Friday, December 20, 2013

Jackson's Bear

Jackson's bear is probably my final custom piece for the year.

This one is special - though aren't they all?  Jackson is still a baby (thus the felt eyes instead of buttons), and his mom sent me a box of clothes to make the bear.  The contents of the box included an oatmeal-colored cotton sweater, a pale blue infant onesie, a plaid romper and a green and black striped maternity top.

Jackson's mom and dad were high school sweethearts and she said she never knew why she held onto her husband's sweater for all these years until now.  With a little interfacing on the back to stabilize the weave, it makes a fabulous, soft body for the bear.

To make the felt eyes stand out a little more on the neutral ground, I cut slightly larger circles of the blue onesie fabric and fused them all together.

The ears and foot pads are made from the romper, the embroidered bib is made from the onesie, and for extra style, the striped bow tie is from mom's maternity top.

I always enjoy making the custom bears - the challenge of working with someone else's choice of materials is fun for me.  This one was particularly gratifying, and I love that the bear is made from a little of every member of the family.


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