The Crew's Chief Bearcrafter (Me), Then and Now

The other day, my husband scanned a slide into his computer and sent me a JPEG of a photo I had never seen before:

Yes, it is a picture of me making a bear! I was thrilled that he had this photo. It was taken way back in 2000 when we were newlyweds. We had a second-floor apartment overlooking the Santa Ana River in Anaheim, California, the town we grew up in. The next picture below is a non-silhouetted version of my bear-making session. You can see Trudi in the foreground. I was working on Gunnison, a black-and-gold bear.

It occurred to me today that this coming weekend marks 12 years since I did my first (and only) major in-person teddy bear show, the three-day Teddy Bear Convention in historic Nevada City, California, in April 2001. Here I am with my table full of bears (and a kitty):

We had just moved from Southern California to the Seattle area to our new apartment, quite a long drive, and then got back on the road to drive south for the show. I still don't know how I managed to have a whopping 14 bears ready for that show when I struggle to find any time for bear making these days!

I do miss in-person shows, and I also enjoy participating in online shows. I have met so many lovely people in the bear world, both in person and online, particularly on Facebook, through the Guild of Master Bearcrafters, and on Teddy Talk. I'm eager to get busy again as New Avenue Crew's chief bearcrafter.

And here is a picture of me two weeks ago. Notice that I have a faux fur collar, even though I haven't been making bears lately. I am drawn to texture. In fact, maybe I should go paw through my stash of mohair again soon...