Tontu...

Here is the second toy for my granddaughter, Tontu, the other sidekick of Hilda.  It's not quite right colourwise & I would have preferred to use a fluffier fleece fabric for the head, but time was of the essence.  It is annoying buying fabric off the internet, you never quite get what you had hoped for, photos can be deceiving.

On the easel - still the rather large bear. I won't be able to show this one for a while as it is a gift for someone.
 

Twig The Deer Fox...

My granddaughter's current favourite books are the Hilda graphic novels.  Hilda has a couple of cute sidekicks, one of which is a deer fox called Twig.  There are very few toys available of this character, and what there are are hideously expensive (Etsy vendors...)

So I made one!  I used some soft fleece fabric, adapted a pattern I found for a deer, and used blak felt for the feet etc.   It took about 3 evenings to complete and will go away now until Christmas.  The other sidekick is a weird gnome sort of thing - hopefully it will be as easy to make as this one!

Currently on the easel - a very large bear!
 

Otis Is Back In The House...

After what must be nearly a year, I'm back to sewing Otis once again. 

This one is taken, but there will be plenty more coming soon - if you'd like to pre-order, just get in touch.
 

More Otis...

I seem to spend most of my time these days either making or painting bears, mainly Otis.  This is my current commission and although I have painted Otis more times than I can count, I am still enjoying this one immensely.  It's good to be painting after the 2 month enforced break, I don't care what the subject matter is!  Just as well, as I have three more commissions, all Otis...

I've also been sewing some more Otis stuffies - they don't hang around for long and I am only sorry that I cannot be any faster making them.  They are a little labour intensive when it comes to cutting out the fabric and pinning/sewing it all together.  Two more in the pipeline - when I get time to use the sewing machine!
 

It's Hot Out There...

As Mr.B has almost recovered from his knee replacement surgery, I am starting to get my time back as I no longer have to be on hand as much.  So I have started sewing Otis stuffies again.  These two are already spoken for.

As is this one.  I am also painting a trinket box, part of a commission for three of them, and have a line up of four painting commissions waiting in the wings.  So it is all go once more!

Meanwhile inthe garden, everything is growing well but I am especially happy that I have managed to get a couple of chicory plants to flower.  Last year they were just leaves on plants that I grew from seed and did not flower.  This year they are over 6 ft tall and I just love the delicate pale blue flowers that only last for a day before being replaced with more.

 

The greenhouse appears to have been overly successful - looks like I will need a machete to get near anything!  In there are three large tomato plants, two long cucumber vines, a smaller tomato plant and somewhere at the back, a melon plant.

I have been picking runner beans, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and have a lot of cherry tomatoes just waiting to turn red.  Hopefully everything will survive the next few days of very hot weather.

Slight Change...

I've been sewing Otis stuffed toys for a few years now, but have always been very aware that the fabric I used did not match the real bear's fur exactly.  People didn't seem to mind, and I could not find an alternative, so I carried on.  However, the other day while at Hobbycraft, I discovered a fur fabric that was almost perfect!

 So I have made a new and improved Otis!  I am very happy with the end result - this one already has a home, but there are 4 more in the pipeline.

You watch though, next time I go to Hobbycraft, there will be no more of this fabric...

Otis Visits Red Square...

 A couple of weeks ago I posted one of my Otis stuffed bears to Russia.  He made it through customs and immigration and this week I received this amazing photo.  Looks like Otis is already having a wonderful time taking in the sights of Moscow - now we know what he gets up to during the hibernation period, haha!

Thank you to Angelika for letting me use her photo and for taking such good care of Otis!

A Little Boaring...

Last week my son showed me a picture of a cute stuffed toy, a wild boar piglet.  It was being sold by an unknown company somewhere overseas and he didn't want to chance it.  So I said 'I bet I could make one of those'.

So I did.  I adapted a pattern I found in a magazine for an ordinary pink piglet - had to change the head, alter the tail, put the trotters on the right way round(!) and add the stripes.

 I used some remnants of a velvety fur fabric that I bought a couple of years ago, not knowing what I would do with them.  The whole thing is hand sewn because this fabric is a nightmare to sew on the machine - it slips and slides all over the place.

This is a one off for my baby granddaughter - I am not planning on making any more, too time consuming and fiddly and besides, I don't have any more of the fabric to spare!

Finished!

After weeks, nay months, of work in the evenings, this crochet blanket/throw is finally complete.  It has turned out beautifully!  I knew when I bought the yarn cakes that I wanted a stitch to show off the fabulous colour mix and luckily a simple zig-zag did just that.

I wasn't sure about putting tassels on the points, but decided to give it a go, using the brighter colours in the same order as the stripes, and it was the right decision.  This is such a lovely blanket, even though I say so myself.  It will be for sale in my Etsy shop soon - I am having difficulty getting decent photos of it due to bad weather and the sheer size of the thing!  If you'd like to nip in and get it before I list it, just give me a shout!
 

In other news, I have been sewing yet more Otises - these three are already spoken for and I have further orders to complete.  What started off as a silly experiment really snowballed and I have lost count of how many stuffed bears I have made over the past 3 years.  Thankfully I still enjoy doing them!

On the drawing board - I am now booked up until about Christmas.  I am currently painting a couple more Otis trinket boxes that have been commissioned and I have three bear paintings to do.  The first 2 are for the winner of the American Travel Guide magazine's summer competition - the lady couldn't decide which bear she wanted me to paint so has commissioned me to paint a second one so that she can have both!

