ABC Wednesday

If you would like to play ABC Wednesday..check out Mrs. Nesbitt's site.....

Today is "N" .......I chose needle ... .. so I'm showing a few pics of my fun hobby...stitching small bears with needle and thread. Here is the latest little guy I just finished. If the bear is small.... under 5 inches, I do the whole thing by hand. If it is over 6 inches I sometimes try to do a few pieces by machine...but, still do the head, foot pads and ears by hand. If the fur is ultra fluffy, like this stuff...I find it easier to do it all by hand.










This is the bottom of a leg and foot... all the fur must be tucked in out of the way before attaching the foot pad. This is a strange faux fur with some very long outer "hairs". It was a cushion cover that I bought on sale and took apart... silly as a cushion..but, great as a little bear!










In order to keep the fur out of the way while using my little needle to do the tiny stitches, I use many clips to hold the paw pad securely to the bottom of the foot while I stitch around it. It is a bit awkward working around them...but speed is not of the essence.....perfect stitches are....and each stitch is only about two of those teensy squares (squint hard and you can see them).. I don't want things slipping and sliding while trying to keep stitches neat.










Once the pad is stitched into place... turn it all right side out and there you have it...foot pad... and all the fur pointing in the right direction. Needle work complete.













His nose is another type of needlework... embroidery...
it is a smooth satin stitch.. stitches done very close together and keeping them all the same degree of tightness in order to form a satin-like finish. Noses can be tiny or large...and many different shapes... depending on where or how I place the stitches with my needle.......