I began making teddy bears in 2001 .  My good friend, Esther, owned a teddy bear and gift store and had gotten Fred Slayter and Joyce Martin of the Paisley Bear to teach bearmaking.  She sort of cajoled me into signing up for a class so we could make bears together.  You know the rest.  I was hooked!  I made four bears and one bunny with Fred and Joyce and then went on to start drawing my own patterns.  Rather than spend huge sums of money on mohair while I was trying out prototypes, I scoured JoAnne’s and the Rag Shop for upholstery fabric that might be suitable and called my bears “Couch Potatoes.”

I always wanted to do something artistic.  However, early in life, my art teacher told my mother that I had a wonderful sense of color and design but that I couldn’t draw.  I was devastated.  Thanks to that fateful day when I agreed to take a class on bearmaking, my life was changed.  I now have at outlet for all that artistic energy which was pent up and just waiting to erupt.  I always say, “Better late than never!”  Thanks to hard work and perseverence (and a little help from my fellow bearmakers), I have managed to have my bears nominated for both a Golden Teddy and TOBY award.

I presently live in Sunny South Florida  with a dog (Cleo) and a cat (Larry).  As far as hobbies go, I do a lot of reading and also do counted cross stitch.

About me

Charbears