Peter and I had had a fibre optic tree which had served our purposes brilliantly.  However, in the last two, it had begun to make peculiar, sparking noises when switched on, and last year the transformer had become very hot within a short period of being plugged in.  Elder daughter, Philippa, therefore decided that tree had come to the end of it's useful life, and although it accompanied me during the move from Wiltshire, I bowed to her insistence that a new tree should be purchased.  Accordingly, having arrived a few days ago, it is now up and lit - by two packs consisting of three AAA batteries. The interesting part will be to see how long the batteries last!  

Before any one enquires:  the picture on the wall is one that has been part of my life since the 1970's and was a gift from a Chinese priest friend from Hong Kong whom we'd had the pleasure of entertaining and helping after he'd trained in Italy, and had found himself - with no where to stay or any  means of getting back to Hong Kong.  He arrived on our doorstep one week-day morning and once we'd learned his story, Peter - who was at that time a Catholic journalist - used his connections to not only get an air-ticket home, but also to put his newly acquired priestly skills to good use.   He visited parishioners and when he wasn't doing that, he spent the whole time playing (and keeping entertained) daughter Philippa, who was then just over a year old.  (Peter was also in charge of a small rural Catholic parish in Suffolk, UK - because the incumbent priest was too ill to fulfill his duties. Part of his duties were to provide priests for the Sunday Masses each week, so, having a genuine priest on site was a great assistance to us at the time! ).
The picture is a silk screen painting of a Chinese Madonna and Child, and we used it as our family Christmas card several years ago.  It has travelled everywhere we've been since 1971 and has been joined by similar silk screen pictures of views of the Forbidden City in Beijing - one of which came from our Chinese guest, and the others from a Chinese professor's brother, whom we got to know when we were living in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 1975 and 1987!  It can be a small world sometimes!  All hang in my current living room, and are still referred to as "The Chinese Wall"!
Before we close for Christmas - here's a picture of Cy Bear taking part in a farewell photo session for one of the Dressed Coyotes in our Shop.  He's been adopted by a family in Cambridge, UK, and was duly dispatched on Tuesday of this week. 

His Forever Friend is a little boy and he's been wrapped up in Christmas paper, which we hope will still be appropriate by the time he arrives at his destination.  He too was launched into the turmoil that is known as Royal Mail at Christmas Time, but did travel via a route that should have ended up with him being signed for by 1300 GMT the following day.  We've not heard to the contrary, but we hope that it's a case of "no news, being good news"!  (However, if he does arrive late, I've been assured the New Forever Friend has a birthday in February, so Charlie Coyote will become the back-up present for that occasion!)
That means we've no Dressed Coyotes in stock at the moment - as Chuck Coyote found himself a Forever Home at the Craft Fair - which was part of the Kirkby in Ashfield Christmas Carnival on December 5th.
On that hopeful note, I'll close this post!  Please take it that Cy Bear is not only bidding Charlie Coyote farewell, but also wishing you all a lovely time with your Families and Friends in the upcoming festive season.  I do too!  
Isobel

An Etsy Team Members Get Together - and A Ginger Sitting Cat joins the Coldham Cuddlies' Family.

Greetings to You All - from your Friendly Beaver Lamb Bear - Coldham Yogi (Cy to his friends). Today, as a change from telling you about our Puppet adventures - Tigers, or otherwise - and as I intimated in my last post, I'm going to tell you about a new Friend who has come to join the Coldham Cuddlies Family - The Ginger Sitting Cat.

