Blog is closing

Dear all!

For many months I have been writing here on my blog, posting pictures of my work or my garden. As I closed my web page recently, I thought it was better and easier to make a proper blog for my Alba Bears. Of course, there will be posts about my other works as well.

If you liked joining "Bears and Scraps", I would be very glad to welcome you on my new Alba Bears blog too! Thanks for following me and for your lovely comments!

I'm moving my blog!

Dear all!

I was busy during these weeks, trying to build up my new business and organising my little studio, which was in a state that used to be, to be honest, a nightmare...
But now things seem to get settled, and I'm busy again making new bears. A client ordered a teddy, and she might even buy another one, which is always very pleasing. Business is not so well presently, I think people still don't like to spend too much money for art or collectibles. But nonetheless I have so many new designs and ideas, and I also would like to make space in my studio, so I started to sale off some of my "older" creations. I think it's time they leave home and find a new place to live. :-) So please have a look at my shop, thanks.

I also will have to make a proper hat for this lovely teddy lady. She is one of my so-called "older" creations, and I set her apart for a client who wanted me to buy her but never called to pick her up. She had a matching felt hat before, but I was not happy with it and the material was not up to my quality standards. So I will have to sit down and make a new one which will certainly turn out better.

One last thing: I will be closing this blog soon. The reason is very simple: I used to have my own homepage for my Alba Bears, but I had nothing but troubles with the provider, and it got more and more complicated. I also was not happy that maintaining the site was so time-consuming. I'd rather spend my time with my family, or making bears, sewing children's clothing, working in the garden. So I decided to close my site. But then, I needed a proper blog, so that my customers can find me easily. And thus I set up a new blog named like my bears, AlbaBears. For a certain time, posts will be published on both blogs at the same time, but if you would like to follow my blog in the future, be sure to go to the NEW blog and follow me there. It was wonderful to have you as a follower here on "Bears & Scraps". There will be scraps of other crafts on my "AlbaBears" blog as well, and I would be deeply honoured and very glad to see you on my new blog soon.

New blog, and my first own blog design

Some of you may noticed my absence for weeks. Well, fact is: since Christmas I have been sick more or less all the time. But I also was busy with my second blog.

I am a very crafty person, and I love all things handmade, all kind of crafts. But since I'm a mom, I deeply got into designing and sewing children's clothing and accessories, toys, nice and useful stuff. Suddenly I realised how many things for babies and toddlers didn't meet my expectations at all. I didn't want to buy some of these things I didn't like, just because nothing else was available. So I started to make things of my own. Things made of wood and fabric, be it cotton or wool, natural fibers. I have a sketchbook full of ideas and designs, and I have a fabric stash ready to be used up. OK, the only problem is time. (I still have family duties and lot of housework to do, not to mention a garden...)

My label "Babelina & Button" was born. In December I attended at a local Christmas fair with a lot of my "products", shopping cats covers, wooden hangers, hair clip holders, pacifier bags, girl's dresses, soft toys etc. And even though people here are not so keen on handmade stuff, I could sell some things.

I set up a special blog with a shop for my new "boutique", and I even made my own blog design - the first ever! I am so amazed, my head sometimes is buzzing with all the new ideas that I have, and I wish the day would have more than just 24 hours...

Please understand that my teddies will have to wait a little bit in the meantime. I will not give them up, they are part of my life, but I will try to expand my business and find more buyer, thus being able to contribute to our family's income.

If you are interested in seeing my new blog (even if it's only available in German), you're most welcome, I'd love to see you there!


Ich poste nicht mehr so häufig, denn seit Weihnachten war ich mehr oder weniger immer krank. Aber ich war auch sehr beschäftigt, denn ich habe einen neuen Blog.


Ich war schon immer sehr kreativ und handwerklich begabt. Seit ich aber Mutter bin, habe ich begonnen, mich eingehend mit dem Entwerfen und Nähen von Kinderkleidern und Accessoires, Spielsachen etc. zu befassen. Eine neue Welt! Denn plötzlich musste ich realisieren, dass viele der angebotenen Artikel nicht meinen Vorstellungen entsprachen. So begann ich sie selber zu machen, aus Holz oder Stoff aus natürlichen Fasern. Es sollten Schöne und nützliche Sachen sein, die Bestand haben. Mittlerweile habe ich unzählige Entwürfe und Projekte. Ok, das einzige Problem ist die Zeit. (Ich habe ja auch noch Pflichten gegenüber meiner Familie, ganz zu schweigen vom Garten.)


