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Bear makers and teddy artists are always welcome to contact us for a portrait. We're looking forward to hearing from you.
When did you start making bears and what was the occasion? I started making bears in 2005. I had never heard of the hobby of making teddybears and it was all a coincidence. Since I was a little girl I have always been a very creative person, sewing and building miniature furniture and houses. I was out on the Internet one day looking for material for finishing a dollshouse that I was building and I just happened to stumble over a site with teddybear patterns. I got amazed and just had to order a pattern right away. Do I need to say that since that day I have done nothing on my dollshouse, all my time is spent on making teddybears! Do you recollect the first teddy that you made yourself? Oh yes, how could I ever forget! But I think I have two ”first teddybears” because my very first one was made of a bought pattern and that teddy was the reason why I kept doing bears in the future, so it means a lot to me. My second ”first teddy” was the one that I designed on my own, and it was so much fun and I got hooked on designing and making new creations! I think that the pattern making is the funniest part and the reason why I am doing this. It’s great to be able to use all of your creativity and imagination!   Lime and Pennie How do you get ideas or inspiration for new bears? In my early days of making bears I got a lot of influence by other teddybear artists around the world. I think it was a very natural thing when living in the ”teddybear world”, with bear awards, bear magazines and so on. Since I start thinking outside the box I have noticed that all I need to make up a new creation is a piece of paper or some clay, that really triggers my imagination! I get a lot of ideas at nighttime too and I mostly can’t wait to get up in the morning and start working! What do like most when making bears? I enjoy making the patterns because it’s a really exciting part to not know what the bear will look like. But sometimes making patterns can be very hard too when you have to remake the whole pattern to make it work. I also enjoy to choose the right fabric for the bear, to go through different kinds of mohair and alpaca. I love all the colours and to run my fingers through it. But the absolute funniest part of all is making the bear's face! It’s so much fun to have a bear's head to fill with life and expression. It’s almost like having a box of paint and a blank canvas infront of you!
material anywhere so I started my own teddybear business. So now I also sell mohair and teddybear supplies to other bear makers in Sweden. There is only one small teddybear fair in Sweden and no magazines or competitions, too bad. Do you think that your bears are influenced by your place of residence/country or would they look the same if you lived elsewhere? I do think that my bears have a Scandinavian style, that the snow and the nature have affected my imagination somehow. But I can’t point on a special thing. Visit Jennie and her creations Online: www.teddybears.se Copyright: © Jennie Sandahl |
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