Warren the Charity Bear

 Welcome to my sewing adventure with stuffed animals! 

Teddy bears can make things a whole lot better. So why not make a few yourself and have some easy, breezy, crafty fun? This Teddy bear design deserves a big thank you to the generous creator, Wendi at Shiny Happy World, for making this pattern free.

My little bear was cut out in some comfy orange flannel, leftover heart speckled cotton and natural linen scraps. 

I stitched it together on my trusty Singer Fashion Mate in about 10 minutes after competing with my cat for desk space. 

Stuffing took the majority of time, taking care to fill Warren's extremities first. Find a good radio station, because it takes longer than expected. 

Stuffing tiny bits and bobs of Poly-fil while listening to Mozart on the radio. 

My bear must be very cultured by now!

I left a large unsewn length alongside his leg through which to squeeze in lots of fluff. 

~ ~ ~

After loads of stuffing, I think he's turned out a very handsome bear indeed, 

upright and standing tall,

French knot eyes and all!

Whew, what a lot of fun, crafty work. 

Time for a cup of tea with Warren! 🐻

This was one of the easiest projects and thoroughly enjoyable. You can find the free pattern on Wendi's website here:

https://www.shinyhappyworld.com/2014/04/warren-charity-bear-free-teddy-bear-pattern.html

Thank you for visiting! And Blessings to you!

~ Cherie Bee

Cat or Camont: What's a quilting girl to do?

Recently I was offered a sweet little kitty named Samson to adopt from a dear friend. Cats and quilting seem like natural companions, so I was extremely tempted. However, dear Sampson the quilting companion cat would have to stay home long hours while I toiled away at the library for 10 hours a day. So reluctantly, I had to refuse. Oh sadness as he is so adorable.

So, in his stead I decided to purchase some rather more exotic looking cats in a charm pack print called Camont from Cotton and Steele Fabric company. It's a poor substitute for the antics of the kitten Samson, but the quilted cats will afford me busy work, delight in their colors and won't mind if I leave them for hours on end unattended at home on the sewing table. Also, I won't have a panic attack at work if I forgot to feed them that morning.

Sitting on my sewing table sewn so far...

As this Camont charm pack constitutes my first real official quilting project since (a-HEM) high school, I thought I would make it very basic and simple indeed. No fussy cutting, no half square triangle confusion, just serene simplicity (like the scarf I've been knitting for years in JUST the knit stitch!).  Here is the very quick and random layout which I threw together.

I'm following Melanie Ham in her quiet, gentle My First Quilt series on YouTube. She was such a light and joy, thank God for earth angels.

So this quilt will be dedicated to Melanie, my virtual quilting teacher gone too soon. And to Samson, my would be quilting companion. And I am joyful in my gentle art of quilting as it goes.