Barley

Meet the new giant in the Honeythorpe lineup!  Barley stands at a whopping 6.5 inches.  That’s positively giant for me and in fact I almost chickened out of finishing Barley!

It was actually a nice change to work with such a big bear and I’m pretty pleased with the way he turned out.  I love the soft oatmeal ratinee – it has such an old fashioned feel to it.  Barley has much bigger eyes than I would have  used when I last made such a big bear, but I like the babyish appeal they give to his face.  I shaded his eyes and muzzle lightly with pencil and his paws too.

Barley wears a key on a vintage olive ribbon around his neck.  I really like the proportions of this bear – he has bit of a hump at the back – a nod to his early teddy ancestors.  His chubby little tummy and big feet reflect my Honeythorpe minis look.

I do so like mohair and I might just have to make another big bear so I can play with some more luscious fabrics…not too soon though, my thumb is still recovering from stitching Barley’s nose.

I included a photo of Barley with Berwyn – see 4 inches difference doesn’t sound like much when you say it – but when you see Berwyn next to Barley, you realise just what a different scale the two bears are on.    Back to a mini tonight for me!