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Beau
7 inches of pure adorablenes; from shaggy, sparse blue mohair with white backing; blue upholstery velvet pads; "random" embroidered nose in hot pink, lavender and gold; and a darling baby blue jersey adorned with tiny pink hearts.
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Outside the edge
and beyond the rim...
Rattling
Cages
Leith MacDonald's
Homebrewed Bears
By Angela Jarecki
Whimsy Moon Designs
Take a high speed blender, throw in a quirky, deep-thinking,
well read librarian bear artist with a pinch of long, dark golden
brown dreadlocks, no less.
Add some zest and spice up the mix with scads of different
colored, hand-dyed mohair; funny, big feet; cartoon-style eyes;
wild “random” noses and multi-colored topknots.
What do you get???
All the ingredients you need to brew up a distinctively different,
dramatically unique, bear making style that is so far from the norm,
it registers right off the charts! Certainly not your grandmother’s bears!
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Skewiff
A cheery little punk, standing 5" tall, brewed from sparse dark green mohair, yellow ultrasuede nose and pads, spikey green hairdo, multiple piercings in his ears, comes with a studded wristband, collar and black ultrasuede bag.
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Poles Apart from the Norm!
Move over classic teddy and make room
for the bears of LEITH MACDONALD!
Leith is creator, designer and “chief brewer” of Homebrewed Bears, wonderfully wacky charmers generated from the wit and intelligence of their unconventional maker.
Homebrewed Bears is based in Auckland,
New Zealand and are all original recipes,
hand-brewed by Leith since 1994.
The Call to Teddydom!
When Leith began making bears she had
no lofty aspirations other than finding a hobby!
She chanced upon an intriguing book about
how to make teddy bears, at a local library.
Since she had a tender spot for soft toys
because they reminded her of the ones
from her childhood, being able to create
them seemed like a great idea.
Filling the Gap
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Stiggy & McStubble
Punks like bath toys just as much as anyone else! Stiggy is 5-1/2 inches tall, made from hand-dyed stubbly mohair, pierced ear, bright yellow hairdo. His pads are made from purple upholstery velvet and he has a multicoloured nose. He rides upon his favourite bath-time companion, Rub-a-Dub.
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Leith describes her young self as a
" painfully shy, only child who found
herself with lots of free time."
For Leith, her "cuddly toys" evoke fond
memories and she recalls forming long,
lasting friendships, "My soft toys were
friends that never, ever criticized you,
and who would not dream of letting
you down!"
Though she did have a few teddies,
her "cuddly toys" were special to her
because they were primarily made
by her grandmother and as such,
were her most cherished soft toys.
"My grandmother’s creations were well…
a bit unconventional, “ Leith exclaims.
"I remember a big turquoise hippo,
a knitted Mexican man complete
with poncho," Leith laughingly
recounts, "and a wonderful monkey
shaped like a cushion with arms
and legs dangling f rom the corners.”
Literature's Influence
From a very young age, Leith was always an avid who found companionship
in the pages of the many books she read.
In particular, she became a fan of such fantastical works as Chronicles
of Narnia, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, the Earthsea series
by Ursula LeGuin, robot stories of Isaac Asimov, and the wonderful
science fiction of Arthur C. Clarke.
Between the influence of her grandmother’s unique handmade toys and
library books filled with magic and awe-inspiring adventures, seeds were
planted in Leith that grew to nurture and encourage her imagination and
guide her artistry.
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TingLing
Sweet little 5 inch panda in a big-headed style, made
from mohair in pastel shades of pink and lavender, with red ultra suede pads and a bell around her neck.
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American TV's Impact
Another early influence on her was Jim
Henson.
“I've loved the Muppets and Sesame
Street all my life." enthuses Leith.
"I adore the wonderfully individual and
gentle characters Jim Henson created,
and I am inspired by the uniqueness
of his vision and quirkiness of his
imagination."
Thusly, what began as a pastime sparked by memories of childhood, became much more.
Through her bear making, Leith discovered the means to express
her inner artistic vision.
