Custom Teddy

Custom Teddy 
"MaDeDa"

I finally finished another special custom teddy. 

Once again it took me longer than expected 

because there were lots of unplanned doctor

visits and other things that kept me every 

place but home. Oh well, that's life!
Teddy is finally finished ... 
and I am so pleased with the results!
I hope Deb will be happy with her special teddy.

Hugs from MaDeDa
I hope this special teddy from your mother's mink
stole will remind you that your Ma
is always with you.

“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.” 

― A.A. Milne

Features of this Custom Teddy:

• Custom Teddy from a family heirloom mink jacket
• Hand stitched
• Paw pads from jacket lining
• Glass eyes with white ultrasuede sclera
• Embroidered, waxed and sealed nose
• 6 joints, including a double jointed neck
• wire armature in arms
• trapunto heart on one foot
• 10 inches standing and 7 inches sitting
• gently hand-painted detailing
• I call this pattern "Hugs"
• I redesigned a family heirloom necklace for teddy to wear

To see me working on the teddy please CLICK HERE


Bonus Bear!
A gift for my friend Deb.

Here is one of my Comfort / Travel Bears ...
they are like little "security blankets".
Most of my travel bears were Chemo Companions
for my friends that were fighting the Big C.
This is just a Silly Old Bear that I constructed
out of your mother's mink stole and necklace scraps.
And it is my special gift to you because you have been so sad
since your beloved mother's passing.
I hope this little bear with bring you a little comfort.
This silly little teddy would love to accompany you when
you are sharing your dance expertise with others ...
maybe teddy will even be some source of inspiration,
wouldn't that be lovely !!!

Teddy fits in your mother's necklace bag for traveling with you.

The back of the bear is the label from your mother's mink stole.

I made the necklace from the left-over beads from your mother's necklace.
You can actually use it to hang up your teddy since the teddy has a
"cookie cutter body" (flat) so it does not sit or stand ....
it just hangs around.

The body front is from the lining and monograms from your mother's mink stole.

As you can see, this teddy is just the right size to hold in your hand.

This teddy was not meant to be A Work of Art ...
It is simply a gift of love to my new friend.
Bear Hugs~

“Friendship," said Christopher Robin, "is a very comforting thing to have.” 
― A.A. Milne

Teddy for Deb

Since Debra is an amazingly creative soul I thought that she

would enjoy watching me create her teddy:

This is her beloved mother's mink stole 

ready to be transformed into a huggable teddy bear.

As you can see, I have removed the lining 

the pelt is in very good condition

it is a thin pelt which will make it easier for me to hand sew.

The only complication that I see is that the stole is small

and the pelt strips are narrow:

at the widest point it is only about 2 1/2 inches

the narrowest end is 2 inches.

Why is this an issue? 

I need to fit my pattern piece within this 2 to 2 1/2 inch area.

It does not matter so much for the body or limbs to have "ridges"

caused by going over ... but we definitely do not want 

a head with ridges.

Next step is to choose one of my patterns that will work

... but I will probably still have to make some adjustments to it.

Update July 10

This is the pattern that I think will fit 

within my space limitations. 

Of course, I will make the adjustments to change

the pattern from a panda to a teddy bear.

I think this bear stands at 10 or 11 inches

which is probably as big as I can make

with the pelt strip width limitations.

I designed this pattern in 2007 and this is still

one of my favorite patterns.  I call this pattern "Hugs".

Update July 12

I didn't do any sewing on Friday because it was my day with Mom. She is 91 and it takes all day to do her grocery shopping because she walks with a walker and a cane ... but she is still walking and that's the most important thing. We ended our shopping day with visiting my dad's grave site. My mom had a good day.

I took my Hugs panda pattern and made
a Hugs teddy bear pattern

There is a strip of leather between
the pelts of leather

The head pattern is too big for
the width of the pelt

Solution to problem: divide the
head pattern in an area that
won't be too obvious

Next step: I will make the head first ... if the head turns out good then I will continue on to the rest of the body. If I have problems with the head then I will still have enough good pelt to make another head.

But I won't get much sewing done today because today is Saturday. Saturday is the day that I spend with my husband. My husband is a man that loves his "routine". We start our Saturday with our Tai Chi Chuan class, after class we go to the ReStore (the Habitat for Humanity Thrift Store) where I always find good "junk" to use in my garden, then we go to our local Saturday Farmer's Market to buy our locally grown fruits and vegetables. Then we end the morning with lunch at The Habit Burger. Since I am a Pescetarian (the only meat I eat is fish) I get their Garden salad with fresh grilled tuna. Of course since this is our regular Saturday routine everyone knows us at all of the places we go ... yeah, it makes me feel like an "old person" sometimes to follow such a set routine but it's also nice to be recognized and acknowledged by the same people who eventually become our "Saturday Friends".

Update July 16

 I am happy with the head ... so now I can make the body.

To see the finished teddy please CLICK HERE

Eight Custom Teddies

These are the final four teddies of an eight teddy custom order

Click HERE to see the first four teddies