Cedric is Home

Cedric, the teddy bear, is home in Nashua, NH, after arriving last week looking quite different than when its fur was sent to Ohio several months ago.

That's because Cedric is the result of converting a fur stole into a teddy bear.

Cedric is a jointed teddy bear created made from a fur stole

 

After my mother died, years ago, my brother and I cleared out her home. We discarded or donated nearly all household items and clothing, but not a fur stole, which was the pride and joy of my mother's accessories. She enjoyed dressing up and wore the fur when she and my late father attended weddings or special events.

My late mother's fur stole

As a homemaker, she had purchased it in the mid-1960s from a former department store in Plainfield, NJ, as shown by a receipt she kept with it. 

After the house clear out, I relocated the fur to our apt home in Nashua and stored it in a bedroom closet. This year, after an online search, I found Fairy Godmother Creations in Dayton, OH, and read how clothing, furs or wedding dresses could be converted into heirloom treasures. The website provided information with order forms and costs. 

Fairy Godmother Liane, who has been creating memories for over 25 years, could convert the fur into a memory teddy bear. The website included a phone number and I called her before sending it. She told me that she would send an email after it was received and examined and would provide a completion date, which would most likely be several months. 

If you're wondering about the cost, it was just under $200 with shipping paid by myself both ways. Admittedly, that's quite an expense for a small teddy bear, but as it would be a special memory of my mother, I wasn't concerned with the expense or the time to complete it. The fur had been stored so long and would never be worn again.

Once the bear was done, Liane emailed a photo and then it was sent with care instructions. Because this is a real-fur bear, the fur was re-enforced with a fabric-based interfacing to help it last. To keep the hide from drying out, the teddy bear should not be kept in direct sunlight or near heating. If it gets dirty, she advised to gently rub corn meal over the soiled area to help release any particles and to never use water on real fur as it could cause shrinkage.

Liane asked me to email her when the bear arrived. She wants to make sure each of her creations makes it safely to their homes. I emailed back that this one did just that.

Cedric has joined other special friends in our apartment.