Denise and Jim' 40th Anniversary Bears

  My dear friend Denise and her husband celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in September. Denise had requested I make wedding bears from her wedding gown. 

I'll be honest, I was nervous. I had never worked with the satin fabric of a wedding gown before. I asked Denise several times if she was completely sure she wanted me to cut up her gown. She assured me it was fine to cut it. 

She gave me her gown in completely sealed in the box. I gingerly opened it. I'll be honest, I got a little emotional breaking open the seal. Once I got over the emotion, I found a gorgeous dress perfectly sealed. The company who sealed it did a beautiful job of preserving it. I pulled it out and this is what I found. These pictures don't really show the true beauty of Denise's gown. The detail it had was amazing. 

Look at all the beautiful lace!

 Here is what the final bears look like.  I used the satin to make the groom bear's tux. I also used one of the flowers from the dress to make a little boutonnière for his lapel. 

For the bride bear, I used lace to cover the satin to make her head just a tiny bit fancier than the groom bear. I used most of the bodice of the dress to make the bodice of the bear's dress.  It worked out perfectly. I tried to emulate the gowns neckline on the bride bears neckline.

 The cuffs of the sleeves fit perfectly as cuffs on the bride bear's sleeves.  I made the veil from the back part of the dress and used some of the beautiful lace trim on the top of her head to hold the veil on. I was even able to use the ribbon around the waist of the gown to be around the waist of the bride bear. 

I chose not to put the heart on the left foot of both bears because I felt it would be too bright and distract from the beauty of both bears. Denise requested heart noses instead of safety noses. They worked out perfectly. I am so happy with how the bears turned out. It was such a pleasure making them. I will definitely make another bride and groom bear in the future. I will still be nervous though!

                            

                   Here's the sweet couple on their wedding day 40 years ago. 
                                                        
                             Happy 40th Anniversary Jim and Denise!

Aubrey's Bear

 Aubrey is the great niece of a good friend. Aubrey, and two siblings and her father were in a horrific car accident in July. Aubrey was the only survivor. After a few weeks in the hospital, she was able to come home. She still has a lot of healing to do, but she is a strong young lady. I felt Aubrey needed a bear to help her through her healing process. 

 When in a thrift shop, I often search for articles of clothing that I think will make a nice bear. Aubrey's bear is made from a women's fleece jacket.  I loved the embroidery on it.  I originally wanted to have the embroidery on the bear's tummy, but it just didn't work. So, I opted for the arms and ears. 

 I did my usual red heart on the left foot. I placed two little pillows of plastic pellets to help the bear sit back a bit. Without them it leans a little forward. I am so pleased with how it turned out.  

It was made using the Ben bear pattern from Funky Friends Factory. I love all of their patterns. I know I will make more of this pattern because it goes together so beautifully. 

  

Three baby quilts

 Here are three baby quilts I have made in July. 

A star for sweet Charlotte

A long doggy themed quilt for sweet Hattie and Micah.  I made two of these. I forgot to take a picture of the 2nd one though. 

Len's Bear

 Most of the time I never know the person whose clothing I am working with. I knew Len and his beautiful wife Darlene. They are such wonderful people. Len passed very suddenly this past summer.  It was great shock. I always pray for the family while I work with their loved one's clothing. When I started working, I could only think of what a kind, caring and happy person Len was when I would see him at family events and holidays. 

Darlene contacted me to make a bear for their granddaughter who was very close to Len. She gave me a sweatshirt with a beautiful face of a wolf on it. Their granddaughter had two pictures of the two of them and Len was wearing the wolf sweatshirt in both pictures. He must have really liked that sweatshirt. 

 The pattern I usually make would have cut into the wolf's face and distorted it.  I suggested a pattern I had never used before.  I enlarged the pattern to 125% to showcase the wolf's face and got to work. I am so very happy with how Len's bear turned out. He is so huggable. 

When I make bears, I love when the person's clothing has a mark or a stain on it. Len's sweatshirt had a yellow mark on one sleeve. I'm not sure if it is easy to see, but it's on the left ear. 

The pattern I used was from Funky Friends Factory. 

Greg's Bear

 A quilting friend requested a bear for her nephew Greg who had recently passed away.  Like most of the bears I make, I don't know much about the person whose clothing I am working with. My friend said Greg was a great outdoorsman and loved being outside. From his clothing, he enjoyed truly being in nature. My favorite piece is his right foot. His shirt said "Wife is Good." I had several pieces that had that saying. I just had to incorporate one in Greg's bear. I thought it was so sweet of him to have shirts that said that.

I was given a variety of pieces from his clothing. My friend was making a quilt and wanted a bear to go with it. I love the combinations and variety she gave me. I am so happy with how this little guy turned out. I hope he helps his family through their grief. 

Heather's pillow and pocket bear

 A family member saw Heather's bears I had made last month and really wanted a pillow and bear made for her son.  She only had one article of Heather's clothing so we had to get creative.  I really wanted to make her a pillow and a bear. So we came up with making a pocket bear. It couldn't have worked out more perfectly. I had enough to make both. 

Heather was so loved by her family. I could tell when they talked about her. As with most of my bears, I never get a whole lot of information about the person whom I'm using their clothing. As I work on each item, I think about the person and hope my work helps them in some way. 

Harry's Bears

 Harry's daughter in law asked me to make 4 bears for her husband and family members. I was given four men's shirts.  I love when the article of clothing is worn or stained in some way. I know that sounds odd, but it tells me a little bit about the person I'm working for. It also makes me think the loved one receiving the bear may have a special memory that caused that article of clothing to be worn in that way. 

I don't know much about Harry, but I could tell by his shirts, that he was a hard worker. One shirt had paint splatters all over it and was thread bare in places.  I think it was his favorite painting shirt. I love that.  The other shirts were beautiful flannel shirts and worn in places as well.  

These four bears were such a joy to make. I hope they help the family with their grief.