A soon to be born grandchild was the catalyst that set me on the path of making bears. That was in 1998 but for many years prior to this I had been intensely involved in the Fibre Crafts of Spinning, Weaving, Dyeing and Papermaking.

  My first attempts at bear making were rather forlorn but after design classes with Jennifer Laing I found myself totally absorbed with designing and creating little character teds.

  I sew all my bears by hand using traditional bear making techniques and take great pleasure in the whole process from beginning to end.  My bears range in size from between 4" to 10" but my favourite size is around 6".  I'm very meticulous in my choice of materials and use only the highest quality available.  I love working with alpaca and mohair and make around 20 to 25 bears a year.  I make only 'one of a kind pieces' and each bear comes with a sewn in tag, swing tag and a signed, dated and laminated photo ID of authenticity. 

   I have been selling my creations since I attended my first bear show in Sydney in 2001 and have recently ventured into offering my bears on eBay. 

  My two youngest granddaughters are my most discerning critics.  They love fossicking in my sewing room and always come up with great suggestions for naming the bears. They have always called me Mima and so gave my bears their trading name of Mima's Bears.

  I am a keen collector of old teddy bears and have a modest collection of dear old Australian and English teds and some wonderful modern artist bears too.

  We live in the Far North of Australia.  It's a wonderful part of the country, full of inspiration and surprises, where the rainforest really does meet the sea.  I love living here with my family, enjoying our beautiful environment, working in our garden and ofcourse creating my bears.  The bear world is a very friendly place and I have been fortunate to find good friends and collectors there whose encouragement and support I treasure.   

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