Post Hugglets Update

Hi All!

Well it's a week since Hugglets 2014 and about time I updated you all on what happened I think! I've added my preview photo above in which you can see the bulk of my tweedy gang, inspired by my holiday in the Lake District earlier this year... From the left they are Grizz the titchy sloth, Rigby Bear (who has found a new home with a gang of other Luglys), Montgomery bear and Sapwood the Rabbit.  I still have some tweed left and did enjoy working with it so I'm sure I'll be using it again in the future.

I was pretty nervous as usual as I only do one fair a year at the moment so I know I'm a new face to many, but I was pleasantly surprised as three of my creations found their new homes within the first hour or so!  I was very pleased to see my bears picked up as I've worked hard on unifying the different patterns I make so they all look like Lugly bears.  In addition it was nice that no one thought my sloths were hideously deformed bear this year: I think I have a certain BBC documentary and Neil the sofa advert sloth to thank for that!

The last creature to find a home was Boris the sloth, the only big sloth on my table this year.  I did have two little ones, and all three are trialling my latest addition: hand cast resin claws.  Boris was so new that I didn't have any official photos of him, so I hope you like this one taken by his new owner of him wearing a lovely scarf: doesn't it suit him?

All in all I think it was the best show yet, although better footwear is going to be my priority next year... thanks for coming to say Hi if you did, and hopefully I will be at a few more fairs in the coming years, especially if I can finally learn to drive!  I think having the Paypal Here machine was a big help this year, although it's a pain having to log the wi-fi on every single time, but people were very patient and waited for me to sort my codes out.


 I will be listing the remaining faces on my shop, as well as on Facebook and probably Bear Artists International as well but it might take me a few days, so if you saw anyone you loved on the day, let me know :)

Since the show I've the feeling of being in the lap of luxury: what do you mean I get two whole days where I can choose what to do?? I have so far filled that time with a few new PlayStation games, reading a growing pile of books and also trying once again to learn to knit.  I am already ok at crochet and working on a mega rainbow granny square blanket, but knitting foxes me because I learned left handed and now want to convert to right... You can see my first attempt below with the cast on stitches carefully hidden as they were the more tense loops of yarn I have ever had the misfortune to work with ;)  The woman in the book is definitely too happy in my opinion! I keep getting massively baggy edges (anyone know why?) but otherwise it's not too bad... don't think I'll be cable-ing any time soon though!


I think my next project will be a revamp of the website, with the mobile market in mind, but I've fallen behind in my understanding of web coding so may have to enlist the help of a professional... if anyone knows a good place to start, that'd be great!  I'm also in the mood to work on foxes, more sloths and possibly a few more British critters; got to use up that tweed somehow!

Anyhoo, speak soon,

Chloe and the Lugly's.

Rigby Bear and a Question About Accessorizing

 Hi all!

Well it's been a while since I last did a proper update on the blog... too long really!  I've been a little more consistent on Facebook because it's easier to add work in progress photos via my phone, but no excuse really!  I finally finished a little bear that I'm really proud of so I thought I'd make a show of him.

His name (after much discussion) is Rigby Bear: I want to keep with old fashioned names for this style of bear I think.  He's the second finished bear of this style, but the first started as I had to order more fur from America in order to finish his left leg, oops!I really think he was worth the wait, he looks very different to his twin who was made in matching blonde fur and has definitely highlighted how important the finish is to the look of the bear over the pattern itself!

He's about the same size as one of my big sloths albeit skinnier so I will have to take some photos of him with one as I think that'd be a cute couple.  His fur is fancy kid mohair and a gorgeous chocolate brown, the same shade as Bombardier my first Bomb style bear.  The facial pattern is very similar to his as well, but as you can see he has a more traditional neck joint as well as cotter pin limb jointing.

I often concentrate on entries for the years competitions around this time as I have the Easter holidays to get my act together, and I definitely think Rigby is a good contender! Now it's just the eternal question "to ribbon or not to ribbon" to answer.  I do admire those people who conjure up elaborate costumes for their bears but I can't see mine in them (beyond a hat, bow or waistcoat perhaps?), which puts me generally in the Bare Bear categories.

For me this presents a bit of a challenge as I have entered the same competitions with bears from similar patterns (such as Seymour the Sailor Bear and Bruce the Bomb, shown below) and the accessorized bear has gotten nominated, even when I have preferred the totally bare one... it makes me wonder if it's important to think up something that gives my bear that little extra character before I submit his photos... what do you think?

Anyway, I hope you like seeing Rigby after a long absence.  I hope I can finish a small scale sloth I've been working on with help from my first ever resin cast claws (exciting!) before long, as he's looking pretty cute so far too! At the last Hugglets I went to (by the way I'm there again in September!) quite a few people said they wished my creatures were smaller and whilst I think some of the designs (Bomb bears especially) need that large footprint, I'm happy to have a go at a little sloth shrinking!


Let me know if you have a "to ribbon or not to ribbon" opinion :)

Chloe and the Lugly's xxx