Prototype of the Ginger Sitting Cat

Sometime in June or July, we got a request from LucyF  a fellow member of one of the Etsy Teams that Isobel has joined.  She enquired whether Isobel might be able to make her a Cat because her Grandmother had lost her cat, Harry, earlier in the year, and she wanted to give her a Companion Toy for Christmas to help her get over her loss.   Now regular Followers of this blog will recall that Isobel was involved organising a home move for herself and the Cuddlies - from Wiltshire to Nottinghamshire at that time.  So making toys was, frankly, the last thing she was thinking about at the time.  However, it was agreed that once things had settled  down, LucyF and Isobel would get together - after a pattern had been located. In the meantime, one of the UK-based Team Leaders suggested - in one of the Daily Chats that go on (and where Isobel spends a lot of time) - that maybe some of them could get together for a meal and a chat - in real life.   (The team is the AAA Support Team on Etsy and Isobel says she's learned so much about social media (whatever that is!)  from being part of it, as well as making a lot of internet friends at the same time).  The Leader is ValR (who is an Italian lady, who lives and runs a rural craft shop in the Lake District, as well as making beautiful clocks using driftwood and other natural materials - https://www.etsy.com/shop/NaturalClocks). Very quickly LucyF (https://www.etsy.com/shop/LuckyLucysLovelies ), and  Lagney (the username of a Shop, but whose real name is Elaine - https://www.etsy.com/shop/Lagneys ), who lives near Derby and Isobel decided they'd try and do it.  LucyF, lives in Crewe which is just about mid-way between everyone, so the rendezvous was arranged to take place on November 11th, with everyone travelling by trains from their respective homes.  It was a great success - and everyone agreed that they'd try and repeat it again next year. (The regular chatterers on the AAA Support Team read on with great interest.  Although quite an undertaking - Isobel was travelling to and from for over 6 hours on various trains, and had the furthest to travel to the rendezvous.  It is a lot easier I believe to organise such gatherings in the UK,  than for those who live in the United States to get together.  I'm told there are vast distances involved on that Continent.)   Early in October, Isobel was settled in and had found her pattern library.  She dug out two Cat patterns, one of which she's had since she first began making Toys in the 1950's and another in a book that Clare had given her as a present some four years' ago, shortly after www.Etsy.com/Shop/COLDHAMCUDDLIES had opened.  Whilst she'd always wanted to make a Cat, there had never been a request for one to be made, so she scanned the two photographs and emailed them to LucyF.  One Photo was of a Sitting Persian-type Cat and the other a Standing Cat.   Both are about the same size when completed,  and LucyF decided that the Sitting Cat had the "attitude" she recalled of her Grandmother's Harry - but wondered if it could be made in Ginger and White rather than the "all over" mottled Grey in the pattern picture (a look that we could duplicate with our faux fur fabrics, if required).  As Isobel had never made the pattern before, she decided to have a go and when the AAA Support Team UK Group met in November, she took along two swatches of  plush fabric for LucyF to choose from.  The lighter colour brown - called Honey - was chosen and Isobel agreed to make LucyF's commission just as soon as she had finished the Daniel Tiger Puppet and Grandpere.   (The subjects of our last two posts here on this blog!) She decided to make two versions and leave the choice to LucyF when both were completed.  For the purposes of this story, therefore, the prototype (because of never having made a Cat of any sort before) was called Harry 1 and, not unnaturally, the second one was Harry 2.  Harry 1 gave Isobel quite a bit of grief to begin with - because the pattern pieces were not very clear.  However after several attempts, success was achieved and this was the outcome.

Harry 1 complete with Whiskers

He has green plastic pillar eyes, held firmly in place with a metal safety disc.  He's stuffed - like all Cuddlies are - with polyester fibre made to comply with all international safety standards, and his nose is a black felt one.  His ears are lined with brown felt.  His whiskers are made with slightly stiffened white cotton thread, and the other facial features provided with double knit black yarn. Once Harry 1 was completed, photos were taken of him from all sides, and e-mailed to LucyF (what would we do without all this technology?  It's marvellous - when it works!) 

 

Both the Harrys' vital statistics are as follows: 9" (23 cms) from the tip of his ears to his front paws   12"  (30 cms) from the middle of his head to the base of tail.   circa 230 g (9.5 ounces) in weight. The tail measures a further 8" (20cms) and can be arranged in whatever way you like.   LucyF was quickly back with her answer.  She was delighted with the overall look of Harry 1, but wondered if there could be more ginger plush and less white plush for the body, and she thought that the real Harry had had amber colour eyes, rather than Harry 1's green ones.  Fortunately, we had got the eyes in stock, and Isobel just adjusted the pattern when cutting out Harry 2 - so that the finished product looked like this:

