MEET KAYLEE

Kelvin

We are surrounded by the sort of gum trees that koalas enjoy, and we're often visited by them. I love these furry bear-like marsupials, and have been wanting to try making one for some time. I finally summoned up enough emotional energy to risk failure and have a go.

Designing a bear is trial and error, and continuing refinement of the original idea, but I am always too impatient to wait until I'm sure the design will work before trying it out. However, I don't want to waste expensive mohair on my experiments, so I use bits and pieces or unusual colours on my first attempt.

Meet Kaylee, my prototype koala, who is not at all embarrassed to have lilac fur instead of grey. In fact she looks quite pleased with herself, and with the gum leaves I picked for her.

Kaylee