Buh-Bye Brown: We're About the Bold Colors Around Town

HEY, THERE!

It’s Week 4 of the Simple Bear Necessities series and we’re focusing on fabric philosophy. 

Because . . .

If you’re looking for monochromatic bears with Zombie stares and the warmth of an ice cube, this is NOT the newsletter for you. 

Here, I’m all about colors, patterns, textures and all the remixes in between.

My superpower is taking a hard right turn AWAY from the traditional and creating something especially different. But, with the Pooh personality and charm that turns a basic bear into a Plushie Powerhouse.

One that’s ready with Hugs on Demand. 

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Who doesn’t need a hug right now? 

And I don’t mean to boost your mood.

There is still plenty of JOY in the world.

Couples are marrying. People are landing their dream jobs. 

Soon-to-be parents are waiting to meet the child of their dreams. 

Bears are welcoming and comforting in life’s lows AND highs.

Next up in this issue:

• Beyond Brown: Making stand out bears

• A yoga bear checks in

• My sewing room soundtrack  

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DEEP DIVE
BEARS DON’T HAVE TO BE BROWN OR FURRY

But my love affair with paper continued when I became a magazine designer.

Fabric, on the other hand, took over in the hours after my Day Job. 

Walking into a fabric store feels like I’m boarding Captain James T. Kirk’s USS Enterprise and I’m headed where no teddy bear maker has gone before. 

Deep inside my imagination. 

Fabric stores are notoriously plastered with photos of clothing, bags and whatever else you can make from what’s on their shelves. 

I see those as suggestions. 

Like when people try and tell you what you should do with your life. I just smile, nod and go back to my own Plushie Powered Plan because honestly . . .

I see EVERY bolt, yard and scrap of fabric in teddy bear form. As a whole coat or eye popping accents. 

Frankly,

BEARS DON’T HAVE TO BE MONOCHROMATIC BLACK, WHITE OR BROWN.

Or, even a combination of these. 

I’m talking to you Mr. Panda! 

Because when you’re building a teddy bear with heart, you make what comes from YOUR heart. 

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

Turning the traditional teddy bear color palette on its head is not a new concept.

Some of the most popular, multi-million dollar-making, teddy bears came in more than the classic hues. 

Care Bears spanned the rainbow. Beanie Babies did, too.

The latter also rocked sherbet shades and patterns like the American flag and sprinkles. 

The distinctive coats added to their character, shaped their stories and made some of them collectible. 

Each Care Bear came in a different color with a unique picture on its stomach that represented its personality. 

Color aside, Beanie Babies were deliberately under-stuffed and filled with beans instead of polyester fiber. 

All because someone decided to DO DIFFERENT because, Why not? 

When making a bear, the simple question is an act of defiance and a granting of permission. 

• Do You

• Be You

• Find You

My signature framework goes beyond the nod and gives you the tools to make the right fabric choices so your bear will last a lifetime.

We’ll get into the nitty gritty next week with details on how to check furs for shedding and bypass fabrics that fray. 

It’s liberating, really.

Being able to choose your fabrics with confidence so you can:

Give yourself creative room to PLAY.

And don’t worry if going outside the color lines scares you. I started out making bears in traditional colors.

Then I got bored using the same one-note furs and fabrics.  

Zebra and cheetah prints started calling me along with loud upholstery fabrics and vibrant cottons used for pjs. 

I also knew what my mom could do with impossible combinations in her quilts. 

Quilts where colors and patterns boldly danced in new formations.

Again, you CAN take your time experimenting with unexpected fabric colors.

But, you don’t HAVE to wait until you’re ready to experiment. 

Or you have more experience. 

Or you feel comfortable. 

That kicker, being comfortable, will have you running from change like the last player in a dodge ball game. 

Hear me when I say: You CAN do it today. 

Make a teddy bear that reflects you. Or the person it’s for. 

And right now, we could all use more space to be ourselves or explore other parts of ourselves. 

Plus, who said your bear had to look EXACTLY like the photo? 

‘THEY’ AREN’T THE BEAR BOSS OF YOU!

Photos are a suggestion. A start. 

Give ‘em a nod.

Then let your imagination be your muse.

DISPATCHES
ONE FOR THE ROAD

‘One for the Road’ is a series featuring the escapades of my signature, One Good Road Buddy, #HeartMadeBears as they live life with their human besties.

First up . . .

Meet: Yogi 

Height: Tall enough to stretch with the yoga best! 

#HeartMadeBears: A fraternal twin inspired by high contrast fabrics and textures. Pulled from my ever-growing fabric stash. 

Hometown: Richmond, VA 

Type of bear: One with ALL the moves. Yogi’s arms, legs and head all twist and turn so Yogi can express themselves in many ways. 

Pooh Personality and Charm Check: “I love my bear,” said Gigi, Yogi’s BFF.  “I named them Yogi because I use my bear for support when I am practicing!”

Yoga, that is. 

Yes, Yogi is a yoga bear. 

WHAT I’M LISTENING TO
SEWING ROOM SET LIST

My mom’s sewing room had a soundtrack.

Jazz. 

John Coltrane, Natalie Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and many more scatted and riffed over the hum and whirr of Momma’s sewing machine that set its own rhythm. 

You’d often find me under the machine, catching the long strips of quilt that inched their way over the edge and into a colorful, thread-covered pile. 

It was a place to be quiet and sit with your thoughts.

Turn them over. Consider. And reconsider.

It was a place to let ideas, whatever they may be, marinate. 

When I started making bears, I would ponder the kinks as well as the possibilities of an idea.

Given what I know, how can I make this work when I'm stuck in the Gap. 

The gap between what I knew and what I wanted to create, which was something at a level beyond my then skills. 

It’s funny, though.

In the sewing room, my first thought is ALWAYS: How can I make this work? 

In other places of life I ask: What if it DOESN’T?

Maybe the magic Momma made every time she sat down at the machine spoiled me.

TO THIS DAY, I STILL BELIEVE ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IN THE SEWING ROOM.  

When I moved out and set up my own sewing room, I turned on the jazz and then audio books. 

First cassettes, then CDs.

Now I listen on an app. 

This is one of my favorite “reads.” 

A sourdough starter is her familiar and the best she can do is make gingerbread men dance. 

It sounds cool until you realize other wizards are defending the city by harnessing the elements. 

Mona’s comfortable life, working at her aunt’s bakery, takes a hard turn when she finds a dead body on the floor. 

An assassin is out for magic folk, including our gingerbread men choreographer. 

The writing and narration by Patricia Santomasso are both brilliant and worth the 8-plus hours of your time.