Dolls quilts and tea time for bears.....

In my quest to finish 15 UFOs this year, I added one more finish to my list. This quilt was started back in 2013 for one of Lori at Humble Quilts QALs. Who knows why it sat awaiting only the last strip of sawtooth border and quilting? I will edit my post later and let you know the size. I am at Cranberry Cottage for a quilter's weekend and forgot to measure it. 

This QAL was all about using on orphan block and creating a quilt around it. This block was left over sample block from my basic patchwork course I taught years ago. You forget over the years that those simple blocks you use to teach quilting are just beautiful blocks. I just love how this little doll quilt turned out! Thanks Lori for encouraging us to grab those orphans and give them a home. 

It prompted even the name for my quilt. 

Wednesday was busy day for Yona. He had a visit from his brother now named Muis (Mouse) who is seated on the right and his teacher Beer (Bear) seated in the middle. 

When Wilma and I finished our bearmaking classes, I invited our teacher Annemieke and Wilma to my home for a Teddy Bear High Tea. Of course, those three bears could not be left out! Yona had fun helping met set the table before our guests arrived and left a naughty mess on the table. He put bear paws (in the form of chocolate brownies) and bear poop (chocolate covered peanuts) all over the table. Silly bear!

I wanted to send Wilma and Annemieke home with a special reminder of our afternoon so I made them each a bear mug rug as a gift. 

That same evening, Beer was back home again with Annemieke and crawled into his bed with his mug rug to use as his very own quilt. Thanks Annemieke once again for sharing your talent for bears with us and for allowing me to share this photo of your own sweet bear. 

Heidi

The birth of a little bear.....

A wish was fulfilled when I took a workshop in bear making this month with Wilma. We arrived early and started on our bears full of expectations. First we choose our fur and traced the pattern. Carefully the fur was cut being sure to keep as much of the bear fuzz as possible in tact as we cut. I was so excited to see the bear's head. 

We started sewing the pieces together on a real Singer featherweight. How fun to use this machine! 

Lunch breaks sustained us as we worked.

Our first day of the workshop was over so quickly and we were so excited to give our bear heads their first drive home. They already had so much personality.....

Two weeks later...my homework was done and my sweet little bear was ready to go back to the workshop to be finished off.

It was quite an operation. My little bear got his eyes followed by legs and arms attached. Then came the excitement of stuffing him. He was almost there. He only needs a nose and mouth and paw markings. 

At the end of the second day, little bear was officially born. He and his brother happily posed for photos.....

Enjoyed their first time in sunshine......

...and Usdi Yona (Cherokee for little bear) came home to keep me company. I smile each time I see him. He sits here on my desk talking to me as I blog. 

Thank you Annemieke for giving Wilma and I our first bear workshop. For sharing your expert knowledge of bear-making and for your hospitality!

Heidi and Yona

P.S. - Thank you all so much for the comments on my previous post on my birthday quilt.