All the experiences of her childhood
were transferred into her bears where
she is able to share ideas formulating inside her mind, with the world.
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Leith's Signature Style "Random"
Embroidered Nose! |
Author's Note
"To me, two of the most compelling aspects of Leith's bears is their large eyes and BIG smiles, evocative of cartoon characters.
I think her work really strikes
a chord with her collectors and enthusiasts because her bears remind one of long lost invisible friends from childhood that finally made it to the “real” world.
Additionally, Leith manages
to capture in her bears, the hint
of a secret joke shared only by the bear and the beholder! |
Uncommon is Good!
Quirkiness and disregard for convention
play a big part in Leith’s designs.
Her bears are colorful, chimera-like
creations, sporting big feet, tummies
and bottoms!
Many of them have her trademark
“random” embroidery style nose,
which adds to their air of whimsy.
Even her design process is a bit out
of step with what might be considered
the norm.
The Wheels of Creation
When Leith sits down to start a new
piece, she begins by piling every brightly
colored bit of mohair she can find, onto her bedroom floor;
Next, she adds every possible piece
of fabric that could be used for paw pads, followed by a myriad of embellishments
such as bits of ribbons, beads, and maybe
even, an odd earring or two!
Then the magic begins!
She plays mix and match, allowing the combination of colors and textures to wash
over her and then speak up and generate
ideas for her new characters.
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Leith MacDonald |
Leith enjoys letting her imagination run wild,
reaching places most bear makers never go!
"I don't feel compelled to base my Homebrewed
characters on current design trends," states
Leith.
Originally, Leith's bears were very traditional,
but over time she has endeavored to allow
uniqueness to rule the day!
Understanding Leith
“As a kid, I was shy and also excelled
at "uncool" subjects like English while
being hopeless at any sport (i.e. the
quintessential geeky, kid with glasses!),"
explains Leith, "I felt different from everyone
else, and I never quite fit in."
"As I grew up, I came to look on my "differences" as a positive thing……
and now I'm quite happy to be me."
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Kermit
Kermit knows it's not easy being green, so he has appointed himself as a special guardian to frogs everywhere. OOAK piece, seven inches tall, made from ratinee mohair in pink and green, textured upholstery velvet pads, felt collar, comes with "home-made" wings and a few little froggy friends, multi-colored embroidered nose and weighted feet so he can stand unaided.
Homebrewed Bears
Leith Macdonald |
Leith expounds further, "Perhaps
that explains why it is so important
to me to make bears that look
different from everyone else's!"
And do they ever!
Leith’s bears generally have few or no
accessories.
“Personally I like bears that I can
pick up and cuddle or throw into a bag
and carry around with me without
worrying about damaging delicate
clothing or trims," says Leith.
"So I tend to make sturdy bears
that can stand a bit of punishment!”
Pattern Pleasures
Although Leith initially created from commercially available patterns, she believes designing her own patterns
works better for her.
“In recent years I have found it
increasingly hard to use other
people’s patterns even when
making bears for myself for fun."
'I guess I just feel that if I use another artist’s patterns, I am actually expressing
their inner vision rather than my own, and so some of the magic is lost for me.”
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Flash Harry
Full 10.25 inches tall when standing, made from dense straw-colored ratinee mohair with a darker back, features flashy pads of leopard-spotted upholstery velvet, large golden eyes have ultra suede eyelids, varnished nose, comes with leather bow-tie and bowler hat with "leopard-skin" hat band. OOAK and is free-standing thanks to his exceptionally large feet!
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Happy Joyful Fellows
They often look a bit bewildered -
but Leith attests to the fact that
they have gentle souls and happy
faces, and just want to be the
best possible friend for you.
“I always feel very honored when
someone likes one of my pieces
enough to actually give me their
hard-earned money for it,"
"It is also a great feeling when
someone looks at my bears and
starts to smile, because it makes
me feel like they understood the
emotion I was trying to express,
and maybe, I have made their day
a little bit brighter or happier,”
expresses Leith.
