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.
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."
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.
