Hello From The Hug!

(September 2007)

G’day all! Wow! How did we get this far through the year while I wasn’t looking! It seems like just last week that we packed the Christmas tree away and here it is Fathers’ Day! It won’t be too long and the Christmas tree will be dragged out of the cupboard again – Oh dear!! I don’t want to even think about the list of Christmas presents I need to organise this year! It makes my brain hurt!

However, if you are starting to think about Christmas gifts and you’re one of the Tag Along Teddies supporters who have been waiting patiently for the stitchery pattern of the Christmas Stocking Bear – Your wait is finally over! Yes, this much written about, long awaited Christmas stocking stitchery is now available on the site. Make one for yourself to give your country/shabby chic home a Christmassy boost, or make it for a friend and fill it with goodies. There’s lots of room in it for Santa to leave pressies, so put it on your wish list!

Another project I’ve been talking about for a while is the pattern I’ve designed to donate to the Fresh Hope Patterns range. Well, her name is Taylah Bear and she turned out to be a gorgeous little girly bear – if I do say so myself!! Taylah is wearing pretty floral jim jams (pyjamas for those not in the know!) with lace edging and clutching her best friend, Dolly, ready to crawl into bed. She is named after one of our nieces, Taylah Bree Parker who doesn’t really like to go to bed or she might miss something!! Life is one very big, very full-on adventure for Taylah Bree! And when I took the photo of her namesake, it really looked like this little bear was a tired little teddy bear, but not quite ready to admit it! Mary collected the pattern sheets from me this week to take to the printers, so the Taylah Bear pattern will soon be joining the wonderful range of Fresh Hope Patterns, all proceeds from which, go towards keeping this unique drug and alcohol rehab program running. And don’t forget, you can now purchase any of the Fresh Hope Patterns from the Tag Along Teddies web site! If you haven’t already, take a look at this new page on our site, as its well worth checking out.

Our ‘Buy one, get one half price’ pattern sale went well and I hope that all who took advantage of the offer enjoy making up their patterns or giving them to a friend as a gift. (See tips from last newsletter!) This month’s special offer to our wonderful supporters is a free stitchery design for you to download and stitch! It is a cottage garden scene with a traditional bee hive at its centre, surrounded by pretty cottage flowers and the encouraging message that: “You are bee-utiful!” You can make the stitchery panel any size you like and the finished product can be used in many ways. You can make the stitchery up into a small wall hanging, a door hanger, a patch on a cushion, a panel on a lap quilt, a pocket on a bag – to name just a few ideas! I’ll list the numbers of the DMC embroidery threads and stitches I used on the site, but this is a project where you can let your imagination run wild! Use your favourite colours to stitch this garden scene – compliments of the Tag Along Teddies team! Again, a great way to spoil yourself or a friend.

One of the other ways I’ve been keeping myself busy (I’m not allowed to say ‘out of mischief’ because apparently I’m NEVER out of mischief entirely!) is in preparing for a couple of classes I will be teaching in the next few months. The first will be at a Creative Craft Retreat here on the Darling Downs, which will see a group of keen bear fans tackle the task of making ‘Olive Bear’. The second will involve bear lovers in my home town of Mundubbera. The class will run through the local patchwork shop, Lemon Joe’s and will see yet more toweling teddies created. I love teaching workshops and classes, as it’s fun to share tips with people about some of the shortcuts and tricks I’ve learned along the way, but even more exciting is seeing the thrill ladies get from seeing their very own teddy bear coming to life and taking on a unique character. Even when everyone in the class uses the same pattern, all of the teddies turn out to be very different, which is one of the most attractive features of hand made bears! I’ll let you know how the ladies go and perhaps take a few happy snaps to add a Brag Book page to the site!

You pirate fans out there will be pleased to know that I’ve finished the first prototype of my pirate bear pattern and he looks suitably dashing and swash-buckling! The finished pattern will offer two pirate costumes, with the second one still on the drawing board, but don’t walk the plank in despair, as I promise these buccaneer bears will be ready by Christmas! Aha and avast, ye lily-livered land-lubbers!!

I think that’s brought you up-to-date with the happenings at the Tag Along Teddies hug for the last little while, so I shall sign off for this newsletter. Remember, I’m always keen to hear your feedback about the patterns or site, so feel free to email me with comments or suggestions for future patterns you’d like to see! And of course, don’t forget to download your copy of the free stitchery pattern from the web site and happy stitching. Til next “Hello From The Hug”,

CHEERS!
KRIS

TIP!

·                    Patchwork fabric can be expensive, so you don’t want to waste any of your scraps, but they can clutter up your stash & make it harder to find what you’re looking for. Why not set aside a pretty gift bag, a shoe box or a tin just for your ‘left overs’, those little off-cuts from quilting, doll or bear projects that aren’t large enough to use in most projects. These can then come in handy for scrap quilts, crazy patchwork, trims, appliqué, or clothing for small dolls. When you next tackle one of these projects that needs smaller pieces, you will have all of your smaller stash pieces in one handy spot.