Come on then...what got you into bear-making or collecting?

[Jenny]

Let's find out why we all started out bear making...or collecting!

I started when my niece began a panda collection. I had no interest in bears whatsoever...I thought my sister had lost the plot when she was thinking of paying £80 for a bear...£80...good grief!

I bought her a panda for her birthday from a Canadian artist..and when it arrived I thought I could make one as good ..it was nice, but not as cuddly as I thought it should be. Then one day we went to Bears on th Square in Ironbridge and I was captivated. The next day we went to a fair at the Motorcycle Museum..I bought a kit from a supplier and I stayed up all night making the poor ,sorry looking thing. But I was truly bitten by the bug....and I am glad to say that I am still totally besotted with everything beary.

I then started a small collection of artist bears and the odd Steiff...but I am afraid I have not kept many because my tastes have changed and the ones I initially bought are so different from what I now like. I am very picky these days..and so very few bears make it into my hug..mainly because all my money goes on fabric and stuff!! I have ambitions to own certain artists bears and one day I definitely will...but I just think making and collecting bears is the most satisfying and fulfilling hobby...and of course, you get to meet such lovely people!!

[davistedds]

I got 'into' bear collecting when I was decorating when I was expecting my daughter - and boy what an obsession that's grown into!! :p

My tastes have changed within that time too Jenny, I mainly collect old bears now, I love all that history!!

What bears do you like....? :)

[shelly]

I got into rabbit making, because I was fed up of seeing all these lovely bears in shops and not one rabbit, so I decided to make my own !!!!

Shelly :6088: :6088: :6088: :6088:

[Jenny]

My ambition is to buy a bear by Karin de Lorenzo...one day! I also love Jodi Moisans work..her little mice are to die for. I also dream about buying a bear from Vicky Allum..and from Yvonne...oooh ...and so many others. I managed to get a Wee Scone in a kind a of swap we arranged..which I was head over heels about.

I started to collect Mikki Klugs wonderful felties..and their are some superb old style teds that I love ..Marjoleine Diemel and Lora Soling spring to mind...but there are so many great artists how do you pick just one out!!

[davistedds]

Good for you Shelly, I love bunnies too :)

I know what you mean Jenny, although I don't think I'll ever be able to add ALL the artist bears to my hug I would like to... :rolleyes: I've not the wallet nor the room, but I'm always fascinated to hear what other artists like, and it usually brings new names I haven't heard before, more for me to drool over....!! :p

Oooh how lucky you got a wee scone, I miss chatting to Diane, hope she's ok, I see her wee ones on ebay from time to time.

And Vicky and Yvonne's bears.... <dream>..... <sigh>....and yours for that matter!! <ahhhh......>

I'm off to see the other artists you mentioned now.....where's me google...?? :p

[All Bear]

I always loved making things ... I had to make a large floppy dog for an exam at school when I was fifteen or sixteen and I loved the process. For many years I knitted while I collected bears, but I was always curious as to how teddy bears were made. One day I hunted down a child's kit in the local toyshop and sewed 'Orange Blob bear' by hand, then I stumbled over a shop in Lakeside that used to sell artist bears, bought a Teddy Bear Times magazine and wey hey, found a proper bear fair advertised! I convinced my husband we needed to go to Kensington and we came home with a gorgeous big bear by Frank Webster. That was my first ever artist bear. At the next show, I noticed suppliers and was bought a kit as a gift ... that bear had one shoulder higher than the other, but I was so proud of him! I disguised the defect with a smart tartan ribbon and decided that next time, I'd have a go at making my own design ... that was back in the early 90's!

This is Orange Blob Bear
142

The kit bear with one shoulder higher than t'other!

143

And finally, one of my very first bear designs 'Pomeroy'.

144

[yvonne]

Well I was a collector, before I got into bear making........but it all started when I visited a craft fair...and came across a bearmaker demonstrating her skills....I was all set to buy one of her bears....but as I watched, the more the process fascinated me......so after a lot of chatting, she told me about Oakley Fabrics...which is quite near me..........and the rest as the saying goes is history!!!!! .....

I must add that, at that time in my life I was at an all time low,after losing several family members,including my Mother, and at the time and I can honestly say.............that discovering this wonderful, all consuming craft, really saved my sanity!.....and I just love every minute.....


