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Teddies
to use as ornaments, teddies for presents, teddies to collect
there are sixteen lovable bears in here to make to suit all
tastes.
I am not normally a teddy fan but the bears in here have a
look of traditional collectables that is hard to resist. Too
many modern versions have flat squashed faces and over-large
heads but these look more like the real thing. They have proper
cotter pin joints and sculptured heads; a pleasure to make
for a keen toy maker. If you are a beginner at this sort of
thing this is not the best place to start, but anybody with
a bit of toy making know-how (or at least sewing knowledge)
ought to be able to have a go. There is a list of materials
and what they are all for, as well as what equipment you need
plus a pocket at the back that holds the patterns. The projects
start immediately with the basic bear; this has photographed
stages with captions, plus an unusual and very handy guide
to what pattern pieces you need showing their shapes. I applaud
the list of materials which says exactly how much you require
even down to the weight of the stuffing. The bears after this
are variations on the basic idea with a difficulty rating,
height and a page sized photo of the finished item. Make bears
of various sizes and colors, a panda, a paw shaped key ring,
baby bears, pairs of bears and my favorite a polar bear. There
are a few photographs of stages too if you have to do something
different, and in all I was impressed. Heirloom bears can
be the trickiest of soft toys to get right and I have seen
other books that really made a meal of the subject, but the
brief instructions here told you exactly what you needed to
know without a lot of unnecessary preamble. A real practical
primer in fact, which is what you want a book like this to
be.
If you cannot find a good range of toy making materials
locally try www.searchpress.com
for a list of suppliers.
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