Jan
25
2010
My love of bears began from childhood, I still have my very first teddy as part of a fairly large hug I’ve accumulated throughout the years. I’ve been making my own bears since mid 2007 and love experimenting with the designs of my bears in the quest to find the ultimate edenbear. As I strive to find this identity, I hope to create some bears you will love along the way!
Edenbears are all One Of A Kind, completely hand sewn traditional collector bears made from the finest quality materials, components and fillings throughout. They are sewn with the utmost care and attention to detail. I make a very small number of bears a year, this is the way I prefer to work, every edenbear is a labour of love and never rushed.
I also offer a bear repair service which provides TLC to neglected old Teds!
Please visit my website www.edenbears.co.uk to learn more about myself and my bears.
Jan
25
2010
My name is Sue Elgie, and I live in a pretty village called Askham Richard just outside the historic city of York.
I have been designing and making collector bears for nearly thirteen years now. How time flies when you are having fun!! I have had my work featured in Teddy Bear Times and Teddy Bear Club International, and I was also very lucky some years ago to win a E.V.A. award.
If you visit my web site www.elgiebears.com you will see that my bears are very traditional in style, and range in size from about 5.5” up to about 18”, but I am willing to make larger bears on request.
I am very happy to accept commissions, in fact it is probably my favourite part of bear making, I really enjoy the challenge of trying to create that special bear for someone, and I seem to have developed into specialising in Graduation bears, wedding couples and bridesmaids and also anniversary bears, but I will have a go at anything!
Last year I started holding bear making courses in the village where I live, so that I could help encourage new people to take up this wonderful craft.
Please visit my site to obtain further details on how to purchase an Elgie Bear, find out about the bear making courses and where you can meet my bears in the fur!!
Jan
25
2010
Treacle Bears
Artist: Nicky Portsmouth
Age: 30
Birthday: 8 November 1979
Home: Fordingbridge in The New Forest, Hampshire
I was born and bred in a little village called Sway in the New Forest in Hampshire and I am so lucky to live in such a wonderful diverse area. We have the forests, the beach, the picturesque villages, and towns for retail therapy all on our doorstep! I married in 2008 to my wondeful husband, Alan Portsmouth and we live in Fordingbridge, a pretty riverside town.
I have always loved dolls, fairies and bears since I was a child and have collected many over the years, but never thought I would be able to actually create anything. One morning sat perusing the internet I came across a bear website selling patterns and I decided to give it a go. A little bundle of fluff was created and everyone loved it. I then started experimenting with my own patterns and fabrics, making bears for family and friends as gifts. I knew that a lot of bear artists sold their bears on auction websites, so I thought I would give it a go. I now have Treacle Bears website up and running and I am busy making another bundle of fluff which I am hoping to put up for adoption soon. I hope you enjoy my bears as much as I enjoy creating them. Please do go and have a peak at my website and please feel free to join my mailing list so I can keep you up to date on future bundles of fluff for adoption.
Jan
21
2010
JOFLI Teddy Bear
Jofli Bear is a travelling companion with a logbook for families to record memories of their adventures together. Use the backpack to carry your bear and all your travel essentials for your journey. You can post photos on the website to share with family and friends, and print special pages to add to your logbooks. Jofli’s logbook shows photos of his adventures along with a host of celebs he’s met along the way! Take a look at www.jofli.com , join the Jofli community, and make your ‘Journey OF LIfe’ a memorable one!
Jan
18
2010
I’ve been making bears for many years now and over that time my work has changed greatly, I’m glad to say! To start with I knew the kind of teddy that “spoke” to me and tugged at my heart strings and I thought that this is the kind of bear I want to make. Primarily it was the miniature bears that I loved the most, but often it was something in the expression on the bear’s face, that was hard to define but so very important. I have to admit to a preoccupation with finding that special “look” for my own bears.
In the beginning there were many artists who’s work I admired and I would try to quantify what it was that made their work so appealing to me personally. Of course it is impossible to analyse and break down in a cold mechanical way. I soon realised that the best way forward was to just experiment and hope that in time my own signature look would evolve and develop.
Some patterns that I have designed over the years have, of course, been more successful and appealing than others. But I have resisted the temptation to stick to any one design, even if I thought it somehow captured that something special. I don’t want to be making the same bear over and over, albeit in different colours and teddy bear fabrics.
Also I’ve come to realise that a design I absolutely love may not be what somebody else finds appealing. As the saying goes, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. I also think that being so close to your own work, it is sometimes difficult to see what others might see. I believe that there is more to having your own personal style than just a certain pattern design. It also has much to do with technique and how one handles and manipulates the fabric. Also where each stitch is placed can have a huge effect on the finished look and expression. I once saw the results of a challenge set, whereby many bear artists were all asked to make a bear using exactly the same pattern. When all the bears were finished, of course none of them looked the same.
I think that with time comes a certain amount of confidence and I am proud of the bears that I make. I know that not everyone will like every bear, but that is ok. I will continue to experiment and I hope my work will continue to develop. I certainly still have much to learn. I don’t know if I have yet found my own signature look but I’m happy to let others be the judge.
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