Yvonne. :)

[katiecountrymouse1]

Hi Jenny,:6045:
You were my inspiration about a year ago.
Seeing your bears, and going to a bear fair at leighton hall carnforth.
Looked at the lovely mohair and I was hooked.
Love Kayx:6013:

[Laurie]

I started to collect Russ bears and not long after that hubby bought me a kit.That was it I was hooked and I am always trying to make my next bear better than my last one.I sold most of my Russ bears apart from a few as they have sentimental value.I am lucky to have a wee scone ,one of Melanies bears,two Meri bears and a few more others.When I am rich I woud love a Humble Crumble,one of Jennys,Paulas,Yvonnes.Clares,a few more Wee Scones........the list goes on!
I am sure when I think about it I will think of a few more:6086:

[Jenny]

Isn't it lovely to hear all the stories!!! I think the common thread is that none of us realised when we started..just what we were starting!! I think we all went into it thinking it might be a bit of a hobby, never realising we'd all end up total mohair junkies!!!

Paula those pictures definitely show a talent right from the first bear!! Mine are just awful...one has no eyes!! I should photograph them when I have time!!

Kay, I feel very honoured to be the inspiration for anyone to start making bears...as long as you aren't modelling them on me personally (short, fat and hairy..LOL) I'll take it as a huge compliment!!

[shelly]

Great to hear all the stories. Paula how lovely that you've still got your first bears, I bet you're more attached to them as they were your first ?

Shelly.:6086:
Maybe one day someone will be saying " I want a Shelly bunny"........Oh I can dream LOL !!

[shebob bears]

I think I have been making some little critter since I was in junior school. Mostly breeds of ponies. Yes, I am just pony mad. Then I thought how about making little teddies to ride these noble steeds. And then I was hooked. It is about five years ago that I graduated from felt to faux fur and then bought my first mohair from who else but Christie Bears.

Ebay was the next step. I spent ages looking to see what others were doing, and the one that really caught my attention were bears made by someone called Three o'clock bears (anyone heard of her!!!). Anyway, I do recall one evening after listing my bear on eBay, I groaned. My husband knew exactly what the problem was and said 'Let me guess, Three o'clock Bears has a listing next to yours'. I mean, what chance did a newcomer have? Needless to say, I was totally unheard of and got no bids. But then I was approached by a shop offering sale or return on a collection of my teds.
And the very same bear sold instantly. I presume that people had confidence in the long established shop, and several of my bears have found new homes all over the country.

I now am very proud to say that this year I decided to have a photo of one of my bears in the gallery in Teddy Bear Guide 2007. And guess what. I am squeezed in between Three o'clock Bears and Steiff. Yipeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

Sheila

[Lorna Evett]

Hi everyone

I got into bear making about four years ago, i went to bear fair (not sure why) and loved all the bears i saw.

and just doing a search, found Jenny Scott in Settle advertising bear making classes and went along for the weekend, husband in tow, and really had a fantastic time, and made a bear, and it was such a friendly time I loved it. My husband had recently recovered from a severe accident where he nearly died and I found the whole thing very therapeutic.

I came home and designed my own bear, and then went back for a refresher class at Jenny's and again went for the weekend and had a wonderful time.

I love making my bears and get very excited about creating them and sewing them to the detriment of housework, but now the kids have left home the urge to keep tidy has waned a bit. My friend is a Reiki Master and she grants them all a little, happiness, love and understanding and so people can take from them what they wish.

I went to the teddy bear fair in Derby the other sunday, my first ever one, I only sold one bear, but good experience for me. Then I took some to work and sold six in two days with orders for 3 more. I will upload some pictures one day when I learn how to do it.

My most expensive purchase to date was a Burlington Moggie by Tania Fish, which I love, it is so quirky, when my husband knew how much it was I cannot tell you what his language was like, but I just loved it, walked around a lot, looked at other bears etc, and came back to that one.

Anyway that is how I got into bear making and I love it.

Lorna
Niz-Bearz:6087:

[Vicky Allum]

Good thread Jenny

I can finally come and post now - have been working hard to finish some limited editions and I closed the last back tonight! Yippeeeeee!

