After our real life adventure at the Victoria and Albert Museum I was approached by a children’s author, Lucia Wilson. She was inspired by seeing Cedric on tv and wanted to write a book based on our story.
In story one, Cedric is having an exciting time being the centre of attention in the V&A Museum. When a young man called Troy decides to bear-nap Cedric, things take an alarming turn. Freddie and Julie, two young children who witness this crime, decide to play detective.
In story two, Cedric meets the Button Bear, trapped in a dark, miserable basement living with the meanest tailor in London. Cedric gathers a team of chums from London Zoo, Polo the penguin and a cheeky gang of squirrel monkeys, and is determined to rescue the Button Bear and to help him find his way home.
In story three, Cedric sets off to Paris for a long-overdue reunion with his cousin, Velours, a blue velvet cat. Cedric was shocked to see that Velours was now disabled; one of her back legs has been replaced with a rubber wheel after a horrible accident. Cedric’s sadness quickly disappears when he realises that Velours hasn’t let her disability hold her back, in fact, he was thrilled to learn that she was about to run in Le Grand Dash, the biggest race in the Pet Paralympics – and she is the favourite to win!
I created Cedric in 2012 after I graduated from a woven textiles degree in Norwich. The colours have been inspired by the colours of autumn. I just love the muted reds, oranges and yellows found at that time of year. He is entirely made by hand using traditional techniques. His fabric is handwoven using a super soft Tencel yarn with a twill based structure. He is hand sewn together and has cotterpin joints, glass eyes and a stitched nose. Inside he is full of tiny glass beads which gives him a mouldable, sturdy weight.
Just after I made him, Cedric and I appeared on BBC 2’s Paul Martin’s Handmade Revolution. As a winner Cedric was displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum where he was adopted.
These two teddy bears were a commission for a lady who wanted a pair of teddy bears for her two grandchildren who are both under three years old. She wanted to give them something special for Christmas that they would cherish for years to come. They are both made from Tencel using a twill weave and contemporary tartan pattern. To make them look like a pair I used the same yarn for each but changed the composition of the tartan and proportion of colour. To make them even more personalised and special to each child I embroidered the first letter of their names on to the bottom of the foot.
Tencel yarn is what most of my teddy bears are made from. I use it because it is incredibly soft, strong and comes in a gorgeous range of colours. Tencel is made by Lenzing Fibres and is the brand name for lyocell. It is a man-made fibre made from wood pulp cellulose. It is a very environmentally friendly fibre, fully biodegradable, and is produced using a ‘closed loop’ system, which means that the solvent used is continually re-used minimising pollution. The trees used to make Tencel are grown in sustainable tree farms on land which is not suitable for crops or grazing. Tencel is said to be as strong as polyester, as soft as silk, as absorbant as cotton and as cool as linen. This makes a versatile fibre, great for a wide range of products, from clothing to home accessories. It’s softness, strength and environmentally friendly production makes it an ideal fibre for my teddy bears.
I am very excited to be able to say that I am now on the Made By Hands of Britain website. It will be a great place to sell my teddy bears and bespoke, made to order teddy bears too.
I was honoured (and surprised) when Gillian approached me and asked me to be a part of Made By Hands of Britain. It was great to know somebody had noticed and like my teddy bears. It has definitely given me a boost in confidence.
I have been asked a few times now why I make teddy bears. many weavers make scarves, throws, cushions etc. But I don’t. This is something I have been thinking about because I don’t normally have much of an answer. I don’t make the usual items because I want to make something special and stand out as an individual with a unique product. Making teddy bears is something I have always wanted to do, I found courses but they were always so expensive and in difficult to reach places. While at uni I gained the confidence to make a teddy bear myself, with my woven fabrics. The shop bought teddy bears I have at home each has a special memory attached to it. They remind me of a special place, event or person. I make teddy bears because I want to make a product that is treasured, that is going to be special to my customer, not something that will be worn for a a while and eventually discarded. Weaving the fabric for the teddy bear and being able to put a letter/initial/date on the makes each one truly individual.
I also love the fact that I am making a traditional product, using traditional techniques and processes but my use of colour, yarn and weave makes it a contemporary product.
