Get Better Tracy!

We all send you our love and best thoughts, Tracy!

We wish you a speedy recovery!

Love Michelle and all of your Faithful Followers!

Taking a wee peek…

… into the creation of a wee teddy bear named Kenneth McAlpine.

Once Upon a Time my friend, Tracy, fell in love with a bear named Serge. She asked “pretty please, can you make me one like him?” And I agreed.

Although this post is not a tutorial, I thought it would be interesting to show you some of the steps it takes to create a mini bear.

So there will be lots of pictures and very little talk.

First of all we must gather the materials and draw the pattern onto the fabric.

 

Then comes the cutting out, fray checking and  clipping the mohair very close to the edge so it doesn’t get caught up in the stitching.

Now it is time to stitch each piece by hand, disk joint and stuff….

…attach the eyes, nose and make those little pants, shirt, hat and wire rimmed glasses.

And “viola” we have just met Kenneth McAlpine!

Oh, by the way, my name is Vicki and I live over at Custom Teddys. I would like to thank you, Tracy, for inviting me to be a guest writer on your Handmade Teddy Bears and Raggedies Blog.

Bear Artistry

My name is Michelle Mutschler and I have been invited by Miss Tracy to be a “guest poster” here on Handmade Teddy Bears and Raggedies! Of course, I’m more than happy to oblige and very excited to talk about two activities I enjoy very much (and it will be a little long winded...sorry about that!). Making teddy bears and collecting them! This first post will give you an brief idea of how I began with some photos (please bear with me as some of the photos are scanned images!) of some of the bears I made over the years and hopefully, by the time I do a second post for Tracy…I’ll have gathered up some information about vintage bear collecting, perhaps some stuff you didn’t know!

I’ve been a bear “artist”, as we like to be referred to, for well over 20 years now! I'm also an "arctophile"...but I'll explain that later!
When I began this wonderful journey, I was newly married and about to become a mother for the first time. I really needed something for myself…some sort of outlet for my creativity. I'd been doing all kinds of art including oil painting for years but I needed something that would be easy to take from one place to another, something that would be able to be put down for a bit and picked up on later without skipping a beat! Bear artistry was already in full force and it was love at first sight when I purchased my first teddy bear magazine! I was awestruck at what bear artists of the time such as "Brianna Long" and "Barbara Beuhl" were creating and very excited about the prospect of perhaps joining the ranks!

With next to nothing for money and very limited experience with sewing of any kind (before bearmaking, I was making my own versions of raggedy doll angels if you can believe that!), I managed to stumble through my first bear. I used whatever supplies I could find in thrift stores, a store bought pattern and set up shop on the kitchen table. Now I’m not going to lie to you! I couldn’t understand the directions for the pattern, sewing terms were basically foreign languages and the poor little fellow looked more like a goblin when he was completed! But I persevered and kept moving forward with my dreams to create the ultimate teddy bear and as time went on, the store bought patterns became a little easier to understand and soon I was creating my own! In no time at all, my addiction to making teddy bears went straight to a new level. I began selling my work!
Soon I was featured in beautiful shops throughout Vancouver Island in British Columbia alonside some of the best photographers and potters around. I also had the incredible opportunity to have my work shown in magazines and then shown in "Bears Across Canada"...a beautiful book that was created in 1993 to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the teddy bear! And if that wasn't enough...I was absolutely thrilled when I was asked to teach and I did just that for two incredible years through a local craft shop, a community hall and eventually right from my home! Those ladies...nearly 40 of them in total were amazing and fun to spend time with! Two of them remain dear friends of mine today and several of them were visitors from other countries including Germany!







From inexpensive plush to sought after mohair to recycled fur coats, my creations have been diverse over the years to say the least! I’ve made theme bears which made collectors smile, antique style bears that took collectors back and memory bears that made people cry. I’ve been very lucky indeed not to mention the fact that this “career” has given me the best gift of all…friends! I’ve made some incredible friends of fellow bear artists, collectors and even artists of different mediums and I wouldn’t change it for the world!



"A Very Happy Young Lady!"


"A Teddy That Was Made In Honour Of A Daughter Who Was Murdered"


I’ve seen over 400 bears leave my heart and hands as they journeyed throughout the world to be loved and treasured by collector’s and hopefully to become family heirlooms for generations to come!









A few months ago, Tracy was kind enough to “interview” me for this very blog. I would like to invite you to check out that interview, here, to get a few more details into my life as a bear artist.

I'm always amazed at the beautiful work of fellow bear artists and enjoy watching my friends soar to new heights in the world of teddy bear art! For me, just to keep moving along, even if at a slower pace, keeps me tuned into this wonderful form of artistry!











My love of bears goes way back and as a bear artist and a collector it never ends. I plan to be around for a very long time yet and even though I feel I'm slowing down a wee bit, I hope that I can continue to create teddy bears for as long as my eyes, hands and mind allow.



Next time, join me for a peek into the history of teddy bears and an introduction to some very special bears who made their mark in history as some of the most valuable and the most important bears of our time!