So enstand mein Label "Babelina & Button". Im Dezember nahm ich an einem lokalen Weihnachtsmarkt teil, im Angebot Einkaufswagen-Polster, Schnuller-Taschen, Kleider, Kleiderbügel, Stofftiere und vieles mehr. Die Teddies müssen ein bisschen zurücktreten. Aber aufgeben werde ich das Bärenmachen nicht!


Für mein kleines Lädchen habe ich auch einen eigenen Blog mit integriertem Shop aufgesetzt und dazu sogar mein eigenes Blog-Design gemacht - mein erstes überhaupt! Ich würde mich freuen, wenn Ihr dort mal reinschaut.

My self-made wedding gown

I'm married since more than 2 years, but I never had the opportunity to show the pictures of my wedding dress. Why should that be so important you may ask... Well, it is to me, as I made my weeding dress all by my self. I'm not a professional seamstress, and I never had a particular sewing education, so this project was really something special. And it was a lot of work.

The whole thing started when I tried on a wedding dress in a bridal shop. I liked it a lot, but it was not comfortable, and the seller tried to hurry and made a lot of pressure, as it was the last piece. But I needed more time, and I was not really sure about it, so a real odyssey on the search of the perfect dress began. I don't know how many gowns I tried on. And I guess I lost a lot of weight trying them on. In my head I had the picture of my wedding gown, but no dress came close to it. In the end, I was so desperate that I started to search the internet for an older Vogue wedding gown pattern I once saw, probably in the later 90s. Of course, if you don't have a pattern number, it's impossible to find it.

But I found something else: pages and pages with the most beautiful vintage patterns from the 30s, 40s and 50s - and they all were much closer to what I had in mind than any dress I had tried on before. So I bought some of these patterns and thought that each of the designs, without sleeves and with some accessories, would make the perfect wedding gown for me. I soon realised that I would have to make it myself, as there are not so many professional seamstresses here in Switzerland, but I thought it would be possible. I had made some fitting garments for me before, and I was confident to make it in time. My choice was this vintage pattern from about 1956, Butterick 7708. As many other patterns, I bought it on Etsy.

Finding the perfect fabric was sheer luck. There are only two fabric stores left in Zurich, and I was so lucky to find in one of them the most beautiful Duiponi silk in champagne colour. As I knew already from the beginning that I would add some fabric rose accessories, I was lucky again that they had the same fabric in a shade of pink. I felt so happy when I came home with my big bag full of this wonderful silk. I love silk, and I love roses, and therefore I had to have roses on wedding gown!

First I made the ring-cushion, just to get an idea of the fabric, how it felt to work with this silk. The I made some kind of test-bodice from a cotton-fabric to make all necessary alterations. I don't tell you how many times I had to alter the pattern (I guess women in the 50s had different body measurements, and I have a rather small bust), how many times I had to change this and that, as I wanted the dress to be sleeve-less and with some boning added to the bodice. You really don't want to know that I had to re-make the bodice again as I made a terrible mistake... At a certain point my DH and me had some sleepless nights as it seemed my sewing-machine didn't work properly, and we were afraid it was broken. I always was afraid to run out of fabric (I still have some left!), and of course, I always was afraid to run out of time. Of course, it's a nightmare for a bride to add such a project to all the other, regular wedding preparations. I had so many sleepless nights, and in those hours in my mind I was always trying to find the perfect solution for the boning, for the under-skirt, for the straps, for the fabric roses etc... I was mentally sewing, even when I was at work in my office. And, in addition to all, we were expecting our child (I was in the 2nd month of my pregnancy at the wedding). This was such a special time, and my husband and I still look back from time to time and lough about it - especially remembering all the many times when he had to assist and close the zipper of the almost finished bodice with his eyes closed...

My adaption of Vogue V7009 in two different shades

Of course, at a certain point, he couldn't help me anymore, and I'm glad I had a dress-form/dummy. Of course, I put an lot of work and time and nerves in this dress, but the more the dress advanced, the more I enjoyed it. In the end, making a pompadour and the rose accessories was just like having a delicious desert. The roses were made after a Vogue pattern (Bridal accents V7009), as well as the ring-cushion. The pompadour was made after a pattern from a 90s Burda magazine, and, the day before the wedding, I even had to make a bolero, as the weather was not so good as expected.

