Pattern pieces for Madeleine's head and ear in four different sizes. Madeleine's pattern is set enough that it's time to start trying out different sizes for her. Consequently, I took a clean set of the pattern pieces to the local Staples yesterday an ...
WIP: Madeleine Part 2
This bear is just right. I'm getting closer on Madeleine's pattern. It took four tries to get her body the size I wanted. The first was a little too thin, so I added 1/4 inch all the way around on the pattern pieces. That was way too fat, so I cut bac ...
Madeleine’s Trial Run
Some additional ears and arms to try out Madeleine currently looks a little too svelte to me. I have reached the tweaking stage. I sewed the muslins for Madeleine the teddy bear together and stuffed various sections over the weekend. I d ...
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Greengrocer
Meet William H. Maizey This photo may be the sole remaining artifact of one of my first original designs. I made it 37 years ago for the Loon and Heron Children's Theater in Boston as part of a college internship. It (or he, since I have retroactively ...
Work in Progress: Madeleine, Teddy Bear Number 1
First draft pattern for teddy bear number 1, aka Madeleine This is my first WIP (Work in Progress) Wednesday post, starting the tradition of sharing whatever is currently on my knitting needles, sewing machine or, in this case, drawing board. After ...
Math is Still My Friend
A view of my kitchen table as the triceratopses help me revise patterns. No exciting new picture today, so I put the triceratopses up again figuring they were cuter to look at than a ruler and spreadsheet. I'm getting ready to go through the patter ...
Assumptions
Arpeggio Yamosaurus the Stegosaurus is marked and (almost) ready to demonstrate leg placement My herbivores are all marked with yarn and ready to be temporarily disassembled in the interest of better pattern instructions. I forgot, when I first wrote ...
Research
Getting ready for my next toy idea Shakesbear's new outfit was a trial run for an idea I have been thinking about for a while - patterns for historically costumed teddy bears. I envision Elizabethan bears, Regency English bears, 18th century Versaille ...
Shakesbear’s New Clothes – Part the Fourth
In which our hero, radiant as the sunne in splendor, ventures forth into the world new-clad in magnificence. Doing his best Sir Walter Raleigh in flat cap and the World's cutest half cape In doublet and breeches, the very picture of a re ...
Shakesbear’s New Clothes – Part 3
Shirt and breeches are almost finished Work on Shakesbear's new wardrobe continues apace. His shirt and breeches are finished except for the hand sewing, and I am moving on to finish his doublet today. In researching men's Elizabethan clothing, I h ...