I have finally finished Scarlett and O’Hare. I had a few design problems with O’Hare, first I made his arms too long and club shaped, but drew and cut out new ones and I think he looks really cute. I also had to put two french knots in each ear to make them lay flat.
They are a cute pair!
Ernest and Merlin have been adopted. Thanks to everyone who visited my E-bay listing, and special thanks to the person who adopted them. I know they will have a good home.
I am hard at work on another duo. As you probably guessed by now, I love to play around with famous people’s names and design critters around their name and personalities. I am working on Scarlett and O’hare now. I am having a bit of design problems with O’hare. I usually sketch out my ideas in my sketch book and then develop the critter from these ideas, so O’hare is a rabbit (how did you guess), and I have definite ideas of how he should look, but am having a few problems bringing him to life. I will probably have them ready in a week or two.
I cannot believe it is the end of July already. Have a great weekend!
I have listed Oliver and Wendell on e-Bay. I haven’t been selling on e-Bay for quite some time, but I have been working on my bears, dolls and critters. I hope to list a doll soon, but I am still in the experimenting stage at this point. My head is full of ideas and I wake each morning anxious to get started on some of the ideas.
Oliver is a return to my recycled denim teddies. I love using this material because it is soft and worn with a nice patina of age. It is also unforgiving of errors, so your patterns need to be right on, there is no fur to hide little oversights. My recycled denim comes from family and my own collection, it seems there are always plenty of jeans around. I don’t use the stretch denim, only the regular old denim.
Oliver
Oliver is also a bit bigger than I have been used to making, he is 21 inches tall and softly stuffed with poly and pellets. His arms and legs have lots of pellets to give him a more relaxed feel.
My designs usually follow a routine. I usually draw the idea in my sketch book first, then draw the pattern. I have usually decided what material I am going to use when I am drawing the sketch, so then I lay out the patterns, trace around them on the material, and cut them out. Next I sew the head, stuff it, place the eyes, stitch the nose, sew on the ears, then go on to the rest of the bear. If I am dissatisfied with the head, I make a new one, making the changes I feel it needs. I always hand sew the head. I hand sew the bodies of all my teddies under 15 inches. I use a back stitch and sew every seam twice for extra security. After I am finished sewing, stuffing, sculpting and tweaking, I start on the clothing and accessories.
I had Oliver sitting in my workroom for several months while deciding if he was finished or not, then I decided he needed claws and a companion. I had a idea for Wendell floating around in my head, and decided he would make a good teddy for Oliver. I had a bit of a time deciding which material to make him from, but finally the left over material from an old wool coat seemed just right. I knew I wanted him to be a simple design, so I used button joints and made his head stationary. I also thought button eyes suited him best.
Wendell
I love them together, they seem to belong to each other.
Oliver and Wendell
I am working on an orphan critter, these are a separate category, and I have only made two so far, this one wasn’t meant to be the third, but the idea for him came to me one night and I sketched him out in a few minutes and just had to make him. If you would like to see the other orphan critters, please visit them on my web site.
May 6, 2009
Hello, and welcome to my blog. My grandson Jacob is pictured above. I would like to introduce my family, so I figured I would post a few pictures of them each month. We live in an old house with two dogs, two cats and two birds. I will be introducing them along the way also.
I was a wedding photographer for many years. I still love my photography and carry a camera with me everywhere. I find that even the most ordinary objects have beauty. I will be posting my photographs here in the hopes that someone might enjoy looking at them.
I am a fiber artist, and like to dabble in designing and making teddy bears and dolls. I like to knit, crochet and sew, so I make most of their costumes as well. I have sold on E-bay under the Id jannebears for many years, and I am planning to sell on my website in the near future.
I use recycled fabrics for some of my designs, such as the recycled denim bunny above. I have used old coats and their linings, old blankets, and faux leather.
The teddy bear above was made from an old blanket I bought at a flea market. The ones below was made from faux leather.
Sometimes my children decide that they would like to keep one of my designs and they become a part of our family, such as the one below.
I keep a journal of all the teddy bears and other critters I have made and sold over the years, and it is an interesting look back at all the stages I have gone through. I also dabble a little in drawing, some of which I will post later.
I have a studio where I do most of my work, and am in the process of setting up my darkroom once again. Please feel free to spend as much time as you like here and I would love to hear from you. If you would like to visit my website at jannebears.com, I would be honored.
