AROUND HOME : Teddy Bears

I WAS A DEPRIVED child; I never had a teddy bear, which probably explains why I am so completely dotty about them now. A few years ago, when the bear craze peaked with calendars, cards, engagement books, even clothes devoted to teddy bears, antique bears sold for thousands of dollars, and shops couldn’t stock them fast enough. The demand for new and old bears was so great and the cost so high that many people discovered it was considerably cheaper and not all that difficult to make their own.

The basics of bear making are simple enough: cutting fabric, stitching seams, stuffing; the only hard part is making a cute face and, in some cases, wielding a very long needle (in some jointed bears--those with movable arms and legs--the needle is poked through one leg, the lower body and the other leg in one motion; if the needle is too short--misery). Jointed bears of any size take more time and care than unjointed bears.

Teddy bears are not all created equal; some have long legs and movable parts, others are stiff and immobile. Depending on the fabric, they are cuddly or colorful. Eyes are plastic or glass, the latter not recommended for a child’s bear as the glass can shatter. With all their diversity of form and expression, it’s remarkable how closely they resemble the original: A little black bear in a 1902 political cartoon starring Theodore Roosevelt, who ended up giving his nickname to a toy bear that was inspired by the cartoon and manufactured by the Ideal Toy and Novelty Co. In the same year, the Steiff Co. in Germany manufactured a fluffy bear with movable arms and legs, no relation to Roosevelt, and the world has been buying millions of toy bears for the past 87 years. My personal favorite was the Pot-Bellied Bear, my standard baby-shower gift; its plump little arms were always upraised, begging for a hug. Alas, I can’t find these anymore, so I console myself by sewing little calico bears.

A note to beginning bear makers: When you’re done, no matter how wretchedly sewn the poor mutant creature may be, it is instantly lovable, warts and all. Make one; you’ll feel better.

Classes and supplies in bear making are available at Piecemakers Country Store in Costa Mesa and House of Fabrics in Sepulveda and Reseda; there are several hundred House of Fabric stores in Southern California, and each store offers different classes; call your local outlet for its schedule.

Donna Heighway, who designs and makes teddy bears sold in many Southern California stores, offers bear-making (including bear-designing) classes at her Van Nuys studio from January through April; the cost for a series of eight classes is $40, not including materials. Heighway’s telephone number is (818) 994-5518. Bear patterns of all sizes and descriptions, from pattern books or in-store display packages, are available at many fabric shops, including Leah’s Fabric Gallery in the Glendale Galleria. And for something really different: Jabrrs’ Craft Factory in Orange offers a basket-bear class; sort of a supine bear with an indentation instead of a fat tummy.

The popular 1982 book “Making Your Own Teddy Bear,” by Peggy & Alan Bialosky and Robert Tynes (Workman Publishing) is still in print; it shows how to make mama, papa and baby bears, their clothes and even some props. (The publisher, Workman, also issues the teddy-bear calendars). “Learn Bearmaking,” by Judi Maddigan (Open Chain Publishing, 1989) offers instructions and several bear patterns for beginning, intermediate and advanced sewers; “Crocheting Teddy Bears,” by Barbara Jacksier and Ruth Jacksier, and “Make Your Own Teddy Bears,” by Doris King (both Dover Publications Inc.) have many variations.

For those who want to render bears in another medium, “Teddy Bear Party and Holiday Iron-On Transfer Patterns,” by Ted Menten (also Dover) contains bear designs for embroidery or cross-stitch. And for dressing your bear, look for “Bear Knits,” by Patricia Ann Higgins (Ballantine, 1987).