I've been spending my free time laying out, cutting, and basting together a vintage-style teddy bear -- not much sketching going on. But today I gave my hand muscles a break long enough to do a quick sketch. This pile of bits will be a small bear styled like early Steiff bears.
In the teddy bear craze of the 1980s, before companies like Boyd's Bears flooded the market with their mass-produced products, I was a teddy bear artist, designing jointed antique-style bears sewn of German mohair with authentic antique shoe button eyes; I sold them under the name of "Victoria's Waifs". Now as each of our grandchildren turn 7 years old, I use my leftover mohair to make them a bear of their own.
Oh, I remember some of them from your older sketches ...! It is always such a very nice toy ... I wish I was able to make a teddy :-) How many teddies have you sewn in your life?
ReplyDeleteWish you a Blessed New Year, Vicky!
I have no idea how many of these bears I've made. I sold them through a small bear shop and participated in a few shows, plus made special order ones for individuals. From a tiny 3" size, to about 14" tall, mostly in the vintage style, but also a snoopy dog and a couple of pandas. Originally I bag an them as a way to earn money for a trip to Israel (trip canceled due to unexpected events), then just continued for several years.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Jana!