Continued from my previous blog – My Story Part 3

I work from home and call a corner of the study my own.  I have enough space for all my materials and supplies, my worktable and sewing machines and my computer.  I don’t need piece and quite to work, which is lucky because I don’t get very much, having to share the study with my three girls.  My eldest daughter plays the piano, which is also in the room, so very often I get serenaded while I work.  My youngest, likes to play computer games, the noisier the better and my middle daughter is always popping in and out!  I try to divide my time during the day between doing what I want to do, bear making and doing what I have to do, which is housework and domestic chores.  Evenings are my most productive, when I can concentrate without interruptions.

My bears have found loving new homes extensively in America, Canada, Australia and in the UK.  I mainly sell my work via my web site, and at fairs.  I’m so lucky that my brother has his own company designing and developing web sites, so I got mine at the best possible price, FREE!  Over the last couple of years I’ve been building up a stock of bear making supplies particularly concentrating on accessories and embellishments for miniature bears.  I’ve always found it a challenge to find that certain something to finish off a bear perfectly, particularly for miniature bears.  It’s difficult enough to source suitable items but even more so for miniatures as most things are just to the wrong scale.  I’ve now collected a lovely range of different and interesting items and word is spreading and order numbers are increasing.  It’s my wish to build on this small beginning and create a site both for bear collectors and for other bear artists, where there is always something new and exciting to see.

I believe its vital today to have a web presence, especially with the demise of our high street and the loss of so many teddy bear shops across the country.  Artists need a way of getting their name out there and showcasing their work and the Internet is perfect for this.

My greatest achievement to date is being able to say that Hamleys of London regularly stock a collection of Sambrook Bears.  It gives me so much pleasure to see something I have created on display in such a prestigious store.

For the future, I want to build on what I have learned so far and try incorporating new techniques into my designs.  I’d like to experiment with different fabrics too, and I’m always on the lookout for new ways to accessorise and add that finishing touch.  I’d love, at some point, to exhibit my bears abroad.  In the US or Japan say.  That would be fantastic.  But for now it’s my hope that we can all weather these difficult times.  Collectors please keep collecting and talented bear artists keep creating amazing and adorable teddies that simply cry out to be loved.  Lastly if I could, in some little way, inspire others to take up a needle and thread, get creating and discover the joy a teddy bear can bring, that would give me the greatest pleasure of all.