I’ve been busy making memory bears
and Le chapeau 
Think winter~!!
Think winter~!!And, more memory bears
Double click on any picture to enlarge it.
Me and the bear, we’re outta here~!!
I’m now retired and slowly processing that this is not just a long weekend, it’s a lifetime. A co-worker gave me a darling bear. She sorta’ looks like a librarian with spectacles on her nose for reading.
The library where I worked has a window of bars that separate the hallway from the main circulation area. Me and the bear busted out yesterday.
Happy Bear(th)Day, Hannah
When Hannah was a little girl she had a favorite blanket. It became too well loved and very worn. Later she was given a light blue soft velour bathrobe which Hannah quickly adopted as a replacement for her blanket. It went everywhere with her.
Hannah is now 15 and in celebration of her October birthday her grandmother had the bathrobe sent from Wisconsin where Hannah lives. I made it into a bear. Grandma Elaine was so happy with the bear she had a fleeting temptation to keep it for herself, but she shipped it to Hannah.
When Hannah received the bear she told her grandmother, “I love him, when I look at him I remember things.”
To enlarge the collage just double click on it.
Brother memories, other memories
George, the love of my life, and his family “lost” his brother Steve this summer. The bear in the collage above is made from one of Steve’s shirts. I have the bear in a book stand and it holds it well.
Woolly Bears, Bearly Unraveled
No, not caterpillars ~!! They aren’t furry or fuzzy but they can be for adorning a rocker or a room. They are a work of art, beautiful wool/knit bears made from recycled sweaters and hand embroidered. All of the bears in the pictures have loving homes.
Click on pictures to enlarge. 
Lately. . .
I made a bear from a toddler’s pink with hearts blanket. It belonged to a 19 month old girl who drowned in the summer of 2010.
My most recent project was a 65 year old bear that belongs to my friend Sue. She brought the bear from England many years ago when she moved to the USA. The “before” pictures I took of the bear before dismembering it kept me on track as I put it back together sans some very worn, frayed fabric. The bear’s innards were ghastly, intervention from Sue’s mother many years ago who stuffed the bear with an undershirt and pantyhose to replace the paper pulp-like stuffing that had dribbled out through wounded seams. The bear was in ICU and on life support but he pulled through. An extreme makeover for sure but still as true to the original design as possible. Tears came to Sue’s eyes as she held him to her face. I could only imagine all of the childhood memories flooding her heart.
Tiffany
I make a lot of memory bears for people who have lost a loved one but when it involves the loss of a young child, young adult or someone killed while serving our country I have to emotionally focus on the bear. The pain of the family weighs on me. This story has a lot of sadness attached to it but also a joyous moment.
Tiffany was just a young woman when she lost her life on December 3, 2006. I made 5 bears for her family from her sports clothes in the summer of 2010. Later in the year her mother contacted me to ask if I could make one more bear. This time it was to go to Tiffany’s girlfriend who was expecting a baby girl the beginning of December 2010. The baby would be named Tiffany.
I received Tiffany’s adult size lavender hoodie sweatshirt from her mom. I made the bear and sent it off. It arrived the day before the birth of Baby Tiffany. She was born on December 3, 2010, four years to the day Tiffany died.
I could write a book on the many stories like this I have received in the 16 years of making bears.
Baxter Bear
Baxter is the name of a dog but not just any dog. He was a wonderful family friend, and “child.” He belonged to my friend Renee’. Baxter died leaving Renee’ very sad. I made a bear for Renee’ from Baxter’s blanket. It’s not the same but Baxter Bear is a hugger and a healer.
Malakai – My Grandson
Once upon a time there was a baby boy named Malakai who had a great big teddy bear. His grandmother (that would be me) made the bear for him and it was so big it could have carried the boy around. He loved his bear and slept with it every night until the bear began to fall apart from so much love and hugging.
One day, when he was a ‘tween, Malakai asked his grandmother, who was visiting, if she could repair his bear. “Sure,” she said. She took the bear home to her house far away. Malaki grew and grew and grew until he became a teenager.
“Oh my~!! I’m sure he won’t want to sleep with his bear now. What would his friends say?” said his grandmother. But she lovingly took the bear in hand, carefully took every piece of the bear apart, and replaced the parts that were missing, and put the bear back together again. Good as new~!!
But, the bear is no longer bigger than the boy. In fact, it is now the size that the boy was when Grandmother gave him the bear the first time. It’s a special bear, for sure, given to Malakai once again. This time it is to celebrate his 15th birthday. Happy Birthday Grandson
Memories and Wool
This week I finished two bears, one a memory bear for a widow. It’s made from Lynda’s late husband’s dress shirt. The other two bears are made from a wool sweater. I donated them for a fund raiser event at my local library that were part of a silent auction. 