I got into bear making about 4 years ago now. I knew nothing about artist bears and had very little interest in bears until I took my children into the the local bear shop to buy a beanie. It was there that I saw her ....... Jill Baxter's "Patsy Paws" from Deans:6037: . I was absolutely obsessed with her and it was about 6 months before my husband relented and bought her for me (had to wait until she was in the sale :6020: but I probably paid her a dozen visits during that time). At the time I was making American Folk Art items for craft fairs, but it didn't dawn on me that individuals could make bears. As Christmas came round I wanted to buy a "proper bear" for my daughter (or was it secretly for me?:o ) so I started trawling the internet, it was then that I found the Somethings Bruin website and her link to Oakley fabrics ......... I was absolutely horrified by the prices of the fabric and slunk back to my wood painting. :6022:

Ironically a week or so later I met a lady at a craft morning who also made painted items ...... but she had bears too. She suggested that I buy some teddy bear magazines so I was straight off to WHS and came home with all the magazines I could find. When I first opened the magazine I was absolutely stunned by the bears by Paula Carter (you have a lot to answer for:) ) and Janet Changefoot and I thought I want to do THAT! Bear making books were added to my Christmas list and I placed my first mohair order. I was so excited when I saw that Oakleys stocked Changle bear patterns - I ordered Impi assuming I would end up with a bear like those in the magazine. Needless to say the finished result did not resemble a beautiful Changle bear ..........:6036: but undeterred I went back and ordered another pattern called Zulu, he was little better .... that is until his head fell off.:6082:

Well look at me, no posts for days and then a novel ........ sorry about that, but you did ask:)

PS Paula - I am very fond of orange blob bear - I've seen him before.

[Laurie]

I just read your post Vicki and noticed that you started off with Impi and then Zulu.I couldn't help but smile as they were the exact same two in the same order that I started with.I must say my Impi looked more like the real thing than Zulu did even though I sewed his gusset on back to front!.By the time I got to Zulu I was already tweaking the pattern and decided to start my own designs after that.
It was after my mum died that I decided to try and do something creative in my life as I had always loved drawing.I went to classes and found them useless and started to get into drawing cats teaching myself as I went along.The only thing is that once the bear making started I didn't have time to do the drawing and it fell by the wayside.I still have a large stash of my drawing equipment left as I don't want to part with it as it cost me a lot of money as maybe one day I will find the time to do it again.....

[Jenny]

Hey guess what girls...you are not alone...my first kit was Impi too. How spooky is that!!! It's funny though, that although we all picked the same kit we make entirely different bears now.

I only made one kit before I started playing with bits of Cornflake boxes and stuff. I did buy a pattern but it's still in the packet...I found more useful info on pattern making from books and I learned to make the patterns early on..which is a good thing. I think I always had a good head for thinking round3D stuff...and these days I make quite complicated patterns...though sometimes they start off complicated with a zillion pieces then I realise they can be simplified..I am rambling.

I think another common thread is that people have found solace in bear-making..is that the bears themselves or the distraction of the concentration?

[shelly]

Great thread Jenny !!


:6086:

[All Bear]

Ooh Vicki, you've made me blush! I had no idea! You make such beautiful bears, it's wonderful that you've found your beary niche. Humble Crumble bears are a great addition to the British bear-making scene. :6013:

Did anyone here collect bears before they started making? I was an avid collector. I love old Chiltern teds and have quite a few of those, starting with my very first bear when I was a year old, I also started out in awe of people like lovely Frank Webster and Sandra Wickenden in particular. Sandra doesn't make so many bears these days, but her work is absolutely beautiful and I have a couple of her fabulous big bears ... 'Morpheus' (Bringer of dreams) and 'Yona', the realistic grizzly that won the BBAA's back in about '97... they are magnificent!

[Ruth]

My sister got me in to making mini bears once I realised how adorable they can be , but I have minis (mainly Buff n'Co) and bigger bears in my collection .I admitted to my arctophilia in about 1993 - some years on I realised that I already owned an "old face brown" (very early shape) Ty beanie which was something of a holy grail!! :p I used to dress him up at Christmas.When I realised he was "worth" something he got shoved in a plastic tube and it was hands-off!! :rolleyes: However I came to my senses about that... he's just the same little squishy bear that caught my eye and I loved ! I stopped buying Ty ages ago ,as I now find them a bit expressionless :6044: Yes, I definitely aspire to works by lots of you lot !! But I would never be swayed by "worth"-how is that quantifiable anyway - for me its all about the gut pulling , falling in love bit .I think I'm rambling on now!!
p.s it made me laugh once when somebody emailed me before bidding on one of my bears on ebay to check whether i was famous, and the bear would eventually be "worth" something !!!!!!:6085:
Ruth

[Melanie Jayne]

I will try to keep this short!!!!!!............ We had our son Patrick in 2001, up until this point I had worked as an artist painting and taking on heaps of commission works and occasionally I had to take on part time jobs as some of the commissions took me months to complete so money was not always consistent. In 2001 I thought it was time to get a so called professional career, so I went back to uni and studied on a LLB law degree, during which time my mum passed away. I was all most ready to accept a position as a trainee solicitor and then I began to think about the short life my mum had lived and how she had worked so hard. I often missed her as a child due to her work commitments and she was always tired too. I did not want this for Patrick as I knew a career as a solicitor would take nearly all my life away from him. I know this was probably part of a delayed grieving process and after many arguments with my husband I rejected my job offer to stay at home to become a full time mum.

