Hello From The Hug

(March 2007)

G’day all! Wow! The year is flying past, isn’t it! It seems like just yesterday that we were all making our New Years’ resolutions – which we knew we’d never keep!

Things at the Tag Along Teddies Hug have been hectic as usual, as I’ve struggled to put time into new designs and prototypes whilst balancing up lots of family and social events. March seems to be a busy month in our household, with several birthdays (including mine!! Yay! Presents!) and quite a few events taking place out of town. We worked out that for the months of February and March, we don’t have even one weekend where we can just stay home and do ‘home’ stuff! Whew! Looking forward to a quiet Easter at home!

On the design front for Tag Along Teddies, the latest development has been an invitation to donate a pattern design to Fresh Hope, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program that allows participants to have their children with them during the rehab process. As a way of helping to finance this great program, a number of crafters have donated patterns to be sold under the Fresh Hope label and I have let the organizers know that as soon as a few of my commitments have been met, I’ll be hard at work on a bear pattern for them, so look out for that one. Not only will you get to make a cute teddy from the Tag Along Teddies Hug family, you’ll be supporting a worthwhile organization as they help people get their lives back on track. If you’d like to find out more about Fresh Hope, check out their web site on my Links page.

In the last week or so, I’ve sidetracked myself from the bear stitchery I was working on for a new pattern and have been sketching some ideas for a trio of country cloth dolls. While I’ve made many cloth dolls, these will be the first ones I’ve designed myself, so that’s been fun. Two of the three prototypes are finished, with the third on the drawing board. Stay tuned!

And speaking of my Links page … you’ll find a new site listed there, since I discovered Monica’s Attic Treasures. I spent HOURS browsing through Monica’s photo galleries and just loved the genteel lady bears in their gorgeous gowns and glorious hats! Monica’s creations are fantastic and well worth a look, particularly for those serious arctophiles out there who are looking to add to their Hug!!

Well, I must be off to put my nose back to the grindstone, so until next ‘Hello From The Hug’’,

CHEERS!
KRIS

TIP

• Keep an eye out for biscuits or chocolates that come in tins with hinged lids. While you don’t see them very often, they make great containers to carry your sewing in. Some are a nice, smaller size that doesn’t take up much room in a handbag or suitcase, but as well as looking great, tins are very durable and protect your sewing from damage, as well as protecting other things from some of the tools of your craft - i.e. Pins, needles and scissor points. The hinged lid means you never have to worry about remembering where you put the lid down when you first took it off the tin!! (or is that just me?!?!) Not to mention the biscuits and chocolates make a nice snack to give you the energy to keep stitching!
  
• If you’re working on a small stitching project, pop your stitching, threads and embroidery scissors into a clear zip-lock sandwich bag. This enables you to see at a glance that everything you need to stitch is ready for action and protects your fabrics and threads from the wear and tear of life. If you have an appointment that you suspect will involve sitting in a waiting room for a while, pop your zip-lock bag into your handbag – it makes your sewing very portable. These small bags are also great to pop into a storage tin as mentioned above, as they are doubly protected and you can carry several projects wherever you go without mixing up pieces and threads.

HAPPY STITCHING!