Starting the Wagstaff Bear Treatment Saga - Part One: Bum Bear

Here is what Bum Bear looked like upon his arrival in mid November 2012, accompanied by his friends Ted Bear and Mohair Bear.  Bum belongs to NickiW, Ted to her sister, and Mohair Bear is their mother's Bear, whom she inherited from her own mother, so Mohair Bear is the oldest of the trio, and has to be nearing the 100 year old threshold!  The other two are in their late 30's to mid-40's - mere whipper-snappers in comparison!

Treatment in the ColdhamCuddlies Stuffed Animal Restoration Clinic (Etsy Listing # 79124185) always begins with an assessment of each patient, and normally attracts a £25.00 Consultation Fee for each Patient (which is applied against the final cost of the treatment when the Patient returns home).  In the case of the three Wagstaff Bears, because two of them really did not require too much effort, and Mohair Bear was such an interesting case, the initial £25.00 Consultation Fee was applied to all three.  (One of the joys of being one's own boss is the ability to make such decisions I find!)

Bum from the rear - you can see how he got his name!

Looking at both photographs, there does not appear to be an immense amount of treatment required - and so it proved.  His right eye needed to be replaced - there was a huge hole where the original one had been and he needed to be given a bath (or undergo some other form of cleansing) to try and recover his original cream plush colour.  He also needed to received fresh stuffing, as his innards were chopped up sponge foam.  This was a familiar stuffing in the 1970's-1990's, before foam stuffing (for toys as well as soft furnishings was recognised for the inflammable material it is).

Thus I took my trusty Quic-un-Pic instrument of Bear torture in hand and attacked his seams, from the top of his head down to his neck on both sides of the body.  The stuffing was removed from head, arms, body and legs - in that order- and then discarded.

The foam rubber stuffing, ready for dispatch

With vivid memories of what happened to daughter Philippa's Bear of a similar vintage - when he was left overnight to soak in cold water and then have a bath in warm soapy water the next day, most of his fabric collapsed -  I decided to give him a dry clean in a bag of bicarbonate of soda.  This involved the soda being tipped into a bag, followed by Bum Bear, and both being shaken vigorously for several minutes.  I then left them together overnight, gave everything another vigorous shake next morning and then extracted Bum from the bag and gave him another, thorough shake in the bath (the soda is easily washed away and cleans the pipes as it goes down!).

The soda, minus Bum Bear - with flakes of dust etc.

Bum was then turned inside out and inspected to see the state of his seams. Before going any further, though, I could not help noticing that my hands were stinging a little - which I put down to the residual soda on his remaining plush and backing fabric.  So, I decided to risk a quick soak in cold water - lasting about 2 hours, rather than overnight.

This resulted in  Bum coming up even cleaner and the stinging sensation disappearing - without any of the disastrous break down of the fabric experienced with Philippa's Tommy Teddy (who was completely re-made using what I could of his original remaining pieces!).  (Bum's fabric was definitely more of a mohair quality originally, than was Tommy Teddy - who was pure plush only).

Bum Bear's seams were, in the main, reasonably free from fraying - although the black fabric was worse than the cream variety.  I thus over sewed those seams that were worse for wear and proceeded to see what we could do with his eyes.  There was a dilemma.  I had two matching eyes which were available for use.  Alas, the good eye already in place was sufficiently rusted as to make it's safe removal a no-goer - it could not be removed without causing a big hole, so I left well alone.  So, I darned the large hole, as well as putting in a patch of black furry material, where the missing eye had been, and attached one of the pair  in stock - it's a little larger than the original, almost a match, but when Bum was completed, the difference does not show, and at least he now has two eyes with which to view his current surroundings.

Cy Bear giving his approval of Bum's treatment

One ear needed to be removed (it was hanging by two or three threads!) and re-attached, and then Bum was re-stuffed and replaced in the banana box in which he had arrived accompanied by his companions.

We'll continue the Saga of the Wagstaff Bears in our next post - when we deal with Ted Bear's therapy.  Meanwhile, good night and good-bye from Cy Bear and myself, Isobel!

Here's a Quickie - a Christmas Farewell

Hello Everyone:  Cy Bear  here, to tell you about the Farewell to Silvery Brown Furry Bear (SBFB for short!) - who is on his way tomorrow to White Plains, NY, USA.

He's been waiting to make his travel arrangements since the beginning of December, but it was only this morning that the payment was received.  So his travel plans were speeded up and he will be posted from the Codford Post Office tomorrow morning, using a special postal travel plan which we hope will get him to his Forever Home in time for Christmas Day.

