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Kuma Wheat Toy (Alphabet-e-Design) ( 2008, Original ) by Amy Kerr

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Description

This playful little kuma wheat toy is a wonderful companion. He is filled with wheat grains and designed to be a heat/cool pack as well as a fun-filled, functional toy. Like a juggling bag, he can be thrown, tossed and played with...and when you are all worn out you can heat him/cool him and sit down for a cuddle. He is a lovely robust oriental-esque toy designed to provide amusement and comfort for all his friends.

He has been lovingly handmade from a mixture of beautiful fabrics - original hand-dyed and hand-printed yukata cotton is used in conjunction with a variety of colour co-ordinated cotton & cotton/linen blend.

I designed and made this energetic little kuma myself - from creation of the patterning on his tummy, leg and ear fabric, through to his unique design and manufacture. As a textile designer I designed, dyed and printed his tummy, leg & ear fabric on a plain white yukata cotton base that I bought whilst living in Japan. This fabric was immersion dyed and screen printed.

This friendly little kuma is one in a growing kuma family that follows the same general design but no two kuma are exactly the same, each one is a unique little individual.

A little bit about the making process:

Immersion Dyeing & Screen Printing with Dye |
Starting out with white base cloth, I immersion dyed fabric in a range of green and blue tones. From here I screen printed designs with dye over the top to create the fabric that you see in this piece. Printing with dye is a more time consuming and perhaps delicate process than printing with pigment as it requires steaming to be 'fixed' - another process altogether! However, dye (unlike pigment) is actually absorbed by the fibres in the cloth (rather than coating the surface)...so you end up with a much softer fabric in the end and a design that won't rub or wear off.

Kuma Features |
Dimensions: When sitting down this little kuma measures approximately 9cm/3.5" high (from the tip of his ears to his bottom), when lying down he measures 13.5cm/5.5" high (from the tip of his ears to his toes) and he is 6cm/2.3" wide.
Exterior: Hand-dyed and hand-printed yukata cotton, chocolate brown cotton/linen blend, mixture of 100% cotton.
Interior: Filled with whole wheat grains.
Reinforcing: For longevity, durability and to sustain being played with, this little kuma is double stitched in his body and appendages.

**Kuma Wheat Toys are not recommended for children under 3 years of age.

Care Instructions |
If this cheeky little kuma gets himself dirty you could spot clean him sparingly with warm water only. Please do not dry clean or tumble dry him. Please make sure he isn't immersed in water...he doesn't like getting wet (and he can't swim). Ensure that he is completely dry before heating or cooling him.

Please Note |
Whilst I have made every effort to accurately portray the colour of this cute little kuma, slight variations may occur due to photography and the computer monitor that you use to view these images.

All prices are in GBP (Pound Sterling).
I can also accept direct deposit payments from Australian buyers. Please inquire before placing your order :)