I just love teddy bears and before I put these away for awhile I thought they should be shared. My Mom sewed beautifully and liked to make dolls. She could sew anything and also made my wedding dress, which has been securely packed away for 40 years. I have many of her dolls and sometime I will take them out and share more.
These are three of the bears that she made with moveable arms and legs and stuffed so tightly. I just love them so.
The bear that is standing is made of mohair and I picked him up in Canada on vacation probably 30 years ago. My Mother in law loved bears and dolls too and the one in front she had given to me, he is so soft. The other one sitting was her bear, I love him because he has some kind of weights in his bottom and legs and sits very well anywhere.
This big bear I found in Gettysburg. It has nothing to do with the Civil War but he kept calling me back to him until I brought him home with me. The little white one my friend gave to me, I believe it is mohair and the the bear with the gangly legs and patriotic hat I picked up at a craft show. The one who it hiding her face I believe is a small Boyds Bear.
They needed to come down and get dusted off.
The other day I tucked a tea towel into a friends birthday package and that prompted a discussion on tea towels or kitchen towels, whatever you like to call them. Her towel was green with three big carrots on it.
I had told her that I like to pick up these inexpensive towels and just save them to give to people. I don’t like to use them to dry dishes but many other things. I am showing you the hedgehog towels I had sewn together .
We have this narrow window that certain times of the year and certain times of the day, usually dinner time the sun comes in and blinds us. I needed something to stop it but didn’t want to make anything or put a lot of time into it. The two towels are just the right width and length together and they are hemmed already. I found a small spring tension rod and hooks and clips from Ikea and our problem is solved.
These towels I picked up at the Raven Book Store in Lawrence Kansas in 2015. I had no Idea what I would do with them but the cats drew me in.
I bought two because they had different images. I got a big idea one day while the sun was beating into my studio that I needed something to put over the window for about two hours in the afternoon. The are just the right weight to mute the sun so I can see to paint. Again I used a spring tension rod and Ikea rings and hooks. To open and shut I use a yard stick and I have it higher because the cats have to look out underneath.
I also use them to just dry my hands on in the kitchen or place them over food in the summer if there is a party going on.
This towel could be used to take a box of donuts to ones home. I love good donuts and coffee. Wrap this one around a bottle of liquor for a house warming. They can also be used as mop towels at the bar.
These two I have washed and need to iron to get that crisp look back. The one on the left my friend Colleen sent and the one on the right came in an order from Carrie Schmitt an artist that I know and love. I used these to put on the back of a black chair that was against the wall and would leave a mark on the wall. Having them on the back of the chair prevented the mark.
If anyone else has good ideas for these towels that you do, please leave a comment. I look forward to hearing from you.