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Faux Paw BearsHi All and Happy New Year!
Since I am being put through the agony of making the above 'masterpiece' for our clinic, it occurred to me that it might make an interesting challenge for our very talented bear craftsman and I might add, multi-dimensionally talented artists.
Twelve years ago when I first joined the veterinary clinic where I work, we were redecorating and I was in charge of painting, drapes, artwork, etc. I had selected a clever striped fabric for the windows featuring kitties in clever poses and the owner's wife wanted something in the waiting room which gave dogs equal weight. My daughter, who is an artist, and I came up with the idea of doing a fabric wall hanging. She did the design (a family of dogs out for a romp under a large gnarled tree by a pond with a hilly background, set in a quilted frame, over which tree branches and roots spilled...all executed in fabric coordinated with the draperies. For the puppy dogs I used a puppy dog pattern I purchased and just built the front half of the dogs and attached them to the landscape we had sewn over a quilted background. The entire piece measured about 4 1/2 by 6 feet and was suspended on a decorative wooden curtain rod. It was surprisingly successful. Took a ridiculous 300 hours to make and got rave reviews (which it probably didn't deserve) at the time. It hung in the clinic for the last 10 years or so until now.
I guess you could call it my first 'teddy bear'.
Now we are redecorating the clinic which has been drastically renovated. The piece no longer matches anything (I'm making new draperies). But the doctor insists we keep the wall hanging....he loves it and so do the clients. I agraee to rework the fabric framing and matting so that it matches the new color scheme. And I brought it home.
All through the holiday it sat in the back room. Finally, motivated by fabric shopping, I started ripping off the old fabric framing to replace it with the new colors.
If only I'd stopped there. 
But the more I removed, the worse it looked. I decided to take off just the foreground foliage. 
Then the background foliage looked tired. Then the tree really should have some new leaves. 
Then I ripped off the puppy dogs--for heaven sakes--with all I've learned about bear craft how could I possibly let those things represent my work! The only thing left now is the background and the tree trunk and I am sewing new piping to embellish that! 
All I have to do this weekend is come up with a design for a family of schnauzers and cocker spaniels (I have the fabric) to replace the eleven I removed..which fit on a semi-flat surface...and no one will ever know the difference 
You think?
AND THATS WHEN IT HIT ME!
What a neat idea for a challenge. Soft sculpture you hang on the wall rather then the usual three dimensional form. Granted, my wall hangings size is a little 'over the top' but all the know how from bear craft is there to do 'pictures' in soft sculpture. I'm going to add some needle felting this time round and some shading with dyes...something I didn't do the first time. The landscape is layered fabrics. The tree is felt covered pipping in different sizes twined into a knarly shape. You can let your imagination run wild for flowers and this time I have the perfect fur for my pussy willows 
You could think of it as a challenge or maybe its just misery loving company. 
Pat
The Littlest ThistleWell your project sounds amazing, if not a little daunting now! Can't wait to see the finished results
Do you have a "before" picture? I'd love to see what you started with.
Becky
Faux Paw BearsBecky, I don't and I should have taken one before gutting it, but then, I had no intention of gutting it. It just sort of happened
However, I will take a picture of what is left (not much) and document the progress of the build. My boss just emailed me when he learned what I had done (he does own the piece after all and I did have to fess up that I'd just demolished it). He said he is including a paragraph with the vaccination reminder posts for our clients to bring in magnifying glasses to better examine my "masterpiece" when they bring their pets in! :crackup:
Pat
The Littlest ThistleOh my, no pressure from the boss then!
I would also love to see pictures of the finished hanging. Having a quilting background I understand only too well how these projects get so out of control
I made it !! HURRAY!! I am not good at posting This is the picture of one I made, for one of my grandbabies, afew years ago.
Bear hugs.
Gladys 
That is so sweet, Gladys!
The image is whimsical, and the colors and textures are absolutely lovely. You should be proud. :clap:
Becky
Thanks Becky
I just used half of a bear patterns to make it come true! My daughter was the one who did choose the colors to match my grandbaby's room. The background for the bears was the same fabric we used for her bed cover and the tags to hang it were lavender, one of the bedroom colors too.
Bear hugs .
Gladys
The Littlest ThistleAww, what fun!
Baildon bearsThat sounds a fantasic project, when I was at art colledge I made a massive tuder building hanging for a competition, we had to make a hanging that represented are idea of Shropshire england where I am originally from. I made a big Tuder house with thatched roof and the front of the house opened up to reveil a shropshire landscape the roof lifted up to reveil a gold threaded spider web, looking back making that hanging was just the same feeling as when I make bears now, a constant flow of artistic ideas and a constant delief that it would work out. I think that hanging is in my mum and dads attic somewere though if I ever found it it would probably not be as good as I remembered. Hannah
julietkThe Vertinary hanging sounds great and your nursery one is so sweet. I had better not start on anything big right now I have too much going on already.
