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I have been making
bears for about 12 years. My first bears were Christmas gifts for my
mom. Heavens, but they were awful! But they were so much fun to do, I
decided to do more!
My next bear was
jointed--but I even did the joints wrong! But I kept trying! Finally
I made my first real fur bear--from mouton. Now if you’ve read
the rest of my website, you’ll have learned that I rarely do
mouton even now. The fact that I kept at it after that first real fur
bear amazes me. I still have him (although my daughter’s dog ate
away part of his face and I haven’t gotten around to repairing
him yet.)
I started sewing
when I was four years of age-- so let’s just say that I now have
LOTS of experience!
My great, great
grandfather was the tailor to Franz Josef, King of Hungary and
Emperor of Austria. My grandfather was a tailor and so were my aunts.
I guess sewing just came naturally to me.
Eventually I was
able to leave my full-time job as a Foreclosure Administrator
(let’s not even go there!) and am happy to say that I now make
my living as a full-time bear artist. By the way, full time means I
work 12 hours a day at least--longer hours by far than my previous
job but at least I enjoy what I’m doing now!
My mom was my
greatest fan until she passed in 1997. I thank her for encouraging
me. She was a special blessing to all who knew her.
WHY FUR?
When I first
started working with fur, it didn’t seem to be that big a deal
to me. After all, with my first real pay check years ago, I bought my
first rabbit jacket--remember the ones with the patches?
And for years, you
simply weren’t a lady if you didn’t wear fur. Every woman
had at least a collar or set of foxes that she wore to feel elegant.
And except for a
few rather rude comments once in awhile, I had no problems with
anyone, especially when they realized that I was only recycling. And
then I saw a special on HBO that changed my life and my attitude
towards animals. That special hasn’t been on again in years but
it sure shook up my world. I became a vegetarian that night and have
been since then. I make a conscious effort in my life to do nothing
that harms animals including not buying products tested on animals or
buying new leather products.
I am often asked
if I don’t have problems with animal rights people. My answer to
that is simple, “No, because I’m more of an animal rights
person than most anyone that I ever talk to!”
Meet Jake!
He’s my chow/shepherd mix companion. While I may threaten on
occasion to turn him into a teddy bear, he just laughs at me because
he knows better. (Although I do wish that he would realize that those
cute little black “kitties” with the white stripes down
their backs are NOT to be played with!)
In loving memory,
Cayla Anne
My best friend and
constant companion for seven years. I lost her to Auto Immune
Hemolytic Anemia. And I still miss her every day.
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