Work In Progress ...

A new rabbit pattern!

This has been on my "to do" list for the past year

so with Easter just around the corner

I decided to take another break from my Custom Orders

to work on my rabbit ...

I've only designed the head so far ...
I am very happy my rabbit's head

To be perfectly honest I am not sure about the rest of the design because I have not created it yet.

I have always designed my creations from the "inside out" ... I draw out a pattern and then I have to sew it together to see what I've actually created. So I am always surprised at the results. 

This is turning out to be a rather large rabbit ... but isn't that a nice surprise!

UPDATE Friday March18:
Designing a new pattern takes a lot of time! But for me it is a lot of fun!!!

Here is the pile of tried and rejected pattern pieces, so far ...

At first I was thinking of designing the more human-style of legs ...

but I decided the real rabbit's legs were more charming 

especially when the rabbit is sitting.

Custom Teddy for Debbie

To see more photos of Debbie's custom teddy

CLICK HERE

Work in Progress

Custom Order #4

for Debbie

1 teddy bear using pattern #2

Debbie sent me this mink coat

These little bits of mink will soon be transformed into a teddy bear!

Even though I prefer sewing completely by hand ... to speed things along I will sometimes sew the larger pieces on my machine. This particular mink pelt has areas where the pelt is thicker and that makes it more difficult to hand sew (I was happy to use my machine or my fingers would have been very sore). Regardless of the difficulty in sewing I ALWAYS sew the head by hand because, of course, the head is the most important part of the teddy.

Almost finished !!!

Valentine Pandas

For Valentine's Day 2016 I created three

One Of A Kind Pandas:

Peace and Love Panda

CLICK HERE to see more photos and details for Peace and Love Panda

"Peace and Love" Panda has been ADOPTED

Love and Be Loved Panda

CLICK HERE to see more photos and details for Love and Be Loved Panda

"Love and Be Loved" Panda has been ADOPTED

Heart of Gold Panda

CLICK HERE to see more photos and details for Heart of Gold Panda

"Heart of Gold" Panda has been adopted

These pandas are on temporary "Reserve" while I contact collectors on my Panda

Waiting List. If for some reason not all pandas are adopted by those on my Waiting List then I will send out "Adoption Invitations" to those on my General Mailing List.

Adoption fee: $525 plus shipping ($15 US / or $35 outside US)

WIP Panda "Heart of Gold"

This series of pandas was inspired by the beads and charms

 that I used to make necklaces for each panda:

Panda #1 with the theme "Peace and Love" 

has a blue necklace with Peace symbols and glass hearts.

Panda #2 with the theme "Valentine"

has a "Love and Be Loved" charm and pink glass hearts

with love charms down the back.

Panda #3 with the theme "Heart of Gold"

has a "Heart of Gold" charm with

gold lockets on a gold chain. (see photos below).

I will be using a just slightly cream colored white mink (see photo above

of my completed Peace and Love panda holding the gold necklace

and white mink that I will be using for Panda #3)

I will be using the black fur again for #3

because I think the gold jewelry will look best on black

I will be stopping my work on pandas after #3

because I really need to get back to working on my

Custom Orders even though it is not as much fun

as working on new OOAK designs.

UPDATE:

I changed the necklace and added a large gold locket and
put the heart of gold charm hanging down the back.

This panda will definitely be another black and white panda.

I found this unique embossed black leather for the paw pads.
I hand painted a pink-gold heart in the center of each paw.

Another WIP panda

Love and Peace Panda is almost finished

I think I will name this panda "Tully" (Irish meaning peaceful)

I am just so so happy with this little panda !!!

It is a rare black and white panda.

I can't remember the last time I gave my bears

wool needle-felted paw pads

but it seemed the perfect solution 

to putting hearts on the pads.

When I realized that Valentine's Day is just around the corner

I decided to make a second Valentine Panda. 

I will be offering both pandas at the same time

because I want my (Panda Waiting List) collectors,

who have been patiently waiting for me to

create my next mink panda, to have a choice.

My next panda will be created using the same white mink but 

I decided to use this luxurious brown mink instead of the black fur

that I used for Tully because I wanted the pandas to be similar but different.

Also I still don't think that the black fur is actually mink. I personally think

that the black fur is coney but it was sold to me as mink and it looks so similar to mink

that I am really not sure ... but it is really beautiful for black and white pandas.

Update:

My response to the question: "What is the adoption fee for my pandas?"

Answer: My pandas are typically around $500

Adoption process for these pandas:

I have already been in contact with some of my collectors on my Panda Waiting List.

To go along with my "Peace and Love" and "Valentine" pandas I have an idea 

for a third panda with the theme "Heart of Gold"

WIP Peace & Love Panda

Work In Progress

First Panda of 2016

My first creation of 2016 is going to be a mink panda with the theme 

"Peace and Love"

which I believe is a wonderful hope for the coming year.

Of course, since I was lucky enough to have been a teenager during the 1960s,

Peace and Love is a theme that seems to have followed me through the decades.

The 1950s and early 1960s we lived through the Cold War.

The late 1960s and early 1970s it was the Vietnam War ... and on and on.

Peace and Love bears and pandas remains a recurring theme in my work ...

because I have not given up hope that someday we will live in a world of

Peace and Love.

When this Panda is finished it will be available on a First Come basis 

to any collector on my General Mailing list.

I will be sending out Available of Adoption emails as soon as it is completed.

This is a very pretty white mink collar (on a cashmere sweater)

This is a black fur coat. I don't think it is mink but is so hard to find black mink that my black and white pandas are extremely rare. The hairs have the same qualities and appearance as mink so it should make a beautiful panda.

These were the inspirations for my Peace & Love theme.
I am not sure what I will use or how I will use them but
it will be fun to play with ideas for this theme.