Pongo

Here he is - my new bear cub, Pongo.  Wasn't 'Pongo' the name of the dalmation in 101 Dalmations?  There's no connection; it just seemed like a gentle, playful name to suit the expression of this bear.

The wire beneath him is the child-proof, cat-proof cover over our garden pond.  In retrospect, maybe I shouldn't have used it as a background - he looks like he's in a zoo. 

Anyway, I love his character, but the whole structural thing, with wire, was only partially successful, I'd say.  He was pretty sturdy until I put the fabric legs on and began stuffing them, and then the feet started misbehaving.  He stands perfects well, and when you press down on him, with a hand on his back, he is very solid.  Standing alone though, his feet are not quite flush with the floor.  A little steel shot would probably do him wonders.

The fur is not actually mohair - it's faux fur.  It is very very tactile, but incredibly thick.  You have no chance of seeing the backing fabric from the outside, so it's very difficult to see what you're doing when your're sewing.  However, the seams are probably less obvious than when I use mohair.

Anyway, I would like to make another, but with some steel shot in the feet.  I would also like to do something different with the legs - maybe a bear in 'walking' mode?