I had hoped to rack some wine yesterday but it wasn't quite ready so instead I decided to start on my first bear and bake an apple pie. First things first..I had bought some good cooking apples last week so I peeled them and sliced them in different sizes. I cheated and put them in a frozen pie crust after mixing them with some sugar, salt and fresh apple pie spice...
Since they were mounded up so high and I don't particularly like pie crust I opted for a different type of topping.
Then when it came out of the oven it smelled heavenly. At this point I didn't care if it was fit to eat. The house smelled so cozy and wonderful.
All that bubbling goodness was almost too much to bear! Wait? Did I say bear?
Yes. That is the beginning of my very first Teddy Bear. I am learning to sew! I am very excited about the little bear. I found a bag of old clothes I had meant to take to Goodwill and right on top was a light blue gingham cotton shirt. Perfect. So I took my free pattern and with the help of a friend (she pinned the pattern on showing me how to do it) and I cut all the parts to my bear. The pie was still hot so I decided to go ahead and make his little body.
It was quite the ordeal to sew around all those curves, but with help I managed quite well. I was amazed how quickly I had flashbacks to seeing my mother's hands at work. My friend watched and showed me how to stop sewing, keep the needle down, flip the foot up, turn, flip down and sew. With that one little sewing trick so many memories came flooding back!
Little Bear's body is just waiting for me to reinforce some seams and stuff his little body. Stuffing. I guess in the old days people used old rags, but I've been advised by an experienced bear maker (are you listening Susan?) to use a high quality fibre fill.
Next of course, I will have to give Little Bear a head. It looks quite difficult to get the symmetry and I hope to make little bear handsome. And after his head is attached I shall name him.
A historical tidbit for you history buffs out there. The "teddy bear" is named for President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt. On a hunting trip he refused to kill a black bear that had been caught and tied to a tree. Apparently, the other hunters had killed an animal and the well meaning hunting party wanted to ensure the president was successful as well. However, they underestimated President Roosevelt's integrity.
Now how we got from that to a cuddly loving stuffed animal I'm not sure.
Oh and the pie is ready!
The vanilla ice cream balanced out my heavy hand on the cinnamon apple pie spice!
8 comments:
Oh yum, apple pie with cinnamon and ice cream as well as a new bear about to be born.... what a great time you've been having Mary :)
You're doing a great job with Little Bear, and the material is very smart. Oh, he'll be handsome no doubt about that!
I think it's lovely too how that particular sewing on the machine brought back memories for you.
I really enjoyed your post ... have fun :D
The pie looks amazing.
Sewing is such a great skill. It is amazing how even a few of the basics can be a huge help for hemming or repairing much loved clothes.
I have included a link for a pattern for quite an easy little doll. I am a very basic in the sewing skills department but I have managed to make a few of these.
http://www.marthastewart.com/article/black-apple-doll
And it fits the apple theme of the day.
Susan ~ My mother actually had a machine that would sew backwards to tie off the stitching, but this one isn't that fancy. I was really amazed how much I had remembered just helping her as a child. It makes me happy too. Like Momma is still here with me! And thank you for the encouragement too.
Bruise ~ It is a lovely little simple pattern. I may make these for my little nieces. I can't make just one or they may get their feelings hurt! Its perfect! Happy sewing to you.
The pie looks delicious. What kind of apples did you use? Granny Smith?
Good luck with the little bear. Can't wait to meet him.
Well, going to visit blogs is not going to make me any skinnier :):). That looks just delicious and it reminds me that I have a bunch of apples to deal with today...
I can't sew to save my life but you look well on your way!
Mary, I can just about smell that pie from here...put the kettle on I'm coming for a visit.
Good luck with your little bear. Can't wait to meet him. Maa.
Independent ~ I think they were MacIntosh and if not those then Jonathons. More carryover from Momma. She always used those if we had to have store bought in the winter.
Marie ~ I will do a salad next time :) And you can sew, having a personal instructor helps!
Maa ~ I hope to work on him this evening!!
Oh, I hope you continue on with other little bears too....I began making bears several years ago...and love it!! I didn't know how to sew with a machine and we did them by hand...but, then I wanted to carry on with trying dolls...and had to learn to sew to make the tiny fingers.... so I now say I "sew"..but, really..it is leave the needle down...turn the handle 2 or 3 times... up the presser foot..turn the fabric... down the foot...turn the handle a few more times...etc... so much more mechanical really than actual sewing. My friend Maggi is teaching me to sew and just laughs at how pathetically slow I am..... sigh....
I hopped over from Susan and Maa's blogs... and am having fun looking through some of your past postings....
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