Pud Bears Flower Pandas

I started making 3 coloured Pud Bears Pandas in the 1990's.  They were very popular so I have made a few since I restarted making bears.  Here are a selection of past and present Pandas.



8" Biscuit - SOLD

8" Cherry Panda - SOLD

 

8" Rusty Panda - SOLD

8" Purple Panda - SOLD

8" Tan and Green Panda - SOLD

6" Tan Panda - SOLD





Pastel Panda - available at House of Bears, Bath



I am currently making a new 8" Panda in black, shaggy blue tipped, and royal blue.



My Cavalier Boys Pose for the Camera

I thought I would take a break from showing you my vintage toys and give Harry and Sidney their moment in the spotlight.


Sidney liking his 'new' 3 tier bed (they were waiting to be washed)

My beautiful Harry, complete with cobweb on his head :)

He loved my new Elephant hot water bottle cover

Sidney has a bad hair day!
I can't believe how 'grey' he has gone, just look at the difference in those eyebrows from the photo on the right!

Come to think of it, they both had a bad hair day that day lol
You can easily see their different characters in this photo - Sidney with his wide eyed innocent, worried face and Harry squinting with a willful, defiance stare.

Horses, Chiltern, Prams and Steiff with a Sprinkling of Pincushions

I have not shown the most popular items from my Etsy shops for a while now.  Here are the most viewed items for the last 30 days.

 

First four are from my Bears and dolls shop - Polly's Vintage Bears www.etsy.com/shop/pollysvintagebears

 

Number one  is the miniature doll in her little blue pram.

At number two is this cute Hermann Fawn

Next, at number three is this very play worn Chiltern Bear..SOLD.

...and finally at number four, a very old late 1800's
papier mache horse on wheels.

 

 

As I have two Etsy shops now, here are the top four pincushions in my Polly's Pins and Needles shop.
www.etsy.com/shop/pollyspinsandneedles

Number one - a pretty pink floral high heeled shoe

Number two is this cute Sheep eggcup SOLD

At number three a simple seashell pincushion...

...and at number four is this vintage blue and white teapot with
tulip decoration

There are many more items available in my two shops.  More are being added daily, so keep popping back for a browse.  You may just find that special gift for someone special, or even a present for yourself.

Pincushions, Fairies, Swans and Bagpuss

I opened a new Etsy shop earlier in the month to list the pincushions that I make from found items - some vintage, some just cute.  www.etsy.com/shop/Pollyspinsandneedles  

 



This spider pincushion is the one that started my interest in making more of them.  I found the vintage red velvet cushion at a boot sale.  It already had the cotton doily on the top and I thought it looked like a spider's web. The spider came from a charity shop (a toy free gift I think from a certain fast food shop that children adore). :)   They just had to go together, then I remembered I had a plastic fly/bee somewhere in my stash of decorating bits.  They just came together so well.  I think he is great, so if no-one buys him I will quite happily hang on to him.

There are various shoes and boots

Cute items on cushions - I love this little Bagpuss
 on his striped cushion SOLD

Character Eggcups



Cute ornaments

Miniature vases and jugs

There are 4 different fairies to choose from

Pretty needle holders

I also found some great cotton material that I thought would be good for needle holders.

These are just a few of the pincushions I have available in my Etsy shop.  Go take a look, they make lovely gifts.

An Assortment of Vintage and Antique Toys

I love to get a box of old toys from a sale or Ebay and rummage through to see what I have.
My latest finds include some strange toys, some of which are pre 1900.
These wild animals for example, are from the late 1800's to very early 1900's.  They are around 4"/10cm long, carved from wood and mounted on a wooden plinth.  They have been hand painted, the Leopard's SOLD pattern still being quite clear and colorful.  The Zebra and Tiger are a bit worn and faded though.