Knowing that Patrick was due to start school I started to think about starting my own business as a nursery room designer creating themes and wall paintings for young children. I had been asked to do this many times after people had seen the nursery I created for Patrick. I was working on a teddy bear nursery theme when my motherinlaw gave me a huge piece of faux fur and later a teddy bear magazine, to be honest I only read one article in the magazine and it was about selling bears and if you was to do this it had to be your own work or something or other along these terms, to be honest I did not have a clue and was so confused. So I figured I wouldn’t be able to make bears from peoples patterns and sell them with the room designs I was creating. So I made one bear from a pattern just to see how it was put together etc and then I designed my own bear and then another and another and another. Before long I had forgotten about the new nursery business and I was passionately designing and making my own bears furthermore I was just as clueless about the teddy bear world and did not even know it existed. That was less than eighteen months ago and yes things have changed for me so much since then. I can sincerely say that I truly believe that I have found my niche and I am very happy, I love what I do.

Sorry to go on……but it is a very weird time for me, next week is my mum’s 3rd year anniversary. It is a very sad time and although I miss her so very much I do feel very grateful as my life has changed so much, it’s just a shame she never saw how happy I am, as he never knew me as a bear artist and how content I actually feel. I think she would have been very happy for me too

[Geralye]

Ooh you all have such inspiring stories!

It was my mum who started it, then 'infected' the rest of the family!

By profession she taught dressmaking and tailoring, so I have always been encouraged to sew, and made quite a few stuffed animals as a child (some I still have).

Mum has always been interested in dolls, but somehow this spread into bears, then I got caught up, followed by my sister.

I haven't bought any bears for a while, apart from my regular Deans collectors club membership bear, because my interest has morphed into a mohair habit!

My collection of bears is perhaps a bit too wide, spreading into other animals, and mass produced bears. I really need to cull the herd, but it seems cruel. I'm hoping Good Bears of the World may accept some. I'm really running out of space.

cheers,
g

[Steffi]

I think I was born a bear collector. My mother gave me a teddy bear when I was born and I still have him. He is about 13 years older than me as she had bought it to give as Christening present to a little boy to whom she was godmother. However she changed her mind about the present and put ted away until I was born.

That bear has been all over with me, as most of you know I spent many years abroad so Ted came with us. Whilst in Iran my father worked with a German man who gave me a small 1960s Steiff Zotty. In between times I had had many other bears, but mostly just the soft cuddly toy variety. I did have a Chad Valley panda but I am not sure where he ended up. I also have a bright pink bear that mum bought whilst we were still in the M.E. and she then dressed it in a Bay City Roller outfit. Not sure I should have admitted to that one.:6019:

One of the things I do remember having to do at school in England was make a soft toy. I made a lion cub, which I was extremely proud of, except it was a bit two dimensional for my liking. It was more like two lion shapes sewn together and stuffed with kapok. In my teens I bought a couple of kits, I know one was of a donkey. I also remember someone telling me that I couldn't make a living making soft toys. So I gave up and got a proper job, initially as a bank clerk.

Eventually I married, two children and one ex-husband later I started teaching in Primary Schools. I used to read the children the Winnie the Pooh stories, (the way that my mother had when I was little) the original ones and no Disney pictures to look at. Bit by bit I started being given all sorts of Winnie the Pooh items and I had one corner of my classroom known as Pooh's corner. On the last day of book week I went to school dressed as Winnie the Pooh, those of you who have met me will know that I needed no padding! My poor son was 15 at the time and was horrified that I would drive with my face covered in yellow face paint, even more horrified that I would dare to drop him at his school looking like that. :6025:

Unfortunately teaching and I parted company when I had a breakdown. However all is not doom and gloom as four years ago I met the man I am now married to. He knew of my passion for bears, he couldn't really not know as by that time the hug had grown somewhat. We married two years ago and even have bears that were made for our wedding. Thr bride has a replica of my dress on and the groom a kilt in my husband's tartan.

