A Long Ago Bear and His Quilt

Once, long ago, I made a quilt for my teddy. Actually it was in 1951 and I was seven years old. Sadly, both the teddy and the quilt have long since disappeared. This summer I wasn’t very well and couldn’t concentrate on anything much. My cross-stitch seemed too complicated; my sewing machine too much hard work; my knitting kept losing stitches; and then I found a bag of sample fabrics. These small pieces of fabric were all about one-and-a-half inches square and were all so pretty, all different. As I sat on the sofa, feeling sorry for myself because I felt so ill, I decided to make a quilt for my bear.

An American Bear

Let me tell you about my bear. I’ve only had him about five years. My daughter and her husband were living in America (Connecticut, if you’re interested) and we had been out to visit in late summer. The weather was beautiful and one day Ellie’s friend Beverly took us to Wethersfield. My husband had gone off to the lake to paint and we girls were looking at the town and its shops. We found a lovely shop, a beautiful clapboard building, which was up two or three old wooden steps. The floorboards were bare and creaky, but the displays of beautiful gifts were enchanting. Amongst the lovely gifts there were bears sitting on shelves around the place and as I walked round one of the display stands I saw the sweetest bear. He was a pale champagne colour and had slightly shaggy fur, and was wearing a brown and white spotted bowtie. I said hello to him and picked him up for a cuddle and a chat. When we left the shop I went back and said goodbye to him and wished him a happy life. Yes, I know I’m barking!

While we waited for Beverly to go back up the road for her van my daughter decided to go back into the shop to see if she had missed anything! She returned with several more shopping bags that I suspected were for Christmas gifts.

Christmas Surprise

When we were getting ready to go home, Ellie packed our bags for us (contrary to airport regulations!?), with strict instructions to us both about who could unpack what, because she wanted our presents to remain a surprise for Christmas. Of course, at Christmas, there he was – the sweetest champagne-coloured bear. According to Ellie when you get a new bear you have to wait a few days for them to tell you their name. So I waited. And one day I woke up and knew his name was Jacob.

Buying a Bear for Mum

It might seem strange that a young woman in her early thirties would buy a bear for a mother in her late fifties. This is how it came about. When we were talking late into the night (our husbands had both retired to bed at a reasonable time!), we got onto the subject of things that are important in childhood. Ellie asked me if I’d ever had a teddy and I told her about Koly.

Dad’s visit to Australia

My Dad went to Australia towards the end of the war and brought or sent back the most adorable koala bear for me. I don’t remember a time without Koly. He was loved so much he got a bit threadbare and dilapidated. Many years later I had a dear friend who was leaving England to go to Canada and for some mad reason I gave Koly to her. She did love him! I kind of regretted it later, but she had nothing, and by that time I had two beautiful daughters. So Koly went away and I missed him. My daughter who was surrounded by bears felt very sorry for me and told me that one day I would have a bear again, but it had to be the right one.

Where Jacob Bear Lives

So now I have the right bear! Usually Jacob sits on a silk cushion on my bedding chest in the bedroom, but if I’m not well he sits by me wherever I am. Having a bear to comfort you is important even if you are sixty-two! This particular day I was feeling dreadful, the Doctor didn’t seem to know what was wrong, but I wanted to do something other than just sit about feeling ill.

Once I had tipped the fabric pieces all over the sofa, like large confetti, I went upstairs to get Jacob, to see what he thought. I sat him in the middle of the squares and he seemed to approve so I sorted out piles of matching pieces.

Jacob’s Quilt

Only a few stitches were needed to piece two squares of fabric together. Then I added another, and another, until I had a strip of about five. Then I had a rest! Then I made another strip, and another, and over the summer I made quite a few. On days when I felt a little better I went to the ironing board and pressed the seams open on my little strips, then on other days I sat at my sewing machine, just for a few minutes each time, and stitched a few strips together, until I had a block about six inches square.

Fabric Stash Selection

Eventually I had the nine blocks I had decided upon and began to look through my fabric stash for the right one to do the sashing (the strips between the blocks that, if you’re lucky, set them off to perfection). I enlisted the help of my husband who is an artist and who encourages me in my mad ideas! Together we found the most beautiful piece of fabric, which I had bought because I couldn’t resist it, and had saved for ‘something special’. Well, a quilt for Jacob was certainly something special.

Feeling Better

In September I was given medication by my Doctor and amazingly began to feel better so I set about measuring and cutting my beautiful saved-fabric into the sashing strips. I’ve cut the backing from the same fabric and have found a piece of wadding that fits, so all I have to do now is assemble the three layers together and do the quilting and binding for Jacob’s new quilt ready for the winter.

Waiting Patiently?

Because I’m feeling a lot better, suddenly I have so much more to do, and progress on Jacob’s quilt has slowed a little. However, Jacob isn’t letting me get away with excuses; he’s taken to sitting in the arm chair in my sewing room, with the quilt on his lap, and I’m sure I keep catching a less-than-patient expression on his usually sweet face as I pass by in a hurry to do something else!