Memory Bear Making Fees:

$65 (plus shipping) to make a 9", 12" or 14" memory bear
$85 (plus shipping) to make a 16" or 18" memory bear
Ground Shipping (with insurance) runs $15 for the first memory bear and $3 per each additional bear. I am located in Dayton, Ohio.

Add-Ons:
$15 to embroider two (2) initials on one foot on each bear
$15 to embroider initials or name on scarf
$15 to make a vest
$35 to make a full custom outfit (not recommended for bears made of real fur)
For fabric based memory bears only: I can embroider a short name or two initials on the right side front of the bear itself (kind of over the heart) for $20 per bear but you MUST contact me in advance if you want me to do this. It is not on the order form..

For a Grandson in Memory of His Grandfather

Pam sent me this note with her fabric:

"These pj's belonged to my husband . . . who was killed on 9/11/01. I saved them all this time not knowing why until now. My daughter is expecting our first grandchild (a boy!) and I would love for you to make a small bear for the baby to hug and another bear to keep as an heirloom."

She had additional details that are reflected in the final memory bears.

Hi Liane,
They are adorable!!! Thank you so much for sending me the pictures. I love them!

Pam

Fluffy Fox and Mink

Peggy sent me her mink coat and her late sister's fox coat. in hopes that we could get five memory bears from the coats. I considered trying to mix the fox and the mink, but I simply couldn't find a way to mix them and end up with five bears that would be the same. Fox usually has strips of leather sewn between strips of fur so it isn't solid fur. In order to avoid "bald" spots, I have to place the pattern pieces very carefully so I could only get two 16"memory bears from the useable areas of the coat. However, the mink yielded three 16" bears.

Bears arrived today Liane. I'm very pleased. The sentiment brought tears to my eyes. Thanks so much,

Peggy

In Memory of Booney

Susan wanted a bear in memory of her beloved dog Booney so she sent me the cover of Booney's bed. It was made of a soft plaid furry fabric and denim. I made the memory bear from the soft fabric and used the denim for ear and paw pads as well as his vest. She had also sent a sheet that Booney used to wrap in so I made the scarf and vest lining from that fabric.

Liane, We absolutely adore the bears.  Even my hubby, who was less enthusiastic about the project, was in love with them.
Absolutely beautiful!

Susan

Golden Lamb Gents

Sandi sent me her late mother's Persian Lamb jacket and asked me to make memory bears for her and her Aunt. This was a pretty golden brown color that made very nice bears. However, the fur is starting to want to shed so I added a vest for the bears to better protect the fur and make it last longer.

Liane, I received my bears today and they are just great.  Thank you so much for your lovely work.  I hope my Aunt likes them as much as I do.

Sandi

Mink Buddies

Shell sent me her late mother's mink coat with a note that it was a gift from her father to her mother. Her parents were married nearly 60 years before her mother passed. She also sent a pair of leather gloves that were in the pocket and the belt asking me to incorporate them into two memory bears for her and her sister.

I was able to use the glove leather for paw pads, the inner lining of the coat for the ear pads, a single button for one bear nose and the thumb from one glove for the other bear's nose. The scarves weremade from the coat lining and belt.

Liane,
Got my bears today and they are a wonderful remembrance of my Mom.  I just love them!  I wanted to give my sister her bear for her 60th birthday but don't know if I can hold out for another month-- I know she will cherish hers too..........there really is a fairy Godmother!!!

Shell

Memory of Mom and Dad

Jane sent me her parents' wedding outfits (her mother's skirt and top and father's vest and jacket). They were married nearly 60 years before her mother passed. Her Mother's skirt and top were of white crepe with a hand-painted floral design on the top. The 14" memory bears are made from the skirt and top fabric. The ear and paw pads as well as the stomach of each bear were from the vest lining satin. The vests were made from the jacket wtih the floral design from the top on one side of each vest. The buttons came from the suit jacke and the bow was made from the jacket lining satin.

Liane, I received the bears, and just love them.  I am so impressed at how many elements you used from the fabrics that I sent.   I can't wait until later this summer when I can give these bears away as gifts.  Thank you for your ideas and talent.  The bears are a much better keepsake than having old wedding clothes in a storage trunk in the basement.

Jane

Bear for a Friend

Jan contacted me about making a memory bear for her friend. She sent me her friend's red muskrat stole.

The fur was in very good shape and had beautiful embroidery work in the lining. I used the lining for paw and ear pads, and making the nose and the scarf.

Dear Liane,

Just a note to let you know how much I am enjoying my bear "Jessie". What a wonderful gift from my friend Jan. Jessie was my mom's name and that stole must have been 45 years old, at least, and had been in my cedar chest since her passing in 1980!

I have shared pictures of "Jessie" to so many of my friends . . . thanks again for giving me so many hours of enjoyment.

Dot

Raccoon and Mouton Mix

Diane sent me three coats that belonged to her mother. One was mouton and the other two were raccoon. They were full coats and she wanted a total of five 18" memory bears and one 16" bear. She also sent a lamb hat and asked if I could make a poodle for one of the Mouton bears to hold.

