Jerry's Bears

The bears I have made from Jerry's dress shirts were for a dear friend of mine's dad. This is the first time I have made bears for someone I knew. It was hard. Jerry passed away over a year ago. My friend wanted to have bears to give to her children/grandchildren as well and siblings. To me this shows what an awesome Dad/person Jerry was. He will always hold a special place in my heart. Every time I saw him, he always had a smile and loved to talk with you. He was a very special person and is greatly missed. 

I made 8 bears from Jerry's dress shirts for my friend. I have said it before, but it still holds true. Each bear is made from the same pattern, but each one has a different personality. When I line them up to take their pictures, their personalities seem to come out.  Some didn't want to cooperate and wouldn't want to put their arm around the next bear. Or they would lean out away from the others as if to say, 'look at me!' I'm glad I was able to wrangle them sitting together for this picture.

Each bear was made from a different dress shirt. My friend wanted each one to have a belly button and a patch on their little bums. Six patches said, "I'll Always Love You, Love Pap" and two patches said, 'I'll Always Love You, Love Dad."  

I'd like to thank Jerry's daughter and my friend for the privilege of making these cuties. 

I hope they bring comfort to each person who receives them.

Ed's Bears

 Ed's bears were made from Ed's denim coat and fleece vest. Ed's wife wanted each bear to each have a ski jacket since Ed loved to ski. The bear's ski jackets are made from Ed's ski jacket. I learned a lot about ski jackets when I deconstructed Ed's. There are lots of zippers and pockets! 

The bear made from the denim coat was my first time working with denim, I enjoyed working with it and would love to make another someday. I thought the bear turned out super cute. 

The fleece bear was made from a vest. I enjoy working with fleece. It always looks nice. The blue jean bear has the label from that coat on his tummy and the fleece bear has the label from the vest on his arm. 

The ski jackets started as an 18" doll pattern, but I modified them to fit each bear properly. I thought a stripe from the accent color of gray up the side and under the arm would make a nice addition and add some contrasting color. 

 Each jacket has a label from the Ed's original ski jacket. One jacket has the brand name 'Columbia' and the other has 'Fire Ridge' label from the back of the collar of the jacket.  I love incorporating the little details in each bear and their clothing. 

This was also the first time for me to have a picture of the person to whom the clothing belonged. It was nice to see Ed in the jacket I used. 

With each bear I make, I love to get them back to their owners, but I also miss seeing them on my cutting table. Each and every bear I make is special to me. I am always so flattered when someone allows me to work with their loved one's clothing.

Ray's Bear

Ray's bear was made from a tan shirt with trees and ducks. I wasn't sure where the ducks and trees would end up when I was cutting out the pieces to assemble him. I feel they worked out perfectly and he turned out pretty cute! I don't know much information about Ray as his clothing was given to me to sew by a friend who knows Ray's family. I only know he is intended to be a Christmas present.

 I hope this little bear gives Ray's family some comfort.

John's Bears

 John's sister-in-law asked me to make these 4 bears.  John passed away 10 years ago this November. His wife wanted to give each of her four children a bear to commemorate the anniversary date. 

 She had a nice flannel shirt with quilted lining. At first, I wasn't sure I could get 4 bears from one shirt. But with a little bit of creative thinking, we came up with these. It's funny they are all made from the same shirt, but they seem to have individual personalities.  At least I think they do. No matter how I positioned them for this picture, they just wouldn't cooperate. I thought it was funny. 

One bear has the collar of the shirt and the other three all have a blue ribbon. They have been delivered and are most likely on their way to their new homes. I really enjoyed the challenge of making these cuties. 

No Bears but Baby Quilts

 I've had the honor of making 2 baby quilts this year. One for a friend who is adopting her great grandson. He turned 1 in July and is the most adorable little guy. 

Here is L. J's quilt. I had a cute monster truck panel and put some borders around it. I used a blue Grunge fabric for the backing. I thought it turned out pretty cute.

Our niece had a baby boy this past July. His name is Roman. He is such a cutie! Roman's quilt is reversable. I couldn't decide which quilt to make so I did both! 

Here is the front. Don't pay attention to the man behind the quilt! LOL

Here is the back. I appliqued little crabs, fish, and seahorses all over it with coral colored fabric.

 Roman is the baby I made the shark for too! His Mom sent me a picture of the two of them together. The shark is a wee bit smaller than Roman. But not by much! 

 

Dave's bear part 2

 Here is another bear made from a man named Dave's shirt. His family has ordered more bears after this one. My friend helped me out again with the embroidery. 

