"My four seasonal pandas are Pan Pan (summer - yellow and mauve), Fall (autumn - olive green and tan), Woody (winter - brown and white) and Buddy (spring - pink and burgundy) These 4 bears are 25cm all made from mohair and I have reversed the fabric for their pads "
Lynne lives in Pinetown with hubby of nearly 32 years, Doug. Lynne was born in Germiston on the East Rand and Doug is originally from Scotland. