I have been doing arts and crafts in one way or another throughout my life. When I was very young, my grandmother taught me how to crochet and I got "hooked". Shortly thereafter I learned the "art" of knitting as well and kept on using both skills for many of my projects. My first attempts yielded mostly scarves and little blankets for my dolls and bears. Once I mastered the basics I "graduated" to designing and making sweaters for my friends and myself.
I had a busy career which unfortunately did not leave much time to follow my creative urges. However, once my daughters came into the world, I again found time to knit and crochet and my adorable girls got to wear my creations as babies and toddlers. I started designing and making their favorite teddy bears and still found more time to explore other creative sides in me, like clay sculpting, woodworking, and stenciling.
For some years now I have also been making traditional teddy bears from mohair. In addition to making mohair bears I have been able to apply my technical and design skills to making crochet bears.
The most rewarding moment is when I get to see how a little bear develops his own character after being put together and given his facial features.
My favorite are baby and toddler bears which can easily be distinguished by their special features such as proprtion, colour, facial expression, and jointing. Most of my baby bears are jointed more loosely.
You have to cradle one of these special little bears in your palm and feel them snuggle into your hand and into your heart!
I do my work as I feel. I "sculpt" with my crochet hook and my experience allows me never to work according a pattern, but rather go by intuition and what my heart tells me.
Bearkidz� bears are truly one of a kind creations designed and hand-crafted by me, Marion Fraile.
Only the finest materials I can find go into bearkidz�, making my bears, from the yarn to the tools, making my the best little ones they can be!
The furry coat is achieved by crocheting with eyelash yarn, mostly imported from Europe.
All bears are 5-way jointed, some with cotter pins, with thread only, or in combination with cotter pins and thread. Some are strung more loosely to give them a "baby-feel" and a floppy head for displaying and posing them more naturally.
For the eyes I use European glass eyes especially for bear making.
All bears are filled with clean, new polyfil. Depending on the feel I would like to give the bears, I will use firm or soft stuffing.
After the bear is put together, which is a very important and also rewarding moment as he or she suddenly "comes to life", I will either design and make clothing and/or will add toys or other accessories when it comes to "putting him or her up for adoption".
All my bears come with a hang tag identifying them as bearkidz� bears.
Marion.
View Marion's wonderful creations by clicking the link below Please click here to visit my bears