I was so proud when I put my dress on on my wedding day, so proud. You can't imagine the feeling, and it made me feel even more special on this special day. And my husbands smile and look when I entered the church - I was so happy, and it was worth all the labour and the fears and the troubles.

This snapshot (we were discussing wether our friend could close his jacket or not) shows perfectly the one long center piece of the dress that goes from top of the bodice down to the hem.

Today, when I look back and especially look at my pictures, I don't regret it at all. Of course, some people looked down their noses at my "homemade" wedding gown, the probably thought it was not chic enough or not as posh as this or that designer dress. But I don't care - this is a one-of-a-kind wedding gown, as unique as I wanted to feel on that wonderful day, and nobody ever could take that away from me and from my and my husband's memories. I certainly would make SOME things in a different way, and definitely I would start earlier. But this dress really makes part of our wedding, and I would do it again. 

I hope you like this post!

First snow

Last friday, we had first snowfalls here in Switzerland. It's not uncommon for my region to have snow in November, but normally, it doesn't last long. This time the temperatures were quite low during the whole weekend, so we still have snow. Doesn't it look nice, the world covered with snow? The picture shows our "medieval herb garden" with a buxus teddy bear topiary and with my beloved roses...

Pumpkins

Recently my DH had some days off, and one day we went to a farmer who is famous for his pumpkin and squash exhibition. I have never been there before, and I was really surprised - mountains and tons of pumpkins in all styles and colours!
As I like to cook, I was buzzing around to find the right stuff for my kitchen and craft projects. Yes, there will be some yummy pumpkin pie and finally a Halloween decoration. I plan to make a pumpkin lantern again, after I didn't make one last year. The first year we lived here, I was very surprised when on Halloween evening two rather shy boys in costumes rang at our door to ask for treats. They had seen our Jack O Lantern. I had bought some sweets, but didn't expect anyone to show up, as Halloween is still not very well known here.
The most beautiful part of our trip was watching our darling Alba running around between huge pumpkins,  hugging them and getting wet (it was raining the night before). She almost couldn't sit or stand still, she was completely thrilled by them. It was amazing!


Kürzlich hatte mein GöGa ein paar Tage frei und wir fuhren zu einem Bauern, der bekannt ist für seine Kürbis-Ausstellung im Herbst. Ich war noch nie dort und war sehr überrascht von den Bergen von Kürbissen in allen Farben und Formen!
Natürlich suchte ich eifrig ich meine Exemplare für Küche und Basteln. Ja, es wird wieder leckeren Pie geben und einen ausgehöhlten Kürbis für Halloween. Letztes Jahr hatte ich keine Laterne gemacht. Aber das Jahr zuvor, als wir neu hierher gezogen waren, war ich sehr überrascht, als an Halloween abends zwei etwas schüchterne verkleidete Jungs bei uns klingelten und nach Süssem verlangten. Sie hatten meinen Kürbis gesehen. Natürlich hatte ich vorsichtshalber Süssigkeiten gekauft, hatte aber nicht erwartet, dass Kinder aufkreuzen. Dafür ist eigentlich Halloween zu wenig bekannt bei uns.
Das Schönste an unserm Ausflug aber war unsere süsse Bohne Alba, die wie wild zwischen all den riesigen Kürbissen umher rannte und alle zu umarmen versuchte. Dabei wurde sie ganz nass, denn es hatte in der Nacht geregnet. Sie stand kaum still, geschweige denn wollte sie sitzen, sie war so aufgeregt. Es war umwerfend, ihr zuzusehen!

Back again! * Wieder da!

I'm so sorry I was absent for so many months. Well, summer was sooooo busy...! We had to re-do our garden. "Garden" was far too flattering for the disaster around the house we bought more than a year ago. With my passion for plants, especially for roses, my DH (dearest husband) gave me almost free hand to buy plants, make plans etc. However, planting a garden means a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. Digging in the dirt, fighting against lots of weeds and parasites, working in the summer heat, mostly on mid-day when the little one is sleeping. My mother-in-law asked me where I, being normally a paleface, got my nice tan from. *lol* (Of course she spent her summer holiday on a sunny beach in Italy.)