Dave worked at the Catholic Cemetery Association. I'm not sure what his job was there, but from the various marks on the shirt, it showed he worked hard at what he did. 

 When I make a bear for someone, I like to think about the person as I work. What their life was like, did they have a family? What did they do for a living, what kind of person were they?  As I work, I pray for the families of the person.

I watch a YouTube channel where the man said that he knows he will eventually be forgotten after he dies. He didn't mind. His goal in life is to work hard to make an impression on other people's lives while he is here.  I thought that was a really nice way to think about my life too. I hope I am doing just that by making bears for other people.  I hope it helps them with their grief. 

Annabelle's Bears

 These sweet bears are so cuddly and soft. They are made from a woman's robe. The robe fabric was a quilted looking knit fabric.  I stabilized the fabric before I sewed them.  The ears are made from a vest that I had previously used in a bear. It worked out perfectly! I tied a white organza ribbon around their neck to make them pretty. I am always in awe that each bear has a different personality even though they are made from the exact same pattern.

Dave's Bear

 Here is Dave's Bear.  It's made from a man's shirt. I don't know a whole lot about the person whose clothes I used. But I know he was loved. They requested embroidery on a pocket on his tummy. I haven't had enough practice on my embroidery machine just yet, so a friend helped me out and did the embroidery.  

His pocket says" This is a shirt I used to wear. Whenever you hold it, know that I am there. Love, Pap."

If you would like to have a bear made, email me at caringcreations22@gmail.com

Thanks for stopping by and reading my little blog.

Sharon's Bears

  Up until this point I have made bears for the people left behind when a loved one passes away. These bears are not the case. Sharon's Bears are made from her granddaughter's baby clothes. These bears are a celebration of her granddaughter. 

Sharon is making a quilt from some of the clothes but gave some of them to me to make bears.  I'll admit I was a little apprehensive to make a bear from a whole mix of baby clothes. I had never worked with baby clothes before.   Will the colors I pick really compliment each other? Will the bear look like I used too many different colors/ styles of sleepers?  Will the bear end up looking weird?   I was given a great selection to pick from. I'll admit it was a bit overwhelming.  I was definitely overthinking this big time.  

So, I picked out the baby clothes I thought would work well together and got to work. One bear finished and it was soft and cuddly. Second bear I went a little bit wild. I used red for the back of the head and a yellow sleeper with monkeys on it for the arm. Was I out of my mind?  Yes, probably. But I am still happy with the results. I can't wait to work with baby clothes again!  These bears turn out so soft,cuddly and pretty cute. 

With each new type of clothing I am given, I learn something new. I gain more confidence in my ability and in myself. I love that. And I especially love that people are confident enough in me that they give me their beloved clothing to cut up and make something special for them. 

It is hard to see in the picture, but the bear on the left has an elephant and it looks like it's smelling a bouquet of flowers. That was a happy accident. They were two different baby sleepers that just happened to go together like they were sewn together with the elephant smelling the flowers on purpose. It was completely unplanned. 

Thank you for reading my little blog.  

If you know anyone who would like a memory bear contact me at 

caringheartcreations22@gmail.com

Beth's Bears

  I had a request to make 6 bears for a friend. Her Mom passed away the day before my Mom did. They were on the same floor at the assisted living facility and never got to meet. I wish they could have met. I think they would be great friends.

Beth's daughter gave me a nice selection of clothes to make bears from.

 A little bear for Beth's new great granddaughter. 

 A favorite dress Beth wore.

 For some reason this picture makes the bear look like one leg is long than the other. It isn't. Both legs are the same size. 

Not Bears but VW's!

Not a Memory bear this time. A VW Bug instead! 😀

My husband and I have a Volkswagen Bug/ Crosley restoration shop. These two pillows were made for two of our customers. These two ladies have been a part of our lives for a long while. So long that they are like family now.  I decided to make each one a pillow to go with each of their vehicles. Carl (my husband) drew the Bug and I appliqued and quilted it. One of his many gifts is his ability to draw cars. He doesn't think he is amazing, but I sure do!!  

 Hello again! 

Another bear finish. He is made from a well loved man's dress shirt. It is a gift from a Mom to her daughter who is due to have a baby this month. This bear is made from the shirt her Dad wore when she was born.  The dress shirt was the most worn fabric I have yet to work with . I know it was a favorite. I had just enough fabric left to make a baby bear. 