The mouton makes beautiful bears--especially the larger bears. The raccoon is very long fur so I chose to use the mouton for the muzzle, ears and tummy on the racoon bears. This gave them better defined faces and came out absolutely beautiful.

Liane, I just love my bears! You put so much work into them and mixing the furs made them very unique. Thank you SO MUCH!

Diane

Memory Bears of Fur and Fabric

Karen wanted a couple of memory bears for her children and grandchildren. She sent me her persian lamb jacket with mink collar. The only garment she had left from her late husband's belongings was a thermal shirt. She asked me to make two bears from each for her children. and grandchildren.

There was just enough fur in the jacket collar to use for the muzzles and ears on all four bears. When working with fabric bears instead of fur, I have the option of adding some embroidery on the bear so the word "Dad" is embroidered over the heart of each of the white bears. their scarves are all made from the jacket lining.

Hi Liane,

I want to let you know that I received the bears today.  They are so beautiful.  I gave my daughter one of the Nana Bears and one of the Dad bears.  She went crazy about them.  I also printed what you recommended for taking care of them.

Wonderful job and the female bear is so cute with the earrings in her ears. Thank you so much.  I have so many people that I want to show them too.

Thank you again for such a beautiful job.

Sincerely, Karen

Mink Makes Great Bunnies

Bonnie sent me her mink coat to have two 16" bunnies made for her daughters. The pocket lining was a light pink velvet so I used it for the ear pads and noses. I used the coat lining material for the paw and foot pads. Bonnie also had me put her daughters' initials on a foot.

My bunnies have arrived!!! They are SO cute. I love the way you wrapped them, just like a gift. I can't wait to give them to my girls on Easter.

Thanks again. I will keep your web site on my favorites

Bonnie

Fox, Lamb and a Bit of Mink

Paige sent me her Silver Fox coat and Persian Lamb jacket to make bears for her and her grandchildren. The Lamb jacket had a mink collar.

The combination made for very unique bears. Their scarves are made from a combination of both garments' linings and Paige had me put her granchildren's initials on the scarves.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough mink from the collar to use it on all four bears. I pondered how to use it for several days before deciding to turn it into an accessory for Paige's bear (pictured on the right).

Liane -they are stunning-you are so right the pictures did not do them justice. I am in awe of the spectacular job you did! They are precious, warm & a wonderful memory to give our daughter and our grandtwins. I intended to give them as Christmas presents but they are arriving Thursday-I'm planning to have an early EASTER while they are here on Spring Break. I can't wait to see their faces!!! Thanks again for all your work-you totally stood behind the lovely website you put together! I honestly felt that I could sense your love in doing this for many people-you made it very personal. I have already told my friends & family about you.

Thanks again for the beautiful work and unique bears using the silver fox, persian lamb, & the precious mink bunny slippers.  Kindly- a very satisfied customer:

Paige

White Mink Lovelies

Benita sent me her aunt's white mink jacket and asked me to make three 14" bears. The fur was in lovely condition. The picture doesn't show it, but the jacket had a double lining. The outer lining was a light tan color and the inner lining was white so I made two-toned scarves--preserving her aunt's name that was embroidered in the jacket lining for one of the bears.

Liane,
The bears arrived over the weekend, I was away and just got to see them.  They are really great and I am very happy with them.  I certainly appreciate how quickly you made them up and the little sacks are super cute and useful.

Each bear has a different expression and each one fits for our individuality.  Thank you!! 

Benita

Curly Lamb Bears

Ellen sent me her persian lamb coat. It was a large coat but the area around the neck was crumbling so I wasn't sure how many bears I could get out of it until I was able to remove the lining. Happily, there was enough useable fur to get three 14" bears. Because the fur was short and curly, I used a more traditional bear pattern. When I got to attaching the ears, I realized the large ears I was working with in combination with the grey fur made them look more like mice than bears so I switched to a smaller ear.

The Persian Lamb Bears arrived a moment ago and I was so excited that I had to open them to show my postal delivery person.  I LOVE them and know the daughters will too.  They are even better than the other beautiful ones you have on the web site.  I hope you will feel free to use their pictures as well.  I am copying the letter you sent so that the girls will know how to care for them.

Sincerely, Ellen B

Small Stole, Small Bears

LuAnn sent me her late aunt's light blond mink stole. This was a smaller stole and, try as I might, I simply couldn't get 14" bears from it so I went to a 12" bear. With the 12" bears, I use a different pattern because the muzzle is smaller so I need to form it differently. However, I was very pleased with the way these two came out. Lu Ann had sent me a pair of earings that I used as embelishments on the scarves.

Hi Liane,

First of all, Happy Holidays to you and your family!  The bears were a "smash".... the girls loved them.  At first they were not sure what they were and then when I said (their aunt's) mink they went crazy.  They have already bought shadow boxes for them. 

This was such a great experience and I thank you again.  I know you will be hearing from me in the future.

Happy New year!

