Bear facts and life stories
Everyone has a favourite teddy bear from childhood, but artist Kat Hartley is spoilt for choice. Sally Clifford went to meet her and some of the furry characters she creates. Pictures by Simon Hulme.
WAFFLE is no ordinary dragon. His favourite season is summer – a lover of the heat is par for the course given a dragon’s fiery character – but the protruding cones from either side of his head tell a different story documented by his creator, teddy bear artist, Kat Hartley.
For each furry friend Kat creates, they all have a birthday – Waffle was born on October 20 – and a tale to tell.
“Waffle got caught in an ice cream fight, which is why he has two cones on his head,” explains Kat.
The waffle cones, from which he takes his name, are felt and the ice creams are needle felted. The detail on each cone is hand-drawn.
Sitting comfortably on the sofa in his ginger and white mohair finery, Waffle is joined by an array of furry friends, all unique in personality and beautifully designed to Kat’s own pattern designs.
Attenborough, christened after the inspirational broadcaster, naturalist and writer, is smaller in stature to Waffle. The intricacies of his explorations are evident in the tiny pair of metal binoculars hanging around his neck. The hand-stitched patch on this traditional looking bear, Kat explains, gives him a more care-worn look from his outdoor adventures.
Jostling for space is Epona. The beautiful Unicorn, with a multi-coloured horn and ears, is christened after the Goddess of Horses – according to Kat.
Koala the beach comber wears a tiny pebble neck charm scoured from the sand by Kat on a seaside jaunt. “Koala is a beach comber, that is why he has a pebble with him,” explains Kat.
’It’s nostalgia. If you have grown up with teddy bears it reminds you of the ones you had when you were growing up.’
“You know what the story is going to be when you write it.” Koala is the newest addition to the furry family Kat began making in 2005.
“I have always had bears but I started to make them in 2005. At the time my auntie was pregnant with her youngest. My mum had a soft toy book from the Seventies and I made a little fleece bear with safety eyes,” recalls Kat.
Twenty years later, her cousin still has Mr Bean – the bear that provided the inspiration for Brierley Bears, which takes its name from the home village near Barnsley where Kat lives with her husband, Rob, an engineer, and their young daughter Willow.
Encouraged by her mum, Val, a keen crafter who creates porcelain flowers, Kat embarked on a teddy bear making course and she still has the jointed bear she created.
“I have always been crafty. I get it from my mum, she has always done crafts and my nan taught me how to knit.”
For Kat, teddy bear making provided a new and enjoyable dimension and one she was keen to pursue.
Reading through specialist magazines, she discovered artist bears that are widely popular in the adult collectable market.
After creating bears for family, friends and work colleagues, she decided there was sufficient demand to set up her own website, enabling her to introduce Brierley Bears not just to adult collectors in Britain but beyond.
Since launching, Kat estimates she has produced more than 200 bears for customers as far away as America and Australia.
“Two have gone to Malta, Canada, Australia and a few are in America. They have travelled more than I have and they have gone further than I have!” smiles Kat, who is keen to track her bears wherever they are in the world.
“I always have to keep an eye on the tracking. I probably keep an eye on them more than the customer does as I like to make sure they get where they are going,” says Kat, who has an affection for each and every bear she creates.
Sometimes customers will send her a photograph when the bear has reached its destination – images she cherishes as anyone who has ever loved a teddy bear will know they hold a sentimental attachment – even more so for the creator.
One of Kat’s favourites is another dragon called Victor which was sent to his new home in December.
“I just love dragons,” says Kat, whose front door boasts an ornate dragon door knocker.
“One of the first things I watched was
The Flight of Dragons from the Eighties
and that is where it stems from, but I also do Elf bears.”
Large noses, which are needle felted rather than embroidered, are another unique feature of Kat’s bears. Using her own patterns, fashioned from old cereal boxes for longevity, Kat uses her sewing machine to stitch the head, body and legs together. Intricate details, such as patches to make the traditional bears look more care worn, are hand-stitched.
Sizes range from five-and-a-half inches up to 14 inches. The smallest bear in her current collection is Pistachio, christened after his fur colour.
Born on April 9, Oakley, the brown and white ‘Meadow of Oak Trees’ bear, with an oak leaf imprinted on his left foot, is the largest bear Kat has created.
Kat’s bears are created from alpaca, mohair or synthetic fur sourced mainly from British suppliers. “I weight them all with heavy weight polyester stuffing and I also put some steel ball bearings in there as well. The joints are made either with cotter pins for the smaller ones and nut and bolts for the bigger bears. The eyes are all glass.”
Details such as painting the eyes with nail polish give Kat’s bears that all important individuality.
“I do really enjoy it and it seems to come natural to me,” says Kat.
Willow Daisy, the name embroidered on the paws of the beautiful purple and white bear sitting proudly on the coffee table was a labour of love Kat made especially for and christened after her daughter.
“It can take anywhere between eight hours and about 16 hours. It depends how detailed they are. With the longer fur I have to spend time trimming the seams.”
Each bear comes with a printed booklet, containing materials used in its production – essential information for bears who are going on their travels – along with care instructions and the story giving its owner an insight into their bear’s life.
Kat talks of the memory bear she created for a customer who had lost their beloved dog, and the story she wrote to accompany the bear based on the information she had been given.
Such attention to detail gives a more personal touch to the cuddly gift Kat is creating.
The laser cutter, an addition to Kat’s homebased workroom last year, enables her to design wooden name tags for her bears, along with the Brierley Bears logo.
Kat never uses the same bear name twice. The only exception is if it is for a special commission for someone who shares the same name.
Over the years some of Kat’s bears have received recognition in industry awards including the British Bear Artists Awards and the URSA Awards. Sales are mainly through her website which has broadened her global reach. Attending teddy bear shows that are popular with collectors throughout the year, she is due to exhibit at The Artisan Show, Staunton Harold on August 3 and 4 this year, has also increased her custom – and led to her acquiring a few more bears for her own collection.
“I have a small collection but I haven’t got any manufactured bears, they are all what people have made when I have been to the shows,” says Kat, who is keen to support fellow makers and independents. “It’s nostalgia. If you have grown up with teddy bears it reminds you of the ones you had when you were growing up.”