SBFB all wrapped up, ready for the journey

The payment evidently got caught in the "Christmas delivery holdups", Isobel tells me - whatever that may be!  Anyway the cheque arrived in a lovely Christmas card to Isobel, who only then found out that the Lady buying SBFB is a family friend.  She and her husband are former neighbours of IvyM (Forever Friend of Mons. Reynard and Mme. Lapin - who have both been patients in our Stuffed Animal Restoration Clinic (Etsy Listing # 79124185), with each having had their treatment reports earlier this year.

 In case folks wish to be reminded, Mme Lapin was featured in two posts on February 18 and 20, 2012, and the Rejuvenation of Mons. Reynard was posted on March 4 and 7, 2012). 

MrsPC-F, is the grandmother of MylesF who lives in White Plains, and she and her husband, MrC-F, live in Florida.  So, when we parcelled up SBFB, I wrote a little note to MylesF - just explaining what was happening and introducing SBFB  as his new Forever Friend.

I naturally could not tell MylesF - who is only 4 months old - what his new Forever Friend  is called - because, of course, that will be  for Myles to decide, and of course one cannot spoil the surprise.  I'm sure, however, that SBFB won't remain Silvery Brown Bear's nick-name for very long - it's not terribly Forever Friendly, I don't think!


Anyway, I'll close this now - so that we can all go to bed.  Hope you're all well and getting ready for Christmas - it's my first real Christmas this year, and I'm getting quite excited by all this.  Isobel is going to be away - which is why she and I will be sharing the blogging in the next week or two and I'm being left on guard of the other Coldham Cuddlies while she is away.  It is an immense responsibility!

Bye for now. Cy Bear.

  

Treatments recently offered in the Stuffed Animal Restoration Clinic

In our post  on November 15 ("A Commissioned Coyote + a Rocking Horse called Prince), Cy Bear first referred to the Bear Quintet of Patients in our Stuffed Animal Restoration Clinic, together with a picture of them all sitting in, or near, the Lloyd Loom Chair in my bedroom.  It is pleasing to be able to announce that three of them have now received their treatments, and we'll be posting about them in the next few blogs.

However, there is one thing that needs to be highlighted.  A very new Etsy acquaintance suggested in a series of  convos late last week  that the Clinic might be better named  if it were to be referred to as The ColdhamCuddlies' Stuffed Animal Restoration Clinic.   Cy Bear and I could not agree more - so, that is how  Etsy Listing #79124185 will be named in future. The title has already been changed in our shop at www.Etsy.com/shop/coldhamcuddlies to reflect this change. 

The November 15 post dealt, in the main, with the way our Tweed Coated Coyote had been constructed.  We can now tell you what has happened to him since.  He's arrived at his Forever Home in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and will eventually become the Forever Friend of recently arrived AndyB, daughter Clare's most recent Godson.  He was also accompanied by the Yellow Plush Baby Bunny (the last of his variety due to my having run out of the fabric) and here is a picture taken of them both prior to their departure. This little fella has been given to AndyB as one of his first toys, as he only arrived on December 6.

(You will see that Cy Bear is included in this official Farewell photograph!  I know when I'm beaten - although I do hasten to add that past omissions in this regard have not been intentional.  Merely, there has been a need to catch the post and it's not necessarily been convenient to set up camera and Cy Bear prior to their departures!)

In this photograph, another Yellow Bunny is included.  He was also a Patient in the Clinic, having travelled back with me after we had interred Peter's ashed in early November.  He had spent the last few decades in a cupboard belonging to PatC - Fred Bear's Forever Friend (himself a former Clinic Patient) - and appeared when she was turning out her haberdashery hoard which has since been donated to me.  I had to leave the hoard with Philippa when I came back because there was so much of it.

(The hoard has been duly delivered, but I've been so tied up with the treatment of the Wagstaff Bears (three of the Quintet) that there's been no time to do the sorting properly.  That's one of my New Year resolutions! )

Little Yellow Bunny was sadly in need of further sustenance.  His years in the cupboard had resulted in much of his stuffing be knocked out of him, and he was minus his fluffy white tail.  PatC asked if I would put him right, and it did not take long to sort him!  He was de-stuffed of what remained in his little tummy, had a good wash in soapy water (and changed colour!) and then had his innards replaced, together with a replacement white fluffy bobtail.  He now looks like this - and has been returned to PatC, who I think intends to return him to his original Forever Friend - her son! 

(As is my custom, I have taken a template of this little guy, and he will be appearing in our Shop (www.Etsy.com/shop/coldhamcuddlies) sometime in the New Year!  The Wagstaff Bears used up most of my stuffing store, so I had to get a refill last week.  At the same time, I picked up some new fabrics - both plush fur and other toy-making fabrics - and they too will be featuring as replacements or new Cuddlies in 2013.)