We've retained the patterns (for both versions, as well as the self-colour one)  and these Sitting Cats (as opposed to our Sleeping Cats - https://www.etsy.com/listing/110444487/cuddly-furry-kittens-black-and-white-art? ) can also be made with our faux fur fabric selection.  Cat's eyes can be supplied in green, yellow and amber, and we can also provide eyes with the round irises in amber as well. Anyone wanting Isobel to make a different version to the ones shown here is invited to get in touch with her via Etsy convo (via our Shop link) or the e-mail address -  coldhamcuddlies@tiscali.co.uk.  Before I go, here is another photo of Harry 2 - who is now on his way to LucyF in Crewe, and hopefully will be a nice surprise for LucyF's Grandmother for Christmas.

Harry 2's whiskers are more black and lifelike.  They, too, can also be easily removed if there is any possibility of Little People getting hurt by them.   Isobel has just got some material to make herself some curtain for our kitchen window.  With the onset of the cold weather, the draughts that are making themselves felt need to be kept out and outweigh any possible benefits of her view while washing up - over the roof-tops of nearby houses.  They are cut out and pinned ready to be machined:  after that, Isobel will be returning to the Puppet body making front and starting to make the first four bodies ordered by JS from Tulsa, Okalahoma. See you all again soon.  Your Friend, Cy Bear.

Part 3 - Grandpere Tiger sets off: and further developments in the Puppet Saga

Hello again Everyone!   Cy Bear back again, this time to tell you how the Smith Puppet called Grandpere Tiger, mentioned in our post last week-end, was completed and sent off to his Forever Home in Tulsa, Oklahoma last Tuesday.   The actual creation process was the same as Isobel had done for Daniel Puppet, so there's no point in repeating it here.  This photograph shows Grandpere put together and waiting for his facial features and paws to have their claws embroidered on, as well as having the hem sewn neatly together.

Isobel is definitely not sure exactly what happens between Daniel and Grandpere in the grand scheme of things, but the latter was cut out with more of an orange background to his stripes - so that he does look quite a bit different from Daniel - who was made with more of the light cream fabric background.  (You can see him in our last blog - published here on 29/11/2014).   As well as the background colour, Grandpere differed greatly in his facial "look".  He has a goatee beard and a distinguished curly moustache - which created some interesting dilemmas for Isobel in the production process. Using, Double Knit Wool yarn, the goatee beard looked very bushy and she "attacked" it with a pair of scissors - which turned out to be a bad mistake.  Her hands shook while she was trying to cut it into a point, and she wasn't sure the moustache was quite long enough either.  Her first efforts ended up looking like this:

Further photos of Grandpere - from one of his sides, as well as this one - were sent to JS for comment.

These snaps were taken with Grandpere perched on cushions which are on one of the armchairs in the living room here in Old Chapel Close, and were just designed to give JS   a "flavour" of the final product.  Encouraging emails were exchanged, to the effect that Isobel was not to worry too much about the moustache, because JS  was more than prepared to do use hairspray or any other substance that would result in the desired "Hercule Poirot" look for the finished puppet!

So the original facial features were withdrawn and were replaced with longer beard (uncut) and moustache stitched lightly in place.  Clare had been suggested that some gluey substance (PVA Glue) - used by crafters for decoupage (whatever that is - being a Beaver Lamb Bear I wouldn't know what either the substance or craft was all about of course) - but Isobel was reluctant to use it on Grandpere's unspoilt fabric.  (Nor, given the incident with the first goatee beard, was she sure she could control the gluey substance!)   JS said that he would take care of the final look at the other end!.  (It's great that there's such a good working relationship between Isobel and JS, isn't it?)

When the facial features were complete, claws were embroidered on to his paws, and Grandpere was readied for his journey to Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Before he got wrapped in our usual chemical free tissue paper, though, and bubblewrapped to shield him from the bumpy ride he was about to embark on, Grandpere joined me on The Bed for the traditional farewell ceremonial photograph.

