Written by JoAnne Eldred
Hello… my name is JoAnne . The reason for the large A in my name is simple I am the only person in my family who doesn’t have a middle name ! So I make the A a capital to make me feel special.
So, I started crafting many many moons ago firstly making steam punk jewellery hence the name Jewels Out Of Time I then got into soft furnishings and bag making through Debbie Shore and her amazing templates and patterns. And into Quilting by learning from the amazing Sarah Payne.
Then when my youngest son left Junior school a few years ago I wanted something to remind him of his time there so I made my first Bear made from his school jumper, people saw and asked if they could have one too and the Celebration Bear was born. A lady then asked if I could make one from her daughters T shirt who had recently passed away, and I was more than happy to help heal someone’s loss with something so Special a Memory Bear.
One commission I did was several Bears for a lady for her children and grandchildren and one of the items was the shirt the gentleman had painted in and it still has paint splashes on it so I used parts of that shirt in each of the Bears meaning each bear whilst being individual also had one special piece for all.
I use every part of the clothing I’m given even down to the labels and buttons and now I even make little flat caps and Baker Boy caps for the Bears.
Each Bear I make is individual and made with care and Love.
During the Lockdown I joined a group FTLOS (For the Love of Scrubs) during our time doing these I found there was loads of scrap material so I offered to make Bears from the scraps so these lovely volunteers had a beautiful little jewel of their time with the group so I made Smaller Bears desk top size and one of the lovely gentleman who looked after the drop boxes named him “Scrubby Bear” and so he was born. I made hundreds of Bears to celebrate the amazing achievements we had all made. Many Bears were auctioned off and donated.
I have made and gifted a few Bears for The Crafty Lass to Celebrate her fabulous collection of her own designs and now I have had the pleasure of making this one.
Here is Vincent he’s made from the large print from Craft Cotton Company this ones for the National Gallery and it’s titled A Wheatfield, with Cypresses .
This piece is one large overall design and a beautiful print, its 100% Organic cotton and the feel is amazing, its “Sew” easy to sew with and the print quality is fantastic, choosing which parts to use was so much fun, I particularly wanted to keep the large Cypress tree so that became his back piece, and I knew the sky would lend itself to his face beautifully. I love the selvedge’s and always try and incorporate them in each design. These ones fitting perfectly on his feet.
Thank you for taking time to read my piece and I hope you enjoy the pictures of Vincent!
Fabric featured: Vincent van Gogh - Wheatfield with Cypresses
To see more from Jo follow her on Instagram @jojewelsoutoftime or Facebook Jewels Out Of Time.
Written by JoAnne Eldred for The Craft Cotton Co 2022.