Keepsake bears (by MK)

 I have been sewing stuffed animals since the girls were babies. 

Kay and Lin with a herd of bears some time around 1985

 Mostly bears, sheep and bunnies, but a few other critters as well. 

 

My grandmother was my biggest supporter.  She would want any bear I made and then wanted customized bears for all the relatives. 

Custom bears

 A friend of mine had a mink stole that had belonged to her mother.  She did not wear fur, but wanted the fur made into something she could show off and enjoy.  She asked me to make the stole into a teddy bear.  I made her two bears from the stole and dressed them in outfits made from a dance costume from her daughter and a shirt from her mother.  She displays them by her front entrance, each on their own chair. 

Fur bears

 Another friend of hers saw the bears and wanted some made for her.  She had fake fur coats from her mother and her mother in law, and a grandmother.  I believe I made six bears.  One in each set was outfitted in a dress made from her wedding dress and the other had a bow tie.  Each of her sons will receive a set of three bears as remembrances of their grandmothers and great grandmother. 

My mother had a fur collar from a friend of hers who passed away and wanted her 3 daughters to have something made from it.  There was enough fur to make ears for four bears.  I had found two fur coats at St. Vincent's.  There was enough fur with the two jackets, by mixing and matching to make the four bears.  So Mom and the three daughters could have a bear with something that had belonged to their friend and mother. 

Now Kay has asked if I could make a stuffie from her nursing gown.  She sent it to me and I have made it into a puppy.  I had a hard time deciding on dog or rabbit, because Kay always liked both, but it was for Alisha, so puppy won. 

Alisha and her weaning puppy

Repurposing textiles has been a family tradition for a very long time.  My grandmother always had two braided rag rugs in her living room.  They were made by her grandmother.  So making stuffed animals from something loved but outliving its current use seems like a good idea.  It's a nice way to keep something sentimental without it being obtrusive or cluttery.

Kay had read that wool made good soakers for babies.  She suggested old wool sweaters.  Off to Goodwill I went to find sweaters.  I found a few that felt good to me and proceeded to shrink them.  Alisha has a few soakers, but I haven't gotten the fit quite right.  But the cashmere sweaters work nicely for breast pads.  Also a suggestion from Kay.  It's hard to find cashmere in neutral colors, but it's mostly about the texture and the fiber content. 

Wool breast pads