by John J. Lamb
“How about a sock puppet?”
“How about creating something you can be proud of—a handsome boy teddy bear? You’d have all winter to work on it.”
“I’d need all winter and a lot of your help. You’ll have to show me how to use your sewing machine.”
“We’ll work on it together and I’ll give you lessons on the Bernina. It’s easier that it looks.”
“I hope so, because I’m afraid that if I touch the wrong button I’ll accidentally start the countdown to Armageddon.”
I suspected Ash was being a wee bit optimistic about how quickly I’d learn to use that sewing machine, yet I was warming to the idea of making a teddy bear and I could already envision him. He’d be made from curly brown mohair, have a black embroidered nose, friendly glass eyes, and maybe a white linen collar with a bowtie. And so Ash and I sat there in the dark, talking, laughing, and making plans for a future built around creating lovable teddy bears.
I’m looking forward to it.
A TEDDY BEAR ARTISAN PROFILE
Susan Arnot
In Chapter Seven, Ashleigh Lyon shows Deputy Tina Barron one of her favorite artisan teddy bears—one crafted by Susan Arnot and made from a recycled fur coat. Of course, Ash and Tina are fictional characters, but Susan is an actual teddy bear artisan who resides in Sacramento, California. My wife, Joyce, and I first encountered her unique and heartwarming “Under the Apple Tree” collection at a teddy bear show in San Diego, and one of her mink creations sits on our library shelf.
Like so many other artisans, Susan was originally a bear collector, but it wasn’t long before her love of handicrafts and natural creativity pushed her into making bears and, soon afterwards, designing her own. That was twelve years ago and Susan still revels in creating new bears.
She said, “Sometimes it takes several ‘drafts’ to get just the look I have pictured in my mind. What I enjoy most is seeing the face and personality of the bear come alive in my hands.”
In the beginning, Susan worked with plush and after that, mohair. Then, five years ago, a bear collector asked her if she could make a bear from an old fur coat. Susan said she’d give it a try and was thrilled with the results.
“The bear came out so cute and still had ‘my look,’ which is difficult to do sometimes because real fur is more challenging to work with than plush or mohair,” Susan told me.
In the past, she used to produce about two hundred bears in a year but that number is going down due to the fact that working with real fur is also far more time-consuming than with other materials. Furthermore, most of her bears are either one-of-a-kind or part of a very small edition because there is only so much fur in a recycled coat.
As might be expected, Susan’s bears have garnered widespread praise over the years and one of her bears was a nominee for the prestigious Golden Teddy prize in 1995. The Golden Teddy is an annual award sponsored by Teddy Bear Review magazine to recognize the finest artisans from around the globe. In addition, her bears have won first prize at the California State Fair on several occasions. Regrettably, the last time she won the State Fair, her winning bear was stolen and the episode was so heartbreaking that she stopped entering the competition. However, she still attends teddy bear shows and loves watching the sweet impact her creations have on collectors.
“The thing I enjoy most about bear shows is watching the faces of collectors as they fall in love with one of my bears,” said Susan. “Most of the time I think it’s the bears that choose who they want to go home with and talk to that person through their expression.”
Susan is in the process of creating a web site, but in the meantime she can be contacted via e-mail at undertheappletree @msn.com. She invites readers to write her with any questions about her bears or to learn more about her schedule of appearances at future teddy bear shows.
One of the greatest pleasures of writing this series of mystery novels is the enormous privilege of associating with teddy bear artisans. So, I’d like to close by thanking Susan Arnot and all the other bear artisans whose creations make the world a kinder and happier place.
Afterword
Both Remmelkemp Mill and Thermopylae are imaginary communities, as is Massanutten County, which I created from portions of Rockingham, Page, and Augusta Counties of Virginia. Hence, there is no Massanutten County Sheriff’s Department. However, the geographical landmarks mentioned, such as Massanutten Mountain, the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, and the Island Ford Bridge are genuine places.
The Steiff Mourning Bear is an actual teddy bear and the information in the story as to its history, manufacture, and value is accurate.