I have
had a number of customers who just cannot afford my bears. I love what
I do and know that if I am going to be able to continue doing it, I must be
able to make a living at it. While I cannot afford to hand craft my
bears at a price point low enough for those on a tight budget, I can,
however, license a commercial company to mass produce an 18 inch, plush
version of some of my bears at lower prices. To that end, here is the
first bear made from one of my patterns, altered with a friend's help, to be
commercially produced. This bear is a prototype and not for sale but
hopefully I will have many more in a plush version of the original Mickey's
brown fur with white tips available soon. The prototype is
photographed with the original Mickey bear that inspired the larger bear.
Take a look and let me know what you think of him.
Please note that the mink bear in the center of this collage was made as a
special order for the baby pictured with her. The bear's name is Velva
Dean and the adorable baby's name is Grace. Velva Dean was made from
Grace's great grandmother's mink stole. Judging from the picture
taken when Grace and Velva Dean first met, the relationship is likely to be
a long and loving one, as loving as the legacy of that tender emotion passed
through three generations to this lucky little girl.
Grace's grandmother approached me to make a bear for this charming child but
she wanted the bear to be a large bear. As you all know, I only make
little bears. But, since this commercial bear pattern was planned
already, I enlisted a dear friend, Lucy Terry, to help me enlarge the
pattern and make the mink version for Grace as well as the prototype of the
Mickey bear. If you like Lucy's work and want to talk to her about
making a big bear for you, please
e-mail me and I will put you in touch with her. Lucy works in
plush, mohair and recycled furs, yours or hers. |
