Meet the Teddy Bears

This past January I decided that I was going to learn something new and take a Teddy Bear class from the Master, Francy Gordon of Bears: Plain and Francy.  I am very lucky because she lives locally and teaches out of a local quilt shop, Country Quilts and Bears.  When I started the class I knew I was going to be making three Bears.  One for each of our three grandchildren.  Funny thing is that shortly after I choose the fabric and mohair to make the three bears, I got a call from my oldest Granddaughter, Madelyn.  She called to tell me we were going to have another grandbaby.   I was going to need four bears! 

 

What you see above is the first three Bears.  They are sitting on the lap of Francy's biggest bear, Boo Boo.  From left to right they are Isabella, Rory, and Olivia.  I picked the name for each bear based on the grandchild it was going to go to.  In naming the bears I used the last name in the list their parents had before they picked the official name for each grandchild.  Does that make sense?  Lucy was supposed to be Olivia - when she was born her parents named her Lucy instead.  Lucy's bear is now called Olivia. 

 Here is Hazel with her quilt.  I couldn't very well give them a teddy bear without a custom quilt to go with it, now could I?  Hazel went to Nora.  Nora is our youngest grandchild.

 Here is Olivia.  She went to Lucy.  Lucy is nearly three years old already.  How can that be?

 This is Rory.  He went to my only Grandson, Jackson.  He, just like his owner, is cute as a button! 

Here is Isabella.  She went to Madelyn, my oldest grandchild.  This was the first time I made a square in a square quilt.  I will buy that ruler if I do it again...

I can honestly say that I have never been more proud of anything I have made before.  These bears are spectacular - when you take a class from Francy, you really leave with a wonderful product.  She is one of the best teachers I have ever had.  These bears are heirlooms.  They are made from real mohair and are absolutely wonderful to hug, cuddle and play with, as well as to just admire.  If you are ever in the Tampa Bay area, give Francy a call and see when her next class is.  Making a bear with her is truly a wonderful experience!  If you don't want to make a bear yourself, she sells her creations on her website.  She also does a great deal of custom work for clients.  You can take to her that old fur your relative left for you and have her make it into a teddy bear.  Check out her website - it's fun to see her bears!