Our feature artist of the month for September is Barbara Allen of New Zealand!!

I live in an old cottage in New Zealand, and as I have always loved teddybears, they can be found in just about every room of our house. About two years ago I was given a miniature teddy kitset, and before I made it up we went to a local teddy bear show, where I saw several miniature bear stalls. I was enchanted, made up my kitset, and have been making mini bears ever since.

I love nostalgia, and I like my Cobweb bears tolook a little old as well, as if they have been around for years and have been well loved. The bears I make range from 4 to 6 inches, and I prefer using old, recycled, rayon velvet, as it is so soft and perfectly proportioned for the size of bears that I make. I often hand-dye the velvet to get just the right color. Sometimes I am lucky enough to find some really worn out, threadbare velvet, which makes wonderful old-looking bears.

The expression on a bear's face is very important, and I try to make my faces rather whimsical and appealing, a 'take me home and love me' sort of look. It is so rewarding to see the enchantment on a customer's face when they fall in love with a bear that 'speaks' to them.

Since launching my own website at the beginning of this year, I have received so much help and encouragement from other bear makers and collectors around the world. It is wonderful how friendly everyone is in the Bearmaking world.

Below are some more of Barbara's creations.

Flora

Old Cobbler

Rosebud

To see more of Barbara's creations, please visit her website at:
Cobweb Cottage