Welcome to Sidhe Bears

That's pronounced "Shee"

Here you'll find photos of my bears, crocheted, sewn, hand sewn, and needle felted, bears for sale, and links to teddy bear related sites.

Proud member of the Thread Artist Guild, and I haunt Teddy-Talk also!

I've been making bears and assorted animals for over 20 years, starting with needle sculpted baby dolls that I made and sold in Arizona for several years, adding teddy bears and horses, deer and dogs along the way. I stopped making animals for a few years, and slowly began to get back into it in the past two years.

I make mostly minis in crochet of all sorts of fibers, from punch needle acrylic yarns that brush up beautifully to make fluffy little bears, to angora and mohair bears, so soft and plushy. It's fun finding new yarns and threads to work with. Crocheted bears are made with tiny steel crochet hooks (size 9, 10, 11, 12 or 14, depending on the "thread") and are made with many tiny stitches.

Originally, I started out by using patterns created by others, as I would suggest anyone who wants to try this media do. After awhile, you develop your own sense of how to make a bear (or other animal) and I now design and create my own patterns, often "on the fly" as I am crocheting the little critter.

I just started needlefelting this past year, and what a fun hobby this has been, very relaxing at times...though don't relax too much or you find yourself punching into your own fingers.OUCH!

It was natural to go back to sewing bears, and I have been making minis... the pieces are so tiny they are turned with hemostats, and have to be handstitched. I use velvet, upholstery fabrics, "cashmere" and assorted vintage fabrics to create my little tinies.

I am now making larger bears, and am amazed at all the "new" techniques out there for making these lovable critters. I've started designing my own patterns, and you will see examples of my critters on the following pages. Enjoy your visit here, and don't forget to please stop and hug the bears along the way!