Further developments in the business relationship between JS and the ColdhamCuddlies have taken place in the past few days though.  Isobel has now been asked to make bodies for 8 different puppets for which heads and faces have been delivered to JS.  He apparently is capable of sewing them himself but told us he prefers the way Isobel sews them.  He has provided a paper pattern for Isobel to follow - and the package travelled all the way from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire  in just 4 Working Days!   In the same package was a pattern that Isobel has been asked to make for another version of Daniel - because JS's daughter felt that the original Daniel puppet looked more like another Tiger in the family, Colette.  

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To prove it, a photograph of  our Daniel, dressed in a christening gown, was sent to Isobel and the puppet now looks like this!  Not sure exactly how else one can describe this change in appearance - but "interesting!".  There is sufficient light cream background tiger stripe fabric to accommodate the new version of the new Daniel - who will have a different look when he is completed - Watch This Space!

Picture provided by JS as illustration

While Isobel was waiting for the new patterns to arrive, she cut out and has now made the first version of a new Coldham Cuddlies Toy - Ginger Cat.  It is in response to a Custom Order from one of her Team Friends (one of the quartet who recently met face to face in Crewe).  Two different versions are being made, so that LF (our Friend from the AAA Support Team on Etsy) can choose which one she'd like to give to her Grandmother, whose real cat, Harry, died earlier this year.  Once  the Fluffy Harrys are completed and the selection made, we'll  return to the Smith Puppet Saga once more - but it may be interrupted with the story of how Harry, the Ginger Cat came to be made - as is the usual modus operandi on this blog. Until then,  I'll close for this week.  Do hope everyone is thoroughly prepared for Christmas.  Isobel is off in search of a replacement Christmas Tree tomorrow, because the one she's used for the past 8 or 9 years has been deemed to be not acceptable by Philippa - who was concerned last year when it kept making funny noises when the LED lights were switched on. Take good care of yourselves, now.  Your Friend, Cy Bear. STOP PRESS:  In a message today we learn that the tracker on the package in which Grandpere is travelling indicates that he has now landed in the USA and is on his way to Tulsa.

The Smith Puppet Saga - Part 2

Greetings Everyone - Cy Bear here! Good to be with you and allowed to contribute to the exciting events happening in the Coldham Cuddlies Family.  

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You can see that I am  in my customary place, these days, on Isobel's bed.  It's much more comfortable than previously - when I was perched on top of a bookshelf in the hallway of our previous home, although  I don't now see who comes in and out to visit us!  This photo was taken when the Tiger fabric Isobel had found was photographed to send to JS - our latest customer (mentioned in our previous past last week-end).  So, it seemed obvious that I should take up the story today. The first thing was to cut out the pattern, and a new template for the Tiger Head and a puppet body (using our Hand Puppets as an example) was made for this particular project.  The body was lengthened to accommodate JS's personal dimensions from finger tip to elbow and the width of his hand from finger tip to tip of thumb.  Once the outside fabric was cut out, a lining in exactly the same size as the body was also cut out.  (Sometimes the fabric backing for the plush materials can be a bit scratchy).  Both versions (lining and outer shapes) were then hand sewn and with wrong sides facing, fitted together - meeting at neck and arm openings and the bottom hem.  It results, I am told, in a very nice, warm space for the puppeteer to operate the Tiger as and when required.

Isobel then sewed the pieces for the head, ears,

  and arms (for which she'd used the Teddy Bear arm templates she has in her Pattern Library).

They all looked like this when we sent a photograph to JS  - showing progress to date.

Then, once the eyes had been put in place (green plastic pillar eyes, with metal safety backs -purchased from a fellow Etsy  producer Clara - from 6060.etsy.com) had been fixed Isobel proceeded to build DanielS - stuffing his arms lightly to give them some bant.  The head was firmly filled and the ears attached so that he looked like some of the photographs of Daniel Tiger that JS  had provided Isobel to work with.

Some finger guides were then constructed from cardboard, which were rolled into a 2" tube  sewn in place - rather than glued or stapled - and covered with the same calico lining that the body was lined with.  To make sure that the stuffing in Daniel's head did not escape during operations, Isobel cut out a circular piece of calico and sewed it into the neck cavity.  She then cut a hole and pushed the neck finger guide through and arranged the head.  Then the whole head was attached to the body, at the neck hole.  Both arms had their finger guides sewn in as well, and then the arms were attached - as shown in the the picture below.  In order to protect the stuffing in the arms, the guides were sewn with a cover over the tube hole at one end.