Artist's Choice
When she is asked that awful question
regarding which is her favorite bear of her
many creations, Leith replies, “Oh boy,
you want me to pick just one!!
"Well, one of my favorites is a 5-inch bear called Skewiff. He is a punk
bear with a bright green spiky hairdo, multiple piercings and a studded
collar and wristband." Leith maintains, "Somehow he just seems to really
express my inner self! Like many artists, my favorite is often the bear
I just finished."
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Curlique
Seven inch tall Curlicue is an imp beyond compare, white ratinee mohair, upholstery velvet pads and inner ears, black glass eyes, cotterpin joints, stuffed with garnet gravel and polyfil, felt hat, varnished nose, entirely hand-sewn. OOAK.
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Concoctions for Success!
The recipe for Leith’s Homebrewed bear
is a closely guarded secret! However,
she does reveal that they generally
contain the following key ingredients:
Schulte mohair (sometimes hand-dyed)
Glass eyes
Ultrasuede, upholstery velvet or felt accents
Cotter pin joints
Polyfil and garnet gravel stuffing
Sewing everything by hand
Brewing times vary for Leith, “I’m
a slow sewer! A basic 5-inch bear
might take me 12 hours or so, and
a bigger bear can take upwards
of 20 hours.”
No matter long they take, each bear
is worth it!
“I find it very satisfying to experience
a new teddy bear personality coming
to life in front of me – a character that previously existed only in my head,
but which I have been able to turn
into a physical reality.”
No Fear!
She recently guided her 14 year-old stepdaughter through the process
of making her very first bear. “She is now working on making a little
bear from one of my own patterns, and I can't wait to see how her
interpretation will turn out!”
Drawing from her own experiences,
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Aleksandr
A tall 10 inches, pale wheat ratinee mohair, brown upholstery velvet pads, blue glass "alive" eyes, varnished nose, accent shading on face, cotter pin joints, polyfil and garnet gravel stuffing, ribbon trim, hand-sewn. OOAK.
Homebrewed Bears
Leith Macdonald |
Leith offers this advice for new artists.
“Don’t be afraid to try new things and
be original. It can be scary to step
out of the mainstream, and you can waste energy worrying about whether anyone will like what you are creating"
Leith continues, "I do believe that
if you are putting your heart and
soul into the pieces you create,
collectors will sense that and
respond to it, no matter how
unusual your creations may be.”
Looking at Leith’s work it is evident
that heart and soul must also be key
ingredients in each bear!
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Fantasia
OOAK lady's big feet help her stand easily, 10.5" tall, sparse white ratinee mohair with bright pink tips, painted paw pads, eyelids sculpted from dusty pink ultrasuede, rose-coloured "alive eyes", polyfil/ pellet stuffing, fully hand-sewn with cotter pin joints, varnished multicoloured nose. Trimmed w/ribbon, beads, feathers and roses.
Homebrewed Bears
Leith Macdonald |
Bliss
Happy go lucky, five inch tall Bliss just want to play! Hand-dyed pineapple long sparse mohair, brown upholstery velvet pads, black glass eyes, cotterpin joints, polyfil and garnet gravel stuffing, varnished nose, gingham hat with ribbon trim and brass charm, hand-sewn. Watch out or this little charmer will steal your heart! OOAK.
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Eliza
Pure delight at 7.5 inches tall, made from cream straight pile mohair with lavender tips, pads are purple upholstery velvet, black glass eyes with white felt backing, cotterpin joints, polyfil and garnet gravel stuffing and a "topknot", entirely hand-sewn, one of a limited edition of three.
Homebrewed Bears
Leith Macdonald |
Yosei
Cute as a button, Yosei's name is Japanese
for fairy. Five inches tall with pale pink sparse mohair, cerise ultrasuede pads, black glass eyeswith felt backing, cotterpin joints, polyfil and garnet gravel stuffing, ribbon trim , top knot, hand-sewn, OOAK.
Homebrewed Bears
Leith Macdonald |
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3428 Hillvale Road 