Can You Lend a Hand?

As you can see, I haven't posted in here for over a week. I don't like that. I believe that if you have a blog, it should be updated at least once a week if you want to keep regular readers. Unfortunately, I've been so busy at the Screaming Sardine that I haven't had the time to do so. Plus, as I've alluded to before, I want to do more than just feature the core group here. You want to read a blog to find out new things, and once you see your favorite artisans here, I'm sure you regularly check their blogs and Etsy shops to see all their latest offerings.

So what I was wondering is if any of you would like to lend a helping hand? I'd love to have regular guest bloggers - perhaps you? - on here writing about your handmade teddy bears or raggedies, as well as any other handmade items you make. It's a way for you to get exposure - whether you're a new shop or a shop that has been around for awhile.

So please contact me at iluvffmn at yahoo dot com if you'd like to write for this blog. In fact, you don't even have to make handmade teddy bears or rag dolls; maybe you're a fan of one or the other (or both), and you'd like to share your love of them by showing off your teddy bear or raggedy doll collection. Additionally, any kind of article / blog post about raggedies and teddies would be great, too! Share your favorite artisans, too, by writing an article about them. Whatever you can think of that will fit in with the theme here, I'm all ears!

Let's continue our love of handmade teddy bears and rag dolls by sharing our love for them here!

Rag Doll Stumps / Busts

Add some diversity to your raggedy doll collection with these handmade rag doll "busts" or stumps.





Price: $26 each, plus shipping

Totally Huggable Handmade Teddy Bear

Made to be hugged and to give hugs, this handmade teddy bear will delight anyone!



Particulars:
- Luxurious plush, long pile; lightly airbrushed facial features; glass eyes; polymer clay nose; poly pellets, polyester fiberfil, and excelsior stuffing
- OOAK (one of a kind)
- Measures 16 inches

Price: $100, plus shipping

For more info or to purchase, please see Custom Teddys' listing on Etsy.

Handmade Whimsical Raggedies

Shawnette from I'm Seeing Raggedies sees a lot of rag dolls since she makes them! And she makes them in a very whimsical sort of way.

Bingle Bears

Here's another blog I've recently stumbled upon featuring adorable handmade teddy bears. It's called Bingle Bears by Cheryl Hutchinson.

What a sweet expression and wise eyes!


Cheryl recently had an article written about her and her bears. She even offers patterns to make your own bears, though there's no way someone like me will ever attempt that!

Little Bearries

Little Bearries is the name of a blog filled with beautiful dolls and cute handmade teddy bears!



This one makes me giggle cuz he's so cute!


She's every bit as talented making dolls as well. Wow, look at those expressive eyes!

Handmade "Olde" Primitive Rag Doll

What a unique and endearing handmade primitive rag doll this is!



Price: $55, plus shipping

For more info or to purchase, please see Prims n Posies' listing on Etsy.

Handmade Alpaca Teddy Bear Ready to Live with You

Here's a sweet handmade alpaca teddy bear ready to be part of your teddy bear family!



Price: approx. $141.37 USD, plus shipping

For more info or to purchase, please see Ted Bears' listing on Etsy.

Handmade OOAK Grubby Teddy Bears for Sale

Drakestone Primitives Country Store offers a variety of country and prim items. But did you know she also features some cute handmade teddy bears?





Source

Angi's general blog is Drakestone Primitives Country Cabin.

Just Discovered Ginger of Bear Bits

I just discovered another great teddy bear artisan: Ginger of Bear Bits. She's having a giveaway that ends June 21st.



Isn't she cute!?

Here are some more of her handcrafted teddy bears.


Source of the above photos: Piece Parade

Handmade Smiling Teddy Bear

What a sweet smiling bear this Lavender sweetheart is.



Price: $30, plus shipping

For more info or to purchase, please see Sugar and Spice's listing on Etsy.

Hand Crafted Raggedy Ann and Andy for Sale

Add some variety to your collection of raggedy dolls with these cute Raggedy Ann and Andy wooden wall hangers.



Price: $20, plus shipping

For more info or to purchase, please see Tins and Treasures' listing on Etsy.

Handmade Mohair Bears for Sale

Say "Howdy" to this sweet and friendly handcrafted mohair bear!



Price: $40, plus shipping

For more info or to purchase, please see Lisa Bears' listing on Etsy

Adorable Handmade Primitive Raggedy Ann Doll

This lil' country primitive handmade raggedy is getting all edu-macated!



Price: $31, plus shipping

For more info or to purchase, please see Wandering Whimsies' listing on Etsy.

Incredible Handmade Dolls

The main focus of this blog is, of course, handmade teddy bears and raggedies. Every once in awhile, I've featured some bunny rabbits. Now I also want to include some amazing handmade dolls that I'll find along the way.

Tonight's find is Cobbler Cottage.


Source


Source

Thought I'd share a couple of pictures here. Her blog is filled with a lot more of her amazing fine folk art handmade dolls.