You can see the difference in length of the body between Tommy Tiger, the Puppet prototype and Daniel S in this photograph, which was taken at the same time.  Tommy was made to fit a Lady's arm, because that was the only model available at the time he was cut out.

Once DanielS'  facial features (going by the photo guides we'd been given) had been done, this photo was sent to JS to see if the puppet was acceptable.  He also had some claws embroidered on to each hand.

One of the photos of the original Daniel

One of the photos of the original Daniel

A positive response was received and Daniel was then prepared for his journey to Tulsa, Okalahoma

 The next installment of this intriguing story will take place shortly - and it's getting more interesting, and exciting as the days go by.  But I'll let Isobel take up the narrative next time.                                                                           

Puppet Personalities become Associate Cuddlies - The Smith Puppet Saga: Part 1

Hello Everyone - sorry, yet again,  for the lapse in posting here, but what with a successful Craft Show now over, and replacements required before it started, and the subject of this (and subsequent posts) to also create, I've not been free to post - however much I've wanted to.

One of the exciting things of being the COLDHAMCUDDLIES Toymaker is that one never knows when, or – more often – if, one is going to get an order which will result in a Cuddly finding his/her Adoptive Home.

So, early in October, when I received a “Convo” - the Etsy “technical term” for a message from a potential Customer – from JS, whom I subsequently discovered hails from Tulsa, Oklahoma – enquiring whether I would be able to make him a Hand Puppet larger than the ones we already offer in our shop at www.Etsy,com/shop/COLDHAMCUDDLIES, I was definitely up for the challenge.

(Regular Followers of my Blog will know that I rarely, if ever, refer to my customers by anything other than their initials.  They all get copies of the post in which their Adopted Cuddly(ies) are mentioned, but I prefer to keep their full names private.  However, on this occasion I am using the surname I have been given just for the title of this, and subsequent installments, but carrying on with using intials where required. It takes up less ink, too!).

JS suggested that my Big Teddy Bears would be about the right size for what he was looking for, and I sent him a photograph of this one. 

 He replied to the effect that was that it was absolutely spot on for size and that he was looking for a Tiger Puppet, which he called Daniel and sent me an initial picture of whom he was talking about, and lo and behold the original was not an unknown quantity.

When we lived in Canada during the 1970's and 1980's, Philippa and Clare  (not to mention Peter too) were avid followers of the  American PBS television programme “Mr. Rogers' Neighbourhood” . They never went to bed in the evening without having watched that day's adventures which involved characters such as Daniel Tiger – who lived in a clock, and was not a fierce Tiger, Grandpere and Henrietta Pussy Cat. I have to say that while I recall their voices, I did not often see the puppets, because the programmes coincided with my preparations for the family evening meal. However, that has not caused a problem, because pictures of all three characters are readily available online, and JS has been able to provide me with sufficient examples to enable me to carry on with the challenge.

While waiting for his response to my initial suggestion, I'd decided that a combination of patterns would be required – the head being based on my Tiger Golf Club Covers

 and the body using the pattern for the Big Teddy Bears.

When JS's answer came in, I suggested I would start the ball rolling by making a prototype, which would become his if it worked, or would be added to the ColdhamCuddlies family, if it didn't.     Regular readers of this blog know, I'm no use without a pattern with which to work and I'm not that good at altering stuff either

Copyright issues were raised (by me – I am very careful in such matters) and having been assured that JS – incidentally a puppeteer himself – has matters of this importance well in hand and well covered (the background is contained here) I got on with the prototype. 

"My 23 year old son is a professional stage actor and has been branching out into

voice acting and has recently done some work for Funamation Studios, dubbing a

Japanese Anime series into English.   We have submitted a proposal to the Fred

Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media at Saint Vincent's College

in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.   

Part of their mission statement is to:

"Maximize the potential of the Fred Rogers Archive as a resource for study and new work."

Without a proper Daniel, we submitted the following video.   They would like to see more....

This is why I'm trying to 'clone' Daniel.

