Teddy love extends to artform

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 14, Issue 646, 23 July 1996, Page 5

Teddy love extends to artform

It is not unheard-of for adults to still be fond of their teddy bears, but for local seamstress Lynley Jose, they have become an artform. She spends hours making heirloom bears. For Linley, who has been sewing her own clothing since the age of 1 0, a finished bear takes around 16 hours. This includes the painstaking job of hand-sewing the nose pad and 'muzzle cutting' - clipping the fur fabric on and around the nose and eyes. The finished result is an heirloom teddy bear reminiscent of the teddies of old, fully jointed and stiffer than their soft-bodied modem counterparts. Over the last two years Linley, who has made dozens of bears, experimented with commercial patterns but found that they contained too many design flaws, finally discarding them in favour of her own pat-

tern which is modelled more on the live animal, but one that favours a friendly, rather than a "fearsome countenance". Other teddy bear lovers are in for a treat with Linley offering a teddy making course, starting on 6 August to run over a series of Tuesday nights in the Ruapehu College sewing room. Her course is one of many night classes to be run through the college. Participants on the course will use acrylic fur fabric, rather than the imported mohair fur fabrics favoured by Linley. The reason for this is specifically cost. Where mohair fur costs hundreds of dollars per metre, acrylic is somewhat cheaper at $50 per metre. Fabric and flocking for stuffing will be provided by Linley, with participants paying $45 to cover material costs. The course is limited to six and interested individuals are asked to contact Linley Jose (see advertisment this paper.)