Sunday, December 14, 2008

A Sentimental Chistmas Gift


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My mom's husband Dan lost his mom, Marian, last summer. The above picture is Marian many years ago when she was a young mom. Wasn't she pretty!
Dan celebrated his 75th birthday in 2007, so his dear Mom was close to 100 years old. I have been asked to make Marian's Mink Coat into a Teddy Bear ~ Christmas Gift. It will be given to Dan's Sister Diane.




The coat has a lovely silky-satin type lining in a pretty shade of caramel (lined with wool batting). I know it will be slippery, but hopefully the wool batting will help. A very pretty girl bear with silk paw pads and a silky bow is what I hope to make. I may add some pretty taupe and cream Millinery too.




I managed to cut out all the pieces last night. There was Fluff everywhere !



She will be a rather big 15 inch bear. I was told by a few Teddy Bear Artists that I will need to use a large pattern to make the mink fur manageable. So far so good. Today I will start putting her together.



Here is another "Before picture" of the Coat





I think I see a little smile already . . .





I know I have not given myself much time at all . . . only started last night . . .but I work well under pressure, or so I hope, LOL !


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XpressPost mail is definitely in my future!

9 comments:

Monica said...

Hi Karen!!
First, Thank you for your lovely comment on my blog! I have been one of your readers so far, as you can see you are on my sidebar!!

Then, this gift is a sweet thought! I think it will be much appreciated!
Though I am not a 'bear artist', I love sewing teddies, and I'd love to make one out of my Nan's coat! But I fear that handling 'real' fur could be very difficult, so I postponed! Can't wait to see your bear finished!

Monica.

Mary said...

Oh this is going to be a VERY special Christmas Gift and I also can't wait to see the finished product.
MARY

Unknown said...

OMGosh!!! I want that bear! ;)
What a cutie he/she is going to be!

Karen ~ Cider Antiques said...

Hi gals . . . oh this is harder than I thought . . . the leather backing is quite fragile. Old and brittle is probably the best way to describe it. The fur splits when I turn the limbs right-side-out. Ouch!

So . . . A big learning curve in progess. I am working on lining the inside for strength, before I turn each piece. Any suggestions?

Karen

Karen

Karen

Slop -n- Goulash: Dinner of Champions! said...

Karen, I don't have any suggestions, but I am sure anxious to see "her" when "she" is finished. What a wonderful idea!!!

The Victorian Parlor said...

It's looking great so far! I can't wait to see the finished bear!

Mya said...

Oh I can't wait to see it when you finish. What a wonderful gift and such a beautiful picture. Merry Christmas my friend.
-Mya

April said...

Oh, this is too sweet! I ADORE this...it looks beautiful already!

Robin said...

what a wonderful thoughtful gift this was! I enjoyed reading all the posts about it!