Not only do I love the idea of having these puppets for myself, but

I'm doing this in a effort to help my son,  and his very promising voice career."

 So, I got on with the commission - delighted and somewhat awed by the responsibility I now have - and the result was Tommy Tiger:

Once completed, it quickly became obvious that Tommy's body was quite a tight fit for my (fairly small) hand, and that JS's hand could certainly not be accommodated.  

Tommy being modelled by Clare

However, by the time this state was reached, I'd changed by plans for the DanielS.  When I'm makng Toys, I often find ways to alter them as I go along, and so had decided that the pattern used for my Hand Puppets -

was actually a better body shape for this purpose, and that it would be easily adapted to meets JS's own hand width. Accordingly, he was asked to provide his personal dimensions – both for his hand width and his arm length (from finger tip to elbow).

While making the Tiger Golf Club Covers, I have been looking out for animal print fabrics in a slightly more realistic Tiger colour than the one  being used for my current Tiger toys. The original one  - used for my Long Legged Tigers  and  the Childrens' Medium Sized Novelty Slippers 

  

– had ceased to be available from the Shop Clare had discovered for me while I was still in Wiltshire.

When she went back for replacements, the current orangey version was the only one available – but as it happened to match the Double Knit yarn used for the knitted metal handle covers for the Golf Club Covers, I went ahead and purchased a metre so I could meet an order that I then had in hand.

I was not happy with it, however, so when JS's commission arrived, I contacted another of my fabric suppliers (from whom I had bought the poodle faux fur used for lining all my slippers) and was thrilled to bits to find this material.

Cy Bear supervised proceedings

I promptly ordered it and upon arrival took a photograph of it and sent it off to JS.  It met with his approval, and I was then thrilled to receive the suggestion that he'd like DanielS (his version of Tommy) to be made in the lighter colour, and if possible could I then make Grandpere using the more orange shaded background of the new fabric. That did not seem to be beyond my capabilities, but  not wanting to run before I walked, I suggested that we wait to see how DanielS turned out before we committed ourselves any further.

So, I'll now leave the rest of the Smith Puppet saga until next time. I'll try not to keep you in suspense for too long!

All the best for this evening – and thanks for your patience.

Baby Koalas have a Makeover

Good afternoon everyone!  Cy Bear calling in, with an update from the COLDHAMCUDDLIES shop  (https://www.Etsy.com/Shop/COLDHAMCUDDLIES ).
It's been a couple of weeks since Isobel was last on here, and the time has gone by so fast that she's not been able to do all she wanted to do here.  However, with a Craft Show on the horizon - this Sunday morning (November 16) at St. Barnabas Cathedral, Nottingham (taking place between 0900-1330) - she's managed to get some replacement Baby Koalas made - which also now look more like our other current Coldham Koalas -   be they Big Koalas, Giant versions or Mens Slippers,   versions.     This is the last of our original colour Baby Koalas still looking for a new home
https://www.etsy.com/listing/55190188/toy-koala-tree-bear-light-brown-and?
Our new ones look like this:

They will be relisted later today, so the original Brown and White fellow will not be visible in our shop once these guys get put on.  We're hoping he will find a new home on Sunday!  He and his predecessors often do get new homes when they appear at Craft Shows.

Just because Isobel is incapable of making any of us look EXACTLY the same, even though she uses the same "ingredients" for each specimen, here are the  four new recruits to the COLDHAMCUDDLIES world, taken from left to right in the preceding picture:

They do all have two eyes, despite the way they look in these snap-shots!  We're still trying to find the best places in our new abode where we can take good photographs!

Koalas have not been the only things that have kept Isobel's fingers sewing since we last posted.

Instead of typing posts here - she's made two new Arm/Hand Puppets (in the form of Tigers).  We promises to tell everyone about them as soon as she is able - after the Craft Sale on Sunday is a possible starting point!  This one is made using the same fabric as used for our Tiger Head Golf Club Covers https://www.etsy.com/listing/168592299/golf-club-cover-tiger-head-animal-print?-   whereas the other Tiger Puppet has been made with a tiger print fabric which results in a Tiger with a Siberian Tiger look!

