13" Damson Bear

Over the years I have bought some pieces of mohair fabric to make some bears.  So, the first piece of fur was damson or blackberry coloured ( it had been waiting for time and inspiration for 2 and a half years), with a piece of matching suede for pads and paws.  I cut out a bear and made it up.  Dave did the hardboard and cotter pin joints.  I added stuffing and glass eyes, and the bear sat next to me smiling.  Most bears are "he" but this one was definitely a "she".  I made her a pink cotton dress and added some smocking embroidery to the front of it.

13" Bracken Bear

She looked a little lonely so I used some bracken coloured mohair to make her a boyfriend, or brother.  He is the same height and I made him a pair of dungarees in blue cotton.  I didn't want him to feel left out, so I embroidered a flower on the front of the bib.

13" Blonde Bear

The next piece of fur was a heavy, wavy cream coloured mohair, so I made a bigger and different style bear.  I gave him big feet so we wouldn't fall over.  I wanted to make him a smart summery shirt and bought some lovely checked fabric in cream and blue.  The shirt has side vents to give him growing room round the tummy, short sleeves with turn up cuffs, and a little top pocket so he can keep his hanky safe.

6" Tiny Ted

The last piece of fur was only suitable for a tiny Ted.  It was a challenge making the joints and turning the limbs.  He sat looking very naked.  On Christmas day, one of my presents was a lovely soft and warm red scarf.  Ted liked it so much, I knew I had to make him one.  So, I made him a red velvet scarf and a hat with a white fur brim.  I trimmed the top of the hat and ends of the scarf with some sparkly pompoms.

11.5" Wooden Jointed Doll 

That was the end of my stash of fabric, so I looked around for projects I had never had time for.  A gentleman gave me a wooden doll he had found in his parents loft whilst he was clearing it out prior to selling the house.  It is hard to work out how old the doll is.  It is a peg wooden doll.  This style of doll was made from 1700 onwards, Germany became very famous for their wooden dolls in the 1800's, and famous ones were made in the Grodner Tal region of Austria.  This doll could be old, or it could be a recent copy. The painting is a little rough, but the joints work perfectly.

I searched on the web for some inspirations for outfits.  I stayed faithfully to natural fibred fabrics.  She is wearing a cotton voile petticoat with pantaloons underneath, trimmed with a tiny cotton lace.  The dress is made from fine muslin, trimmed with a wider cotton lace and a silk ribbon sash.  I couldn't resist adding some tiny embroidery to the neckline of the dress.

6" Small Doll

I found time for one more project.  Someone sent me a shoulder head he had found with a metal detector ( it must have been with some metal coins - the head was porcelain ).  It had no markings so I have no idea of it's origin or age.  I used one of my reference books to work out the correct size for the body, arms and legs.

I have looked through all of my reference books and the face of this doll seems nearest to the 1850 style.  Assuming that the date is correct I designed and cut out an outfit for her.  She now has black leather hand made boots, cotton pantaloons, petticoat and a tartan dress with pagoda sleeves and a white broderie undersleeve.  Now she doesn't have to stay in a box, she has a body attached and an outfit to keep her warm.

Hilary