The treatment of the three Wagstaff Bears is now complete - and since there is quite a lot to tell you about their individual treatments, I intend to break the reports into three separate posts (hopefully drafting them before leaving Heytesbury for the Christmas Holiday with Philippa in High Wycombe.

 (As mentioned earlier, I leave on Thursday, December 20 travelling by train, via London.  The idea is that I will be driven back either on Sunday, December 30 or Wednesday, January 2 (depending on prevailing weather conditions at the time).  Emails and blog will be checked during that time, but will no posts will be  be compiled - hence the drafting plan:)


 Thus, I shall end this post, and get going on the next few posts!  Meanwhile, here is a picture of the three Wagstaff Bears - as they were upon arrival at the beginning of December.

L to R:  Bum Bear, Mohair Bear and Ted Bear - the Wagstaff  Bears

Finally a Sale on Etsy - we thought ColdhamCuddlies had disappeared off the Etsy radar!

Cy Bear calling in again - as promised in Isobel’s last post after the blog had been nominated for The Liebster Award.

The title of this post says it all - and I’m sure that most, if not all, our great Followers (now 265 with viewing numbers up to 9,700+!) will sympathise.  Isobel has been re-tagging, changing pictures, filling in “variations” - whatever they may be - all seemingly to no avail.  However, maybe our luck has changed, because guess what?  Silvery Brown Bear (the last remaining Big Bear in the Coldham Cuddlies Family - except me, but I’m Cy Bear) has found a Forever Home in White Plains, NY, USA.

 

The confirmation order arrived in our e-mail inbox this morning, and we now await payment for the transaction to be completed.

Isobel intends to produce lots more Bears, using some of the new plush fabrics she’s been hoarding over the past few months (without having time to use them properly!)  The time has simply not been there for her to do it just recently - fortunately!  However, with the Christmas break coming up (Isobel  is away from home from December 20 by the way, so I shall be on guard duty until she comes back) she is planning on taking cut-out versions of as many different bears as she can carry in her luggage. (Occupational therapy for her arthritic fingers, you see!)  She’s going by train, and coming back with Philippa in her car either December 30, or if the weather is awful, sometime in the New Year, when said weather has improved.  That means blogging will be curtailed although she will be monitoring comments (and responding appropriately) as usual.

A Full Length View!

We thought you’d like to know that the Christmas Bazaar held at the Wylye Valley Primary School in Codford on Saturday, December 1 was a success as far as the ColdhamCuddlies stall was concerned. No photos were taken, but the stall looked similar to this one (which was taken earlier this year when attending a Craft Fair in Heytesbury).
  

Silvery Brown Bear is middle left, in front of the window,  in this picture, when there were 3 Bears!

Isobel tells me that it was her best result yet from the craft fairs and bazaars we have attended since www.coldhamcuddlies.etsy.com got started on Etsy in January 2010 (although sales did not begin until September that year).  Goodness, our third anniversary coming up!  How doth tempus fugit!

We derived a healthy profit for Isobel (and Philippa’s) efforts and Winston Wombat, our Multi-Purpose Bed Adornment Toy, Two Baby Rabbits, a Baby Hedgehog and the remaining Brown Rabbit Hand Glove Puppet all found new Forever Homes.  (One Rabbit Hand Puppet had found her Forever Home some time ago).

As I wasn’t present - being on guard duty, you understand - there was no formal Farewell Photograph.  There WILL be before Silvery Brown Bear sets off though, I can assure you!  I shall INSIST on it!  So, not only do our Big Bear Family members have to be replaced, but all these fellows too!  2013 looks like being a busy start for Isobel!

I’ll end this post with the news that Isobel is deep in Bear treatments for the Patients in the ColdhamCuddlies Soft Toy Clinic (Etsy Listing #79124185).  The mohair fabrics required for the two renovation projects are in the clinic, but will not be used until after Christmas, there being no deadline for these therapies.

Edward Bear (L) and Ted Wilson (R) - both awaiting renovation

The other three will hopefully be ready for delivery before Isobel leaves for Christmas, as their current Homes are here in Heytesbury. 

The one on the left has no stuffing in it (Isobel has removed it and he's had a quick rinse and is awaiting a new eye and nose):  the other (right)  has to have his innards removed, some seams re-sewn and over-sewn to preserve them from fraying and then both will be re-stuffed.  The Big Mohair Bear (centre), will, hopefully also be ready in time - he just has to have his stuffing removed, his Head re-attached to his body and his facial features improved, including proper Bear Eyes, rather than Brown Buttons. 

Right:  time for me to stop babbling!  Isobel needs to get on sewing, and she cannot do that until this post has been published.  Good bye for the time being - and in case I’m not allowed to post before Christmas, I really do wish EVERYONE  a really Great Christmas and a New Year full of everything you all wish yourselves!  Cy Bear.