Thursday, May 8, 2014

A pirate bear, experiments in sewing and life in general ...............

The past few weeks have once again been busy and filled with the ups and downs of life.

Whilst living in France I discovered the tradition of giving bunches of fragrant Lily of the Valley (Muguet) on May Day.  There are a number of these little plants growing next to my driveway and this small display is my small celebration for the beginning of May.  The vintage milk jug makes an excellent container.


I recently completed a black bear made from a small very precious piece of black Malden Mills vintage upholstery velvet.   For some reason this colour has always been hard to find and we do not have a large supply.   Of course stitching black bears is not easy on the eyes but I have had an idea at the back of my mind for several months that a little pirate bear might be a good idea.  Stitching the bear was the easy part but I also wanted to make a tricorn hat.  Many years ago a friend suggested making samples of clothing using strong paper towels.  Works well for simple styles but not for hats!  I then made up the pattern using thin ultrasuede but it was too small.  My third attempt made using thicker ultrasuede made a very nice hat but totally overwhelmed the little bear.  Two to three days wasted but a learning curve I suppose.  I finally dressed him in a blue jacket and red bandanna complete with earring.  Introducing Bartholomew Roberts aka ‘Black Bart’ who reputedly was the most successful pirate of the golden Age of Piracy from 1719 – 1722.   This little boy will be jetting off to Australia to join the large selection of bears belonging to one of our special collectors.


I have had a rather unloved little bear sitting on my work table for several weeks.  Looking through a box of cast off clothing (which now includes two tricorn hats) I found this little cardigan which I had not used as it did not look quite right on one of my bears. With a little embroidery, bead and ribbon trim it was the perfect fit for this little bear.

The Bead Soup Blog Hop date has been changed to May 10th.  So on Saturday I will 'reveal' my creations.  I am not too sure if I am totally happy with my makings but with the daily treadmill of life I have not had much spare time.

I have been working on some other beaded items to take a break from the constant stitching and this is a new embroidered pendant.  With the addition of a chain and clasp something new for our Etsy Grace & Whimsy store.   Several other items are a work in progress but hopefully will have them all complete and photographed by next week.


The downside of life at the moment have been yet again my recent dental experiences. Several weeks back I started with tooth ache and managed to get an appointment with the dentist. He could not see any outward sign of a loose filling etc, took an x-ray and sent me home with a dose of antibiotics. If there had actually been an infection it should have started to clear it up within a day or two but several days later I was in total agony and overdosing on painkillers.  After more x-rays and consultations it was decided that I would need root canal treatment.   After some minutes of muttering and fiddling in my mouth he then informed me that the fine dental instrument he was using had broken in the root!   I am probably glowing the dark after all the x-rays and have a piece of metal lodged in my jaw.  After many phone calls to try and get a second opinion,  I have a couple of options,  he can continue with the root canal treatment leaving the metal fragment in my jaw,  remove the tooth completely or visit a specialist and some £700 later the metal will be removed and the root canal treatment completed.  The first option is not a good one as I could develop an infection which would cost a lot more to sort out,  I do not fancy having a gap in my front teeth so removal is out of the question so lots of hard work ahead.  Need to sell lots of bears etc to cover the cost.

On the plus side,  the garden is thriving 'tho I do have lots to do in the vegetable corner.  The birds are clearing the seed in a couple of hours and I have been supplementing their food with bread,  not always the best thing to do but it does help to spread the cost of feeding.   We have a pair of partridges visiting the garden who clean up everything left on the ground below the feeders.  They are very shy and flee at the first sign of humans.   The starlings have declined in number so very much,  when we first moved into this house we had a flock of them arguing loudly over the food but this year there are only a handful of them.

Until next time ..............

3 comments:

Dolores said...

OMG I feel for you. I have had root canal and it was successful. I think the dentist should pay to get the metal out of your mouth.
The bears are adorable and I love the embroidery on the sweater. My mom always picked lily of the valley but she always added some of the leaves too. I love the fragrance.

Kays Kids said...

Oh I do feel for you with the bad tooth. The dentist should do the paying to get it out. Ouch!!!
I love the little cardie on your bear and the black bear is gorgeous.
Hugs Kay

mcddiss said...

me alegro de que te hayan dado una solucion a los problemas dentales , esos dos ositos son preciosos

besitos

Mari

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