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29
November 2012
Christmas is just round the
corner, so I am making
seasonal decorations and - for the first time - costumes for my son's
school Christmas play. Our cat Noodle seems to approve :)
 
21 November
All the Teddies who came back
from Abingdon with me last month are now on display at Harris
Shopping Arcade in
Reading. Come and say hallo to them if you are in town!
10
November
Some of you may remember that earlier this
year I started experimenting with British Alpaca wool. Well, the
project is in full
swing now.
I find it extremely satisfying to make all sorts of things from
this gorgeous fabric, hand-spun, hand-woven and hand-dyed by my friend
Tanya
Marsh.
So far, I have made a few cushions, a few waistcoats, a few shoulder
bags of various sizes and a couple of throws.
Here are some examples - and you can see quite a
few more at
Creative
Crafts & Workshops in Harris Arcade in
Reading. |
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28 October
Over the past four days, I have
been exhibiting my teddies at the Abingdon
Contemporary Crafts for Christmas Show. It is a truly
wonderful event, held in the amazing Medieval Abbey Buildings in the
heart of the ancient town of Abingdon in Oxfordshire.
It
was extremely cold inside but my teddies and I were lucky to have a
heater on all the time right over our heads. Throughout the four days,
I
had plenty of visitors who were very happy to stop right there and
chat. Some were true regulars, who kept returning
again and again - including some of the other stall holders not so
lucky
with heaters :)
I
had a lot of fun and made news friends, including none other than
Darth Vader, who turned out to be an accomplished accordion player!
In
the first photo below you can see a beautiful Sasha's Bears banner,
which was made for me by Gabs de Tena of Synapse Graphics.
Most
of my small teddies were adopted on the final day of the
show.
20 October
It gives me a great pleasure to
introduce a talented young local author, Remenham-based Robin Booth,
who has taken an interest in my teddies and offered to write some
stories about them. Here is a short one
about Percy:
Percy was the son
of a diplomat who travelled all over the world, from Bearuit to the
Bearing Strait. Percy's family never stayed in one place too long, and
so it was hard for Percy to make friends. In his travels, Percy enjoyed
dishes from every culture in the world and became very fat.
When Percy finally returned to England he found the food so
disappointing that he started rapidly losing weight. He decided to turn
his delight to science instead of sustenance and is currently studying
Bearology and Biobearistry at university. Despite his efforts to slim
down he does reserve a taste for port and the finer things of life...
My husband has made
the stories into little
booklets, which I am going to show on my display at the Abingdon fair.
And I hope Robin - who is, by the way, an authority on children's books
- will carry on writing!
18 October
Another 10 days, another three
teddies!
Pauline
is
the largest bear I have made for some time, and a bit self-conscious.
Alan,
on the other hand, is full of confidence and reminiscences about
the good old days. Finally, there is Wesley, who has a very big nose
and likes to play on his own :)
17 October
As I prepare for the Abingdon Contemporary Crafts for Christmas Show at
the end of the month, both our cats, Noodle (the tortoiseshell) and
Lucy (the black one), follow my every move with great interest.
And it seems to me my work so far meets their full approval.
Moreover, both have formed a firm belief that the hampers in which I
keep my materials are in actual fact meant for them.
My sewing table is also the source of constant interest from Lucy. As
for Noodle, she has identified it as a good vantage point to observe
everything that goes on inside and outside... |
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7 October 2012
It has been a record week for me
as far as new teddies are concerned: I have made three!
First came Thomas
(the fearless traveller), and he was followed in quick succession by
Matthew
(the prospective skiing champion) and Giles, the bear who
marvels at the world around him.
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