I hope to post on my Blog more frequently, as we had so much trouble with the provider of our homepages, that I think about giving them up. I simply don't have so much time anymore to spend hours and hours loading up-dates and calling the support, just to find my site switched off because they "thought" I didn't pay the bill. I got very upset.

Unfortunately, I was not able to do a lot of crafts during the last few months. But now that autumn has finally come, our garden comes to rest. And now it's time to make some more teddies.

Because - I have sold 2 more bears from my Etsy-Shop to the USA! To be precise, I sold 3. A buyer, a quite experienced collector, who had earlier bought a teddy from me, was so pleased that she decided to buy another two creations.

I feel so honoured, as the lovely lady must have quite a lot teddy bears. So three Alba Bears (shown in this post) will be part of her collection! The first picture shows "Ayumi", one of my first Anime teddies. I'm still trying to get the design working, but I think for a self-taught bear maker it's not too bad. The other two creations are traditional, and I'm a little bit nervous if the customer will like them. But then, I always am.

In the meantime, I also had time to get some inspirations and transform them into new ideas and designs. Ha, finally I made a first attempt to make a dragon (which is still in progress) and an Anime bat, as Halloween is coming up. And be sure there will be more new creations! I have so many ideas, I nearly can't sleep at night!

Es tut mir leid, dass ich so lange weg vom Fenster war. Diesen Sommer war ich sooo beschäftigt! Wir mussten unsern Garten neu gestalten. Wobei "Garten" schmeichelhaft ist für das Desaster, das um unser Haus war, das wir vor anderthalb Jahren erstanden haben. Mit meiner Passion für Pflanzen, vor allem Rosen, hat mit mein GöGa fast frei Hand gelassen für die Neugestaltung. Das war auch Spass, aber in erster Linie Knochenarbeit - im Dreck buddeln, jäten und Schädlinge bekämpfen, meist bei brütender Mittagshitze, weil da unsere Kleine schläftf. Meine Schwiegermutter, die ihren Urlaub am italienischen Strand verbracht hat, wunderte sich, woher ich so braungebrannt war. *grins* (Ich gehöre in der Regel zu den Bleichgesichtern.)

Hoffentlich kann ich künftig häufiger posten. Leider hatten wir mit unsern Homepages grossen Ärger. Ich habe einfach weder Zeit noch Nerven für die ganzen Updates, besonders da der Support lausig ist und meine Seite zwischendurch sogar abgeschaltet. Die haben "gedacht", ich hätte meine Rechnung nicht bezahlt. Ich war stinksauer.

Leider blieb mein Kunsthandwerk etwas auf der Strecke die letzten Monate, aber da es nun im Garten im Herbst etwas ruhiger wird, sehe ich neuen Taten entgegen. Die Teddies rufen!

Denn ich hab wieder mal 2 Teddies über Etsy in die USA verkauft! Eigentlich waren es sogar drei. Eine Käuferin war so zufrieden mit einem meiner Bären, dass sie gleich zwei weitere kaufte! Ich fühle mich sehr geehrt, denn diese sympathische Dame ist eine langjährige Sammlerin, und nun werden also gleich drei Alba Bears in ihrer gewiss umfangreichen Sammlung leben. Die Bilder der Auswanderer seht Ihr in diesem Post.
Auf dem ersten Bild und dem gleich hier oben seht Ihr "Ayumi", einen meiner ersten Anime-Teddies. Ich bin immer noch am ausprobieren, das Design richtig hinzukriegen, doch für eine Autodidaktin ist es eigentlich nicht mal so übel. Die andern beiden sind traditionell, und ich bin etwas nervös, ob sie der Käuferin gefallen. Aber das bin ich ja immer...

Nichtsdestotrotz war ich aber nicht untätig, sondern habe viele Inspirationen gefunden, die teilweise schon ausgearbeitet werden und Form annehmen. So ist derzeit mein erster Drache in Arbeit, und zugleich nähe ich an einer Anime Fledermaus in selbstgefärbtem Mohair. Ich habe so viele Ideen, dass ich nachts manchmal am liebsten aufstehen und arbieten möchte statt zu schlafen, aber da würde wohl Klein-Alba am nächsten Tag nicht zufrieden sein, wenn Mami müde ist.

Christmas Elf