LuAnn P

Keeping the Embroidery

Helene sent me a beautiful mink stole. Unfortunately, the lining had moth damage and the satin was very fragile. She wanted me to use the lining for paw pads and asked that the embroidered name be used on one of the bears. I was able to re-enforce the lining enough for the pads but it was simply too fragile to make scarves out of. I fused the embroidery to an interfacing and turned it into a diamond shape to put on one of the scarves.

Liane, The bears arrived today and they are beautiful! I was so excited I gave it to my grand daughter the same day. I could not wait for the holidays. She loved it. I explained how special it was as it was from her great grandma's fur stole. We just LOVE our "Sara" bears. The bags you put them in made it extra special. Thank You, Thank You!

Helene

Heirloom Embellishments

Candy sent me a lovely project. She wanted two memory bears from her late mother's woven wool coat. She also wanted some unique embellishments. These two beauties both have embroidered initials on each foot. One foot of each has a cuff link under the initials JB. She also sent me a pair of button cuff links to use as belly buttons, her father's service pins to put on the bears' hearts and earings for both bears. In addition, she sent a blouse to make scarves from.

Dear Liane

I received my two bears this weekend and I absolutely love them!  They are a mixture of momentos from both my Mom and my Dad.  You did such a beautiful and creative job on these bears, right down to eyelashes and lipstick, and even fringes on the scarves and belly buttons!  I cannot thank you enough for the special care you took in making these Memory Bears for me and my brother.   Our parents were so precious to us and you have given us a true gift of memories forever!  It is so obvious that you care about each bear that you make, and words just cannot express my gratitude to you.  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you!

Candy M

Two Foxy Girls

Theordora had a beautiful silver fox coat that she wanted made into two bears for her granddaughters. She had tested the hide using my instructions and was concerned because it ripped when she tried it. What I didn't know until this project was that some fox hide can be very thin--almost like fragile paper.

I was able to re-enforce the hide and give it stability for sewing. The coat was large enough to get two 18" bears.

In this case, I used the beautiful coat lining not only for the ear and paw pads, but also for the noses and scarves.

Liane,

The beautiful bears arrived this morning!  Thank you so much for the wonderful work you did on these bears! I had begun to think I would never find someone to do this for me! My granddaughters will be so thrilled!

Thanks!
Teddi

The Reader and the Artist

Arlene asked me to make two bears from her mother-in-law's stroller length mink coat (one for her and one for her daughter). She told me that she was a retired reading teacher and her daughter is a fine artist.

The fur was one of the nicest I've had the pleasure of working with. However, it was a dark mink. A dark mink can make the facial features a little less defined than lighter colors. I suggested that I use some scraps of blond mink I had on hand to help define the face a little more.

The Reader is wearing a brocade and silk jacket and classes and holds a copy of "Little Red Riding Hood". The Artist is wearing a jacket made of the coat lining and purple satin and is holding a painter's pallette and paint brush.

Dear Liane,

The bears have arrived and they are adorable. My daughter and I really appreciated the work you put into making the bears as well as their outfits. Thank you again.  Sincerely,

                                    Arlene

13 Bears for the Family

Barbara had her mother's fur coat and mink stole and she asked if I could make bears for her siblings and grand children from the two items. Thirteen bears take a lot of fur and, even though the coat was a good size, I knew I couldn't get that many full bears from it so I suggested making Four 12" jointed bears of fur for her and her siblings and nine smaller bears using fur for the heads, legs and outer arms and using lining material for the body and inner arms, then putting a shirt on them.

I used both types of fur on the heads to give contrast and ended up adding her mother's initials in a heart frame on the front of the shirts to make them a team.

Oh Liane-  the bears arrived today and I have never seen anything so cute in my life!  I unwrapped them all and sat them together and wish tomorrow was Christmas so I can give the gifts.  What a great way to use moms fur and such a darling memory for my siblings and all our children.  I wish I could keep them all myself!  Thank you for working with me and crafting the bears so creatively so they all have a bit of my moms' memory.  They each have their own expression- too cute!  It was a wonderful pleasure working with you on this project, your ethics, communication, prices and love for this craft is heartwarming- a fairy Godmother indeed!  Please keep in touch and from my heart, thank you!

love Barbara

Spring Party Girls

Cathy contacted me about making two 16" heirloom teddy bears from her Mother's wedding dress. The dress had a couple of stains in it but she didn't want to just toss it. I mixed the satin, laces and tulle to create a variety of textures. I used the dress buttons and hooks as closures to their tops. I added just a hint of color using decorative stitches on the top and skirt parts. The finished outfits cried out for a floral head wreath.

Liane

Thank you for putting so much love into the Wedding Dress Teddy Bears, they are more beautfiul than the pictures you sent.    Your attention to detail is amazing.  I always thought I wanted bed pillows made out of my moms wedding dress, thank goodness I found your website and saw your work with the mink bears.  My sister and I will treasure these bears forever.  The floral head bands are a perfect touch. I know my mom would've loved the bears.

Thank you again - Cathy

You can see more projects on my Gallery Page