Apparently, it is National Teddy Bear Day! And I couldn’t let such an occasion pass without commemorating it somewhat. If I had really been on my game, I would have prepared a teddy bear tea party for my niece and nephew, but as it is, I think I’ll curl up with a tale of Paddington or Pooh and plan a new sewing project for a certain bear.
Cotoro.net is always an inspiration for amazing Duffy and Shellie May outfits. Recently I made a little dress for one of my bears using this pattern. As with all the website’s patterns, it is in Japanese, but easy enough to follow using the photos. I didn’t have any of that beautiful lace fabric, but I tried to make it work with the scraps I had on hand. The nice thing about making bear outfits is, you don’t have to be as concerned with durability and practicality as you do with making baby garments. It’s all about being cute.
The subject of teddy bears reminded me of one of my favorite early photo projects. Aloooooong time ago– in 2000 or so, I became enamored with a French “web-cam” called Nounours-Cam. It is still around, and as adorable as ever. Back then, I staged my own Nonours in tribute to the original. I remember also being quite influenced by The Lonely Doll books around that time, and loved the idea of creating quiet worlds for toys.
I hope to revive my own nounours-cam once I have sewn a few new items for the bears. Why not? In the meantime, give your favorite bear a cuddle. Happy Teddy Bear Day!
swan laine 