Well, grab yourself a cuppa and get yourself comfy as I’m about to tell you!

Let me share with you how Loved & Cherished Memory Bears started…

When my first beautiful granddaughter came into my life I would admire her tiny dresses, vests and baby grows and think what a shame it was that they would be put into bags and stored in the cupboard or loft, likely not to be seen again. I had seen so many lovely keepsake bears, that i wanted to make one for myself. So I did!

It wasn’t something that I’d thought about doing for anyone else, then my cousin contacted me asking if i would make her a bear from her grandmothers suit! I was quite excited that she asked me. In fact, I really wanted to do it again – this bear-making has now become very addictive! that’s because it’s such a satisfying end result just to see the reaction when the bears are finished, I just have to be careful not to name the bears, otherwise I’d get too attached to them. My cousin was so happy with her finished bear that she asked if i would make another one for her mum out of the material that was left over. How could i resist with both bears having their own unique personality’s and making them feel close to their loved ones once more.

So now its the hard bit – maybe now is the time to dig out those clothes and decide what to send! We all have those boxes full of old clothes stashed away and the thought of finding them and digging them out feels like climbing the highest mountain – but wouldn’t it be worth it? Instead of special memories being buried, they will be out on show, reminding you of how you felt in that moment or of a special holiday – or of someone no longer with us. So finding those clothes, to me, is the hardest part of the job and trust me I know – I finally plucked up the courage to make another bear for myself from my dads cardigan, after he sadly passed away.

Creating your Memory Bear

Now comes the true magic, the ‘Loved & Cherished magic! I lay out the clothes and decide which part of the various items go where on the bear! This is process I don’t take lightly and sometimes I can ponder over it for hours, trying to picture the final bear in my head. After I’ve created the design, I start by cutting out a pattern for the bear or animal, then i attach a fabric called Interfacing. This is a sturdy material that will add structure to your fabric to keep the fabric from stretching so that your Bear will sit nicely when completed. The Interfacing is then then ironed onto your material to provide a backing. Then they are pinned, and sewn either by machine or hand to bring the bear together.

It’s then time to stuff! And I don’t hold back! They are stuffed with high-quality fire- retardant stuffing, or toy stuffing which I make sure to get enough stuffing into all the ‘nooks and crannies’ so all the features come to life and they have a nice round full belly! The arms, legs and head are then sewn to the body, and there you have a beautiful keepsake bear!

Last but not least, they are lovingly wrapped and sent back to their forever home ready for you to have and to hold for a lifetime. So that is it! You have had a sneak peak behind the scene that is Loved & Cherished and how I make your Memory Bears. I hope you have enjoyed the process. Thank you for reading and if you have any questions please leave a comment or email me here love Mandy x

So now you’ve got a better understanding what a Memory Bear is – what do you do next? Well that’s easy – you simply click here and make an order!