My work

I wanted to make a teenage bear with average proportions and try using wood scrap as the stuffing.

I have decided to make a trial version and sew a bear as a gift for my son. Notwithstanding that he was no more a teenager and did not ask for this present.

I have drawn the design by hand and cut German cotton fabric. Stuffing with wood scrap (I used regular, large-size scrap from zoo shop and not those small I use now) involved my tremendous efforts! Yes, it was complicated, however, brought absolutely different feelings and emotions both during the process and from the result.

I now remember these emotions so vividly. Perhaps the aroma of wood scrap stupefies, or the feeling of making an “alive” toy. It’s tough to tell. That was the second time when I was so obsessed and could not take my eyes off it! I slightly found my feet. And the main thing I was absolutely sure was that I would use wood scrap for stuffing again and again!

All the while, unconsciously I was noticing some small details in the works of recognized artists. My mission was not to imitate them completely but learn why that artwork has hooked me, and how to perform this inspiration in my works.

Exactly at that moment, I have realized that I could do anything I want with Teddy bears:

• Any proportions
• Materials
• Style (vintage, retro, modern, and eclectics)
• Freedom to invent something original
• Quality in every detail (even if the author’s idea is to make it unkempt, it should be solid nevertheless)

Everything is allowed, except for copyright infringement of another artist...

Photo of that very bear

Elephants had a special place among my artworks. I have drawn the sewing pattern of an elephant really quickly. I have immediately sewed it and remained very satisfied. The elephant’s sewing pattern has undergone just slight changes within time. It mainly looks like it was originally. Some sewing patterns were derived from bear’s one -the one which was made from wood scrap. For example, a hedgehog and a rabbit.

By that moment, I already had the customers, and this fact kept me on my toes. Once, I was asked to make a rabbit but not based on the sewing pattern of a bear…
I got an idea to sculpture a model from clay and take the measurements for the sewing pattern.
I was not perfect in using this method and therefore had to reinvent the wheel. It became a part of an exciting way and in the end, I was rewarded with cool toys as the result of the process. Particularly, the drawing and model varied between each other, and the final toy was different both from the drawing and the model. However, I was incredibly happy with the result!
After making the elephant, I got addicted to making rabbits. I sewed them from different types of viscose, gaining better proficiency. Then the horse Grunia has appeared, then fatty Brioche, and then followed the Elk. Soon afterwards, I started mixing the methods of creating the sewing patterns, following the current mood.
I got the feeling of my own style and had no fear to fulfill a new piece.
Actually, a fear always plays a greatly negative role and ruins the flight of imagination…

The first flat-mouthed was a kitty. She caused me such bright warm emotions! For her, I sewed a dress, underskirt and dragged with me to the park. In part, I was still the same, conservative growing up person, so I hid it in my bosom. And only when I and my kids took a boat and swam into the middle of the pond, where no one was nearby, took out and began to photograph my charm in my hand.

The kitty had a tiny triangular nose, but the next one had a more noticeable nose. And it became interesting for me to play with shape, color, image, character, texture. I was driven by passion - to find as many variations of the characters as possible.

Flat mouths had a mouths stretched out in a smile. But, only I saw that smile, and subscribers every now and then asked why my flat mouths were so sad, why they didn't smile. I was surprised, thought a little, twisted one of them in my hands and decided to “show” that in fact they are smiling very much! Since then, they have developed a recognizable smile.

By the way, I completely forgot to mention that my friend, Nelly Sazonova, named them flat mouths. It was she who at the very beginning extended her hand to me and dragged me into the bright and warm world of Teddy Bear, for which I am very grateful to her!

The topic of flat-mouths so took possession of me that I was rapidly involved in the endless world of creativity.

And all of a sudden, I started writing personal stories about every character that appeared. I wanted to convey to the readers of my blog and buyers the character of the each of them, to reveal a little the inner world of my toys. Somehow it happened by itself and gave me a lot of joy from the process, work. Even life has become much brighter!