It's 7 years now that I have been making teddy bears. My inspiration comes, like many other bear artists, from antique bears. Much has been written about the timeless appeal of the teddy bear, and what intrigues me about old bears are their distinctive personalities: all beat up, slightly askew, having seen quite a bit of life's ups and downs. We find them still charming and loveable; isn't this the way we'd like to see ourselves?

When I was a child, my grandmother brought me a sewing machine she'd found at a yard sale. Apparently, her mere presence at anything resembling a yard sale was notable and I had shown no previous interest in sewing, so the whole family was somewhat surprised. The machine was an old, fleshy pink Brother. From that moment on, I've been a seamstress. Clothing, hats, bears... the most natural   place for me is in front of my sewing machine.