Teddy Bears with Heart by Deborah Chaddock Brown

Today's guest post is from Deborah Chaddock Brown. She has an incredible blog, Make or Break Moments. She is a freelance writer, speaker, and trainer. She provides her audience with real life solutions and examples that help to market their business, establish their expert status, and enhance the customer relationship.

She also has a passion for crafting, and she has been gracious enough to share information on her most recent project. Thanks Deborah!

Teddy Bears With Heart 
By Deborah Chaddock Brown

I’ve found a way to keep the memory of my Dad as a visible presence in my life. A couple of years ago he tried the South Beach diet and went from an XL to a L and sent my son some of his too large, colorful sport shirts. Occasionally, my son will wear one of them and it brings a smile to my face. We lost my Dad unexpected almost one year ago and seeing that little reminder of my Dad is a great comfort.

As we approach the one year anniversary of his passing I wondered what I might do for the family that would be meaningful and yet fun. I saw the shirts in my son’s closet and convinced him to donate a couple of them to the cause. Going through my embarrassingly large collection of craft books, I stumbled upon a classic: Two-Hour Teddy Bears by Anita Louise Crane.

This bear is called Bearheart. I made him for my Mom. The body of the bear is made from one of Dad’s Ralph Lauren sport shirts. The heart I constructed from a quilted placemat I found at the Dollar Tree. “Always” was the song my folks fell in love to and was considered their song. I thought it would be a fitting sentiment to cross stitch on the front of the heart. 

I am making a different bear for each member of the family using scraps from his shirts. In some cases the shirts will be used for a vest in others for the wings on an angel bear. In every case, the bears will be constructed with love and a gentle reminder of someone dear to our hearts.

If you have lost someone close to you, consider using one of their garments to accent a craft piece so that you have a loving reminder of how special they have been in your life.