This back of the collar was so unique, I had to keep it attached to the collar. This fabric was so very fragile, I used stabilizer to keep it from shredding and fray check on some of the seams.  I like to use the label of the clothing too.  

I know I always say this, but I feel so privileged to be a part of this very special gift. 

If you know anyone who would like a memory bear, please contact me at caringheartcreations22@gmail.com 

May's 2022 Memory Bears

This little guy is made out of a fleece men's shirt. It was wonderful to work with and is so soft and cuddly. With all the memory bears I make, it was an honor to work on and I hope it gives the recipient comfort. 

This group of bears is for a new friend. I had made 4 for her in February and she requested 3 more fishing bears. I used her husband's work shirt for the body of the bear and a green men's shirt for all the vests. She had given me some of her husband's fishing lures to put on the hats and vest. I also used some fishing buttons. 

 I had enough of her husband's work shirt to make a 4th bear for her. She had given all the others to family members but didn't have one for herself. 

I am so touched she asked me to make her more bears.

If you notice, I have started adding a heart to the left foot. I thought it added a bit more to each bear. 

I am working on an aquatic themed baby quilt for our niece who is expecting a boy in July.  I thought the little guy might like a shark to go with his baby quilt.  I embroidered the eyes and used ric rac for the pointy teeth since it was going to a little one. The pattern I used was from Funky Friends Factory. It was fun to make.

 I hope to make a variety of other animals as soon as I get caught up on memory bear orders. 

And my sweet sleepy pup Sophie for a touch of cuteness..

Thank you for reading my blog. 

Bears

 It has been a while since I have written. I'm not sure where the time has gone. The last two years have been unusual to say the least. 

In my life I have been put in positions that I never expected to be. But they have always worked out for good. One of the most recent places is my job at the quilt shop. I love working there. It's hard not to buy all the fabric and bring it home. Many of the ladies I work with do longarm quilting on the side also. I thought it would be nice to someday do that too. But I don't have the skill they have.

 I had a customer call asking if anyone makes memory bears. I had asked everyone I worked with if they make them or know of anyone and there wasn't any one local who makes the bears.  I thought how hard could making a bear be?  I bought a pattern and 'borrowed' one of my husband's dress shirt and got to work. 

This bear is my first bear. He keeps me company in my sewing studio. 

My first customer bear was for a lady who lost her Mom. Her bear was made from her Mom's coat. The coat was quilted and had many seams. It was a challenge, but I am so happy with the results!

This bear's coat is made from the lining of the main coat with quilting fabric added to make the lining of the coat. I made a tiny teddy bear for this bear because I felt it needed a bear of it's own.  The ears and bottom of the feet are made from the collar of the coat on the bigger bear and ears on the tiny teddy.

I really try to use up as much as I can from each piece of clothing. The button on the big bear is from the main coat.  I was so nervous for my customer's reaction when I delivered her the bear and baby bear. My customer was so very happy. I felt I was meant to do this. 

Like I wrote in the beginning of this post. I am in a place now I never expected to be.  On a whim, I posted this picture of this bear on facebook saying I was now making memory bears. I never expected the response I got. I had so many people messaging me to make bears for them. It is an honor and a privledge to be given a loved one's clothing to cut up and make into bear. 

 Here are more bears I have made since my first bear.

This customer wanted four bears. I made little quilts out of each shirt so it would tie them together a bit.

Three of these bears were made from my customer's Mom's vest and jackets. She requested an apron on each bear. The fishing bear was made from her husband's work shirt.  I thought he needed a fishing hat to go with his fishing jacket. 

Each bear I make is special to me. This one is especially special to me. I had never made a fishing vest or hat before. Especially a small version of them. It took a dash of creativity but I am happy with the finshed product. The vest pockets are made from the plackets between the buttons. And the back pocket is made from a front pocket on front of the dress shirt.  I was given some real flys for fishing to give him a finishing touch. 

I wish I had taken a final picture of this little guy. I had a deadline to get him finished and forgot to take a final picture before I delivered him. He had a collar and buttons down his tummy. 

He turned out very cute. 

I hope in the future to make other animals for people too. But for now, I'm sticking with making bears. I have several more I am working on so I'll post them soon.  I can't say enough how much of a priviledge and an honor to be trusted with a departed loved ones clothing. I hope by cuddling one of the bears, it helps people to heal and gives them comfort in their grief. 

If you would like a bear, please contact me at caringheartcreations22@gmail.com

This post is in honor and memory of my Mom. She encouraged me to be creative and use my imagination.

 May she rest in peace. I love and miss you. 

 6-16-1943

12-21-2021