Sasha's Bears

A Bear family

30 September 2011

A record fourth Teddy this month has just joined his companions on my shelf. His name is Owen, and he has already been out picking fruit and berries in the garden...

25 September

Over the past couple of weeks, I have made three new Teddies. Please welcome Sylvester (the winter sports enthusiast), Gary (the romantic), and Peter (the old fogey). All three are available for immediate adoption.

10 September

I have brought back a new skill from my recent holiday in Moscow: a friend showed me how to crochet small wacky creatures. So far, I have only made Funny Bunnies, but I intend to diversify :)

It is a lot of fun, and they all come out with surprisingly different faces.

Grey bunny Two bunnies Blue bunny

22 August 2011

Eamonn has been adopted by my cousin in Moscow. Sad to see him go but I know he is in good hands!

14 August

Ten of my teddies and Mrs Rabbit are spending the next three months at The Little Craft Barn (Unit 5, Holme Grange Craft Village). I am sure they will be well looked after.

13 August

I have made a replica of Bartholomew (without the cap). I am taking him to Moscow with me next week, but he is likely to end up in Israel, where my sister intends to give him as a present to an old school friend.

July-August

In the past few weeks, I have discovered the joy of making felt hats, or cloches - so called because of their bell-like shape (those who remember their French will know that cloche means "bell").

It is a completely new departure, and the skills required are very different from those used in other kinds of hat-making. What helped a lot was my past experience with dry- and wet-felting.

The result of this endeavour is a collection of hats for the winter season currently on sale at Adrienne Henry Millinery in Reading.

30 July

One important recent development has been the arrival of a new member of our household, a delightful little kitten called Lucy. From day one she has been very friendly and playful.

You may think that this has nothing to do with Teddy bears or hat-making, but Lucy is completely fascinated with sewing, in the same way as Noodle has been.

She rushes to my side every time I sit down with a teddy pattern, with a needle, or at my sewing machine, and can watch for hours, trying to catch the thread now and again.

I have therefore come to regard her as my indispensable companion.

26 July

Say hello to a new Teddy, made to order. His name is Misha, and he is the younger brother of Samuel.

He will live with a little girl on a farm in Herts.

Misha's nose

18 July 2011

After a long delay, I have finally made a new original teddy. Please welcome Samuel, the Arctic bear!