A rare find! This old centre-seam gusset bear was recently discovered in an attic together with and old quilt...they were probably packed away in the 1930s and had been completely forgotten until a recent attic renovation.

The bear is in a slightly used condition, with some wear on the fur, especially on the head, body, and paws. A thorough clean removed most of the superficial dust and dirt, although some of the fur is permanently discolored. His paw and footpads also some signs of wear and are discolored. They seeem to have been cream originally. Otherwise, he is still in a very good condition - he still has his original black glass eyes, embroidered nose, mouth, and claws. His stuffing is still firm and his neck joint is not too loose. The bear restorer was very excited when she discovered the original manufacturer's signature gold button and yellow tag still attached to the ear...

The quilt is still in a very good condition and was rejuvenated by a gentle wash. The cotton fabric is also slightly discolored by age. It is in the classic Irish Chain pattern, with dark red squares on a cream background, and quilted on the diagonal. Careful investigation showed that the quilt batting is pure cotton.

The bear was found with an old scrap of fabric tied around his neck, bandana-style. Comparison showed that it is a scrap of the same red fabric used in the quilt, probably tied on by a child! For me, this ties the bear and quilt together in time, and I decided that they should remain as a set.

Vital Statistics
Body: distressed vintage long-pile upholstery velvet
Paws & footpads: painted ultrasuede
Eyes: 2 mm glass eyes
Stuffing: polyfil, steel pellets
Joints: head and limbs cotter-pin-jointed
Details: embroidered and waxed nose and claws, gold button in ear
Size: 2½" sitting, 3½" standing
Quilt: pure cotton percale, machine-pieced and machine-quilted, 100% cotton batting, 6¼" x 6¼"