The first bear I made was a steep learning curve. I had a pattern but somehow the finished bear was not something I was that happy with. Number two looked more like a mouse and I called him Little Stuart. My daughter now has that one. Then I decided that I could do better if I changed things a bit and made one I quite liked so gave it to my mother as a 'thank you' for making the bridesmaid dress for my wedding. My aunt saw the bear and asked me to make one, then mum's neighbour wanted one and that was it, I was hooked.

Until a few years ago most of my hug consisted of Merrythought bears (so how upset am I now that they have ceased trading?), a couple of Steiffs and some Deans. Nowadays I must admit that I love artists bears. I have a fantastic husband who keeps adding shelves and I keep filling them with bears. I am lucky that I do have one of Paula's bears and one of Fiona's. I think the artist I have most by is Janet Changfoot. I also have bears Warren Bears, Wisdom Bears, Madabout Bears and Hugs Unlimited to name but a few.

Now I make bears, run a local craft fair and ran my first bear fair last month. All those of you who mentioned Wee Scone I can tell you that she is very well. If you have seen the article in TBCI/TBT about Glasgow you will see that Diane was one of my exhibitors.

OK that's my essay. Back to a poor bear that needs to be finished by Saturday.

Hugs, Steffi

[yvonne]

This is such an interesting thread Jenny......and it seems we all have a few things in common.......the first bear I made just happened to be Impi, he didn't turn out too bad, still got him somewhere.....but at the time I thought he was wonderful, it just amazed me that I could make and joint him..... and he stayed together!

The other, which I think applies to myself, Laurie, and Melanie, is that we have all lost our Mothers, and all took up bearmaking after. It really seems that we were all seeking some kind of solace....or something to distract, and absorb us!

Melanie I know exactly how you are feeling....(next week is also a bad time for me).....and try and take comfort that maybe, she does, know how happy you are!

Anyway....lets lighten up!....this bearmaking lark, is wonderful don't you think,
and getting to all chat together like this...is just the best! :6034:


Yvonne. :)

[Steffi]

Re-reading that some of you took up bear making after you lost your mothers. Mine is still alive, however my dad died 10 years ago next month and I was always much closer to him. My father worked most of his life in textile mills using mohair, but not for bear making but to make lengths for men's suiting. All the time he was alive I had no real interest in textiles even though we lived in the heart of it all in Yorkshire for a while.

Maybe a bit of our parents does live on in us.

Steffi

[Vicky Allum]

So what is it with Impi then? He's a popular little chap isn't he? I still have mine too, although I'm not quite sure where he is hiding:6082: !

Gosh Paula - thank you - :o who's blusing now:o :o :o ?

Melanie, Laurie and Yvonne, I'm so sorry to hear that your mothers have passed away ..... it must be dreadful.

I think bear making does fill a void for most of us in one way or another, I knew when my children started school full time that I needed something - although I just couldn't figure out what. I didn't feel I could go back to a job with someone else in charge and housework and daytime TV just weren't doing it for me. That's why I tried the Folk Art stuff - I was MDF and fretsaw woman for a year! Anyway, the bearmaking has filled the gap, it keeps me very busy and I absolutely love it. How lucky are we, to do something we enjoy?:6087:

[Jenny]

It is interesting that bear-making often happens as a kind of therapy..like after bereavement...or during or because of illness, or some other event that's life changing in some way.

I think it works as a way of being part of the healing process because you have to throw yourself into it and therefore it makes you divert your thoughts to other things.

Sadness can generate a very creative facet of our emotion and it has resulted in great works being produced..I am sure many poems would not have been written and songs would have been left un-penned were it not for periods of sorrow. I think sadness touches you very deeply and it's in those places that ideas are born. I think because the bears are the product of something deeply felt they are a way of easing the loss.

That's why they are expressions of ourselves and each one we make conveys something of how we feel.

Sounds all a bit maudlin and shmaltzy but I do think it's true.

Even though I didn't come to bear making because of a sea-change in my life at the time I started..previously I had gone through a terrible period bringing up 2 children on my own..and when I married my husband and found peace in my life that was when I found I could find the spirit to be creative again after years of feeling numb inside.

Good old teddies, eh!!

[Melanie Jayne]

Jenny wrote ......peace in my life that was when I found I could find the spirit to be creative again after years of feeling numb inside.


I will completely agree with this Jenny, when I started off bear making it made me feel content and creative, now I feel content and grateful all the time, not only that I also have since met some wonderful people too and that is just as important to me as the bear making itself.