It is great to be busy once again - the summer was dismal, both weather-wise and mentally and my creativity almost disappeared.  Being 'forced' to paint and make things to a deadline has kicked my backside back into action, haha!

Bears & Blankets...

Last year while the pandemic was in full swing and we were in strict lockdown, I found it comforting and stress-relieving to crochet giant granny squares for throws.  I think I made four or five and ended up giving them away to friends and family.  Stress levels are fairly high again at the moment for various reasons, so I am crocheting like crazy in the evenings once more.  This is the latest blankie - the camera has not done justice to the colours unfortunately.  It will be for sale in my Etsy shop once I take some decent snaps.

I'm also back to making Otis stuffies - they seem to sell before I have even finished them!

I must sit down one afternoon and cut out some more fabric for them - that is the worst part of making these, the mess and the coughing up of furballs afterwards!

Once the cutting out is over and done with, the rest of the making process is quite fun - I wish I had kept count of how many of these I have made!

One the easel...well, it's the lid to a trinket box, but I am painting Otis as well.  Nearly finished.
 

Fuzzy Wuzzy Wuz A Bear...

I've had such a busy winter that bear making has had to take a back seat, despite me having plenty of orders.  However, I am now in the process of catching up slowly - this is Holly, bear 435.

This is another Holly, this time with her mini-me cub - last year on the Explore.org cams this cub was one of the most entertaining things of the whole season!  She climbed trees, she played with other bigger cubs, she had an unfortunate run in with a porcupine, and grew fat and fluffy, ready for hibernation.

She was very like her mother by the end of October.

These bears already have homes to go to - if you would like one too, just let me know - as long as you are prepared to wait for a a little while!
 

Knitting & Sewing...

Since completing a two month job a couple of weeks ago, I am back to the little commissions that were outstanding from last year.  This little knitted dog is a replica of a real dog and has gone to live in Spain.  I have another knitted lurcher in the pipeline.

These bears are replicas of bear 425 Holly and her cub as seen on the Explore.org live cams.

I finally made the cub this week and they have already been snapped up and will be making their way to Alaska.  I now have orders for more...

So with painting commissions as well, looks like I am going to be busy!
 

Still Sewing...

After a week away in the Isle of Wight for a much needed break, I am back to sewing again.  Masks are in demand, although I made this fun dancing skeleton one for my daughter as she just loves Halloween.

Bears are in production - two are prizes in an American competition, the rest will be on sale in my Etsy shop, hopefully in time for Christmas.

After my son pointed out that the masks I make can also be reversible, I am having fun combining fabrics.

These two have been commissioned.

On the easel - more bears...
 

Lovely Lefty...

Lefty is one of my favourite bears at Katmai National Park - after painting him, it's time to make him out of fabric!  He's a bit of extra work due to the amount of scarring he has, plus he only has one ear, the other being just a nub.

This one has a battery operated noise maker in his foot, so he kind of roars.  I have to find out if I can send it through the post internationally with this insert due to the battery - if not, then poor Lefty will have to have a bit of surgery!

 

Chunky Chunk...

I got a commission to make another Chunk - he's a big bear, with a very large behind.  Took quite a bit of stuffing!  This one is off to California to surprise someone.

Chunk & Max...

 This week I experimented with making a different bear using some darker fur I ordered before lockdown & promptly forgot about!  This is bear 32 Chunk,another character living at Brooks Falls, Katma National Park, Alaska.  He has quite a distinctive body shape, a very rounded behind like a light bulb, which is what I wanted to re-create with my toy.

I did this by adding an inch to the back end of the pattern.  It took a fair bit of stuffing too!  He turned out very cute - so cute that he sold within half an hour of me posting him on Etsy!  Think I had better make some more...

This is Max, the first dog portrait I have done for a very long time.  This was a commission and it felt odd to be working in pencil again after so long.  He turned out pretty well and Max's owner is very happy - so happy she has commissioned another dog portrait!

Surprise, Surprise, Another Bear...

This is Peanut, bear 902, another Katmai bear.  This one is a little smaller than previous stuffed bears - simply because the real bear is a petite little sow too.

Currently for sale in my Etsy shop.

I think that might be the last stuffed bear until after Christmas - time for a well earned break!

Yet More Bears...

 I'm slowly getting through my commissions, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.  I have been sewing bear 128 Grazer this week - love her fluffy ears!  This one already has a home to go to, must be the quickest sale on Etsy I have ever had.

Finished the final box in a commission for 4 yesterday too - I love Otis but I'd really like a rest from painting him for a week or two!

Still to come?  I don't know, I'll have to check that list...

Seven Otis Army...

This lot are finished and ready to go.  Think I might take a small break, cough up a couple of hairballs, vacuum the house thoroughly, before starting on the next lot!

Yet Another Otis...

 Yes, here he is again, the most popular bear around!  This one is part of a commission of three items in total that have taken me an awfully long time to complete due to other commitments.  Now they can go on their way to Spain.

I enjoy making the stuffed Otis plushies - just as well as I have seven more to make for some very patient people. I spent half of yesterday cutting out the pattern pieces and the kitchen was covered in fluff, as was I.  Thankfully this time I had the presence of mind to lay down some plastic sheeting and wear an apron but I think I still inhaled an awful lot of fluff!