To purchase this little horse on wheels go to
www.etsy.com/shop/PollysVintageBears

This small Carthorse on wheels is also from the same period and is very collectable.  It is made from papier mache, and is just 4"/10cm long.  I have seen a few different types like this and most seem to fetch $100 or more.  I have this one for sale in my Etsy shop for 50GBP + postage.


Steiff Animals

I have acquired some beautiful Steiff vintage animals.  The first is my favourite - a lovely patterned Owl with loads of character SOLD

 

 He can turn his head right around and look behind him as a real Owl can.

Then there are the big cats - a Lion, Tiger Cub and Leopard Cub.

The Leopard Cub has a beautiful face and pretty markings. SOLD

SOLD

                               This is Nagy Beaver a cute Steiff plush toy

 

A lovely little Bambi Fawn

..and finally Slo Turtle SOLD

 

They are all available for sale in my Etsy shop - www.etsy.com/shop/PollysVintageBears

A bear with Piercing Eyes...

...literally.
An old bear I have acquired was next in line for restoration.  I thought he just needed a patch on one of his paws and a general clean up.
Then I noticed that his eyes were different sizes, so they had to be replaced.  I got out my scissors and started the process of finding the cotton to cut to release the glass eyes.
I found no cotton, but was amazed at how the eyes had been put in.  They were just pushed in and held in place with a bit of glue. 
However did those of us that were children in the 1940's and 1950's survive?

 

 

 Here he is with his new eyes.  He needs a clean, although the really dark patches on his bald nose may not come that clean.  I should be able to fluff up and clean his fur though.

 I tried to find out who his maker was, and on examining his paws to see what repairs were needed, I found little holes which led me to believe that he was a Merrythought bear with the webbed claws typical of some of their bears.

I looked through my Merrythought reference book, and lo and behold - here he is.  This one has darker paws, but the head, ears, nose shape and general body and limbs shape matches so I have decided that he is a Merrythought from the 1940's.
I have a bit of work to do on him and then he will be for sale in my Etsy shop.

Chiltern George is Completed and Looking Very Handsome

I promised that when I had finished the large Chiltern bear that I had named George I would show his transformation.  Well, here he is.  Isn't he just adorable?  George is now SOLD

He is available in my Etsy shop now - www.etsy.com/shop/PollysVintageBears





George before his makeover...




...and looking very handsome in the Sunshine



Poor blind George

What a difference a pair of eyes make!

A Bear from Bulgaria and Four from England

 
 
Here is my latest old bear find.  He came to me all the way from Bulgaria and is such an unusual looking teddy.  He is in the open mouthed style of many Austrian bears, particularly Fechter.
I have not been able to find the name of his maker yet, but have had a few clues. 

There are bears on the internet very similar to him and one has an original label pinned to his chest with the letters MB on it and a cardboard label with just the word Mohair on it.



A happy bear

I have quite a few more bears to list when I get round to it.
The one I am looking forward to finishing is the large Chiltern who's paws needed mending. I knew I had to replace the right foot paw as there was hardly any fabric left on it, but I hoped to just patch the other and his 'hands'.

Pinned paw

 I pinned the patch under the remaining fabric ready to sew it in place, leaving as much as the original on show as possible.

Pinned foot

I had to give up in the end and replace the paws completely.  The fabric that was remaining was just too fragile and split every time I tried to pull a stitch tight. 

Here he is with his replacement paws, trying to fit on the shelf with his new friends.  I just have to clean him and give him new eyes now.  He will be a handsome bear when he is finished.

 

I have already listed these 3 characters. Left to right - a Gwentoys bear c 1960s, an English bear that I think may be Farnell or Invicta (sold), and a lovely old, nearly bald bear, possibly Chad Valley.  They just needed minimal mending, ears stitching back on, seams mending, a mouth and a broken squeaker removal (the wire spring was tearing the mohair).
I cannot be sure of the last twos' origins as they have no labels, although the Gwentoys one does have his label.  They are in my Etsy shop www.etsy.com/shop/PollysVintageBears