Tommy Tiger is the prototype Puppet for a series of three, maybe four others, that Isobel has been asked to try and produce.  One has been completed, posted and safely arrived at this destination.  We'll be telling you all about him too.  The order for the second one is awaiting payment, and the other definite one is still being discussed.  The fourth one is still not a certainty!
Also, for the Sunday Craft Fair, Isobel found she was very short of Baby Bunny Rabbits.  So, since last week-end, she's cut out, sewn up and now is stuffing and putting on the facial features to 8 more Fleece versions:  two each of Pink, Blue, Purple and Brown, each with White Chests.  
Think this explains the lack of action here!  Hope so, anyway:  will be back soon, I hope.  All the best everyone - it's nice to be back here again once more.
Your Friend, Cy Bear

Ready to Celebrate Halloween? Here are Three Cuddlies eager to help you!

Hello Everyone!
 Cy Bear has been hinting that I've not been doing my bit here on the blog,  so I've decided to take over for this post - since it contains a description of how some new COLDHAMCUDDLIES have arrived in the Family.  
Cy Bear did mention them in our post last week - so now allow me to tell you more about our Halloween Spider (HS) Friends.  I really do hesitate to label real spiders as "cuddly", but these guys do buck that trend!  They are not only cuddly, they're furry and completely safe for People of all ages:  because grown-ups are needed to operate them at their full capacity, although Little People can also snuggle up without fear.

Etsy Listing #207688666

If you read our last post, HS is based on a Spider Toy made over 40 years ago by Alan's sister, who was a Patient in our Stuffed Toy Animal Restoration Clinic.  https://www.etsy.com/listing/79124185/stuffed-toy-animal-restoration-clinic?.

In that story Cy Bear told how I made a template before sewing Spider up once more, and this is what HS (and all future Spiders) will be based on.  It might also be possible to adapt him as a Frog Finger Puppet, but that experiment will have to wait for a week or two.

Essentially, this is what is required for this Activity Toy.  It didn't take me long to make each one (I actually did three), and the decision to use Black Plush for the Upper Body, and Yellow Plush for the Under Belly was obvious, given the proximity of Halloween and it's Arachnid associations!  They could be made in Fleece fabric too, and it may well be that future Spiders could emerge in that form.

The final piece of template are for the eyes and mouth - and I decided to give the eyes a white double knitting yarn highlight, just to give the Toy some more facial character.

The rectangle piece of fabric is folded with the edge meeting the bottom of the mark on the template.  Then I folded it lengthwise and cut the fabric to match the edge: and then folded each half once more to get the four fingers.  One then folds each finger and sews each finger pocket.  As the canvas backing for some plushes can fray, I blanket stitched each seam to give a firmer edge to each finger - potentially they could get quite a lot of hard wear.  You should get something looking like this when you've done that bit of sewing.

I then sewed the finger piece to the underbelly along the seam line indicated on the underbelly circular pattern piece - making sure that the fingers are facing in the right direction (the first time I did it, I didn't!  Which meant I had to start the attachment all over again!)  One also has to make sure that the fabric pile is going in the same direction - from front to back, for both the underbelly and upper body. (I leave turning the fingers inside out until I've done the whole Toy.)

Once the finger guide is attached to the circular under belly, one can fix it to the upper body, 

sewing all the way round, but leaving an opening through which one can turn the whole Toy inside out and put the stuffing.   Again, because some plush fabrics can fray, I blanket stitched the seams to ensure it's long-term integrity.

 Then once the opening is closed, the toy is stuffed and the eyes and mouth  are attached - and should look something like this!

The Arm Puppets Cy Bear spoke about are coming along well.  The prototype is completed and will eventually join the  Cuddly Family and introduce yet another size Puppet Activity Toy to the Cuddlies Collection.  Meanwhile, the individual pieces for the Puppet due for the American puppeteer have been sewn and pictures sent for approval to the customer.  Once he's replied (hopefully in the affirmative), I'll be able to build the toy - with eyes, facial features and head stuffed:  arms lightly stuffed and attached to the body.  I'll tell you how that happens in a future post.

The Halloween Spider Threesome

Good Night - God Bless - and see you all here again soon.  Isobel