ad·dict  

tr.v. ad·dict·ed, ad·dict·ing, ad·dicts

1. To cause to become physiologically or psychologically dependent on a habit-forming substance: The thief was addicted to cocaine.

2. To occupy (oneself) with or involve (oneself) in something habitually or compulsively: The child was addicted to video games.

My name is Sarah and I am a bear-a-holic!

How was I to become entirely hooked on making miniature teddy bears?  When I look back at how it all started, it was a gradual process over a relatively short space of time and little did I realise where it would take me.

It all started way back in February 2005 when Stef of Windyridge Bears came with her bears to the Kelham Hall Doll and Teddy Bear Fair.  I was living in Newark at the time, not far away from Kelham, and couldn't believe that I was going to see Stef again after so many years.  We hadn't seen each other since leaving school in 1989, so we had much to catch up on!

In between all of our chatter and gossip I was totally fascinated with Stef's bears.  They were so much more impressive to see in the fur than looking at the photos on her website.  The craftsmanship and the attention to detail was way beyond my comprehension at the time and I was surprised when she told me that she hand-stitched every bear, even the very large ones.  The time and dedication she put into making her bears as well as looking after her family made a big impression on me.  I started to wonder 'what is it with this bear thing....?'

Spending the whole day with Stef and meeting other bear artists got me thinking that I could have a go myself.  My niece's eighth birthday was coming up that June so I thought a handmade teddy bear would be a lovely gift for her and I had plenty of time to hone my skills before then!  Stef thought it was a good idea too and suggested I shop around for a bear kit to find one that I liked the look of.

After endless browsing on the World Wide Web a whole new world was beginning to open up.  I just couldn't believe how many bears and bear artists there were out there, and the immense range of styles, shapes and sizes; of the bears, not the artists!  If I was to say I was flabbergasted, that wouldn't be an exaggeration!  I eventually came across the website for Holdingham Bears and was pleasantly surprised to find that they were in Sleaford, just down the road from where I lived.  My first day off shift, I travelled over to Sleaford to visit the Holdingham Bears workshop and met Barbara Daughtrey.  While I was buying my bear kit from her she told me that she held one day bear making workshops, so I booked myself onto the next one.   A few days later I was glad that I had booked my workshop place because I came to a point with my bear kit where I didn't have a clue what I should be doing and didn't want to spoil the lovely pink mohair I had chosen for my niece's bear.

Before I knew it the workshop day came and went.  I thoroughly enjoyed it and came away with a near finished eight inch mohair bear which I later completed at home.  I also felt that I was now better qualified to be able to finish my niece's bear with some confidence and a few weeks later, Sophie Bear came to life.  But now that she was finished what was I going to do next?  I wanted to do more...  I remembered seeing a miniature bear on one the shelves in Barbara's workshop and at the time commenting on how I didn't think I would have the patience to make one that small, but I was intrigued...  If memory serves me right, I think I said something about throwing it across the room!!!  Anyway, again I was back on the internet, searching for miniature bear kits this time!

It was at the point of finishing my first miniature teddy bear that I became totally hooked, so much so, that I managed to squeeze another pattern out of the left over fabric to feed my need to make another one.  Still desperate to carry on, I then moved on to buying books, materials and tools to make more tiny teddies and started to draw and experiment with my own patterns.  I remember waiting impatiently for my first order of fabrics to drop through the letter box and to have the right tools.  My forceps were a revelation to me!  Turning the tiny pieces became effortless.  I was sewing at every opportunity and even taking them in to work to sew during my lunch hour (which I still do).  Yes, people thought I was crazy!

What started off initially as a hobby turned into something more serious when we moved to Cyprus in October that year.  Without a job and a long list of other British spouses waiting for work, I decided to set up my website, which I did early on in 2006, with the aim of selling my bears.  I also had a few bears on display in a local craft shop and took part in the local craft fairs with a jewellery making friend.  It was also during this time that I started experimenting more with patterns and found my own style.  Stef encouraged me all the way, indeed, it was her suggestion that I sell the bears which planted the initial seed to make something more of it, otherwise what was I going to do with all the bears I was producing...?

From a young age I always enjoyed making things; sewing, sculpting, drawing, anything 'crafty.'  During my adult years I generally had a piece of cross-stitch on the go and even designed my own cross-stitch patterns.  I also dabbled with making my own greetings cards for a while, but anything I had a go at never really stuck; never took hold of me in the way the bears have.  To this day, I can't really say why this is; it's just how it is.  I'd never collected bears (though this has now changed), never realised that bears were collected, or that there was a world wide obsession about bears until that fateful day when I met up with Stef.  I just love making them and never cease to be amazed when a few pieces of flat fabric turn into something cute and there is a little face staring back at me.  It very much suits the arty side of me and I like the fact that I'm never really quite sure how the bear will look until it is finished, even when I have a plan in mind.  I also love the camaraderie amongst fellow bear artists/makers and the internet is a great tool for keeping in touch with them all.  Everyone is so encouraging and it spurs me on.  Of course, the best compliment is when a collector comes back to you for more.

And why minis...?  Well, I've always been fascinated by anything miniature.  I remember my father making my sister and me a dolls house one Christmas when we were very young.  It was our farmhouse to go with our collection of Britannia farm toys that we used to play with (well, we were living in Wensleydale).  We would both play with that house for hours and even the animals lived in it on occasion!  I also had a Cindy and Pippa doll which I used to make clothes for with my Gran's old frilly nighties.  She never seemed to mind my sister and me wanting to cut those nighties up!  She was very talented and in her younger days one of her jobs was to make the fancy displays for the big Manchester department stores.  I remember her making wonderful Christmas trees from feathers which needed nothing but fairy lights to dress them.  I guess that a love of crafts runs in the family.

At this point I feel I should return to the word at the top; 'addict.'  Yes, my name is Sarah and I am a bear-a-holic!  Even though I've admitted it, no recovery is to take place, I am beyond changing my 'beary' ways...

My husband, Ian deserves a mention and some credit as he, along with Stef, has always been very encouraging ……and patient!  He puts up with me sewing at every opportunity and my 'bears in progress' around the house, though I've become tidier since I bought a large PC workstation a few weeks after our return to the UK, which is now my 'workshop' in a cupboard.  I can just shut the doors and hide all the mess!  Ian also comes up with some of the names for my bears and it's because of his endless support that the name 'Sarian' came about; taken from Sarah and Ian :o)

The rest is bear making history!

Of course, it's not just about the bear making.  My other passion is kitesurfing, but that's a whole other story.  The bears are my 'quiet thing' and the kitesurfing is my 'active thing'.