I was in the garage weekend before last, looking for stuffing and pellets for sewing kits. I found the last of my trunks full of fur and pre-cut bears.
Among the kits I found a 13 inch panda all ready to be pinned and sewn. Later, I went through my patterns and found a 13 inch panda pattern, traced it, fixed it up in Photoshop and Illustrator, all ready to list. But, first I needed a photo of a panda.
I remembered then a publication by Steve Cronk, former editor of Teddy Bear Review. It was a "coffee table book" intitled "The World's Most Lovable Bears". I had been honored to be asked to have a bear included in his book. Once published, I had saved 3 unsealed books for my kids. I remembered I had sent Steve a panda of my latest design. That was way back in 1996. (I think.) I could not get to them in the garage, so I "googled" his book. Happily, they were available at Amazon and I ordered 2.
Throughout this week I worked on the patterns and directions then published a new PDF with directions for making a Panda using photos from my albums. I THOUGHT they were the same photo I had used for Steve's book.
The books came yesterday, and to my surprise, there was this adorable little panda looking at me from the very last page of my his book. (My last name, Wurster, caused my little panda to land on the very last page. Which I thought was a good thing. I always flip through a book starting on the last page.) BUT. I was so surprised that the book had my very last bear design, a 16 inch panda, made from totally different fur and a different size than the one from my new PDF.
So who is this little 13 inch guy from the sewing kit bag? Not the one on the page of the PDF, nor the one from Steve's book. Just a random little panda that has been created and a home found for him/her. The good news is that I DID find the fur that I used for Anna and I did find her 16 inch pattern. And there is a PDF Pattern with directions for making Anna the panda. There is also a Anna Panda Sewing Kit for this 16" Panda with the exact fur seen in the photo above.
By the way, I have found kits for all 3 of these guys below now, and they are 11 inches and 16 inches too. So, Timothy Little, the 11 inch inset muzzle bear and his sailor collar is available in PDF form was a sewing kit too. (It has found a home), but Shiloh, the darker set in muzzle bear who is also 16 inches is now a PDF Pattern and will be a kit as soon as I send away for his hardboard discs and his eyes.
Just getting caught up on the blog.