Bombardier!

Do you ever have a moment when something just.... comes together?

I've been working on Bombardier's pattern FOREVER,it seems: I first decided to make a bear with a front neck joint nearly two years ago! Since then I've made three or four draft bears, way more than it took to get my first sloth pattern. It's been a frustrating journey, but I would like you to meet Bombardier the Bear at long last.



I've named him after a train company in the UK, purely because a) I've heard the name a lot recently, and b) he has got a massive BOMB ;)

You may also notice the complete lack of needlefelting on him... I may add felted toes in the future to this design as the embriodered claws are just not showing through, but for now I've left them off as I find more and more that bears with needle felting seem to get pigeon holed into one catagory for competitions and so on, and I would like to enter him (or this pattern at least) in the next year or so, starting with the British Bear Artist Awards. He's just in time to be entered, so please wish us luck!



In other news, I hope you've noticed the big revamp on my website? I'm still ironing out some problems, but I'm so glad to have upgraded at least from the teeny tiny site I had before! Fingers crossed it'll be polished and look really, REALLY fancy before long :)

Love,

Chloe and the Lugly's xxx

Magazine Features for the Summer :)

Magazine 3: Teddy Bear Times, a photo by Gantaeno's epic journey has begun! on Flickr.

Hi everyone! I was wondering why I had a few extra people joining my mailing list this summer... I've worked it out: I'm in two magazines this month!

The first photo is a 'Creature Feature' from Teddy Bear Times Magazine which is in the UK :)



The second photo is from Teddy Bear Review, and it's an article about the design process. I'm currently working on a second hare from the same ideas book, so it's nice to see Jack's face in one magazine, let alone two!

I hope I get more lovely surprises like this in the future too :)

I'm still alive!

Hi everyone,

I'm a month into my stay here in America, staying with friends in Ohio right now :) I'm staying with the lovely Tami Eveslage and her talented hands (and her family too!). I've not had as much drive to work on creatures as I'd like to (Hey! I'm on holiday, right?) but I have started work on a new bear: I hope you like the preview above?

Basically, I'm trying to improve my bear pattern whilst simultaneously removing the needlefelting from my work. I've noticed from competitions I've entered and shows I want to do, that a LOT of emphasis is put on the preference for bears... I see why it happens when it's a 'Bear Competition' but lets be honest: there aren't any animal ones! On top of that, it seems like if I enter an animal with needlefelting on it, I'm not just pigeonholed into the animal category, I am put into the 'needlefelting' category instead... this seems odd to me, especially as there's no category for any other sculpting technique? Like a 'Trapunto' category, or a 'Needle sculpting' category? Anyhoo... to broaden my ability to do more online shows, competitions and the like, I'm trying to come up with a bear pattern that I like, that is individual to my style and my drawings and actually looks like my work, without being felted: it's a challenge!

Here's the head I sculpted as a base for the pattern:



I hope you can see the resemblance? Sadly making him up in fur has been less successful so far, although I think it's mostly down to the fur stretching... I'll keep you up to date as I progress... just wanted to let you know I'm alive and sculpting!

Chloe and the Lugly's xxx

Merle is rehomed :)

I'm very pleased to report that Merle has found himself a new home here in England: in a town my family originally came from :) It's been a crazy week here, moving back home from my life of luxury at the Manor (look at the gardens below... so beautiful), but I'm back now and have only a month before I set off for America! I'm working on one more sloth before I go: a dark haired big 'un who's hopefully going to be finished by the end of next week.



I'm also pleased to say that I have an interview for my PGCE (teaching qualification) coming up: I'm abit scared as there's a lot of pressure on my to ace this one (I fly out only ten days later!). lease keep your fingers crossed for me!

By the way, I am keeping an eye on the poll to the left there: foxes, mice and squirrels say ye? I shall have to see what I can come up with :)

Merle, a new sloth!

Merle Sat Facing Best, a photo by Je Suis Lugly! on Flickr.

Hi everyone!

It's about time there was a new sloth, don't you think?

Merle is a 14" sweetheart who I wanted to give a look of quiet contemplation... I hope oyu think it worked?

He'll be on Ebay tongiht until this coming Sunday: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330557719065

I have some more exciting news: I'm featured in two magazines this year so far! Teddy Bear and Friends covers my design process in its latest issue, and Teddy Bear Times here in the UK will include some of my animals in their upcoming 'creature feature'.

Finally BIG NEWS, in May I'm flying back to America! I'm going to spend two months staying with various friends around the country, including the lovely and immensely talented Tami Eveslage. I will be trying to finish some creatures for sale before I go: need some pennies for stocking up on mohair while I'm away...

That's all for now,

Chloe and the Luglys' xxx

Somber found a new home :)

Thanks everyone for your interest in Somber: I think he had one of those awkward auctions where everyone plans to bid at the last second and everyone misses it! Thankfully a lovely lady who first met him at Hugglets contacted me as soon as his auction ended without that reserve being met, and made an offer for him, so I am happy to announce that he is going to a new home here in England.

In other news, I ordered some of my favourite mohair dyes from America this weekend, I can't wait for them to arrive :D I got lots of lovely browns and oranges for my next hare and for future squirrels. I really want to have one finished in time for Mad March Hare month but of course I have to wait until the dye arrives now (I have a piece of Alpaca with 'Dye Me' written all over it...). I am also starting to work on a baby hare pattern which I think will be closer to the proportions of the beatrix Potter rabbits: shorter legs and arms, tubby belly and all. Hopefully I will also have Jack's outfit finished soon and will be able to show off his outfit!

Thanks for reading,

Chloe and the Luglys x

Somber needs a new home!

Hi all :)

To celebrate the arrival of Jack I have decided to part with another much loved Sloth from my gang. Somber was also at Hugglets with me, but he didn't find his new home there despite being much admired. I love his Eeyore-like face, so I had no problem keeping him around for a while, but now it is time for him to move on (I'm back at home after finishing University and my Mum says I have too many and I'm not meant to be keeping them in her house! :P)

His auction is here and it ends on Sunday at 8pm GMT. As always I have set the reserve at just under the average price attained for these smaller guys: his is set at about £100 I think. Please go and say Hi to him! We need him to cheer up!

Thanks a lot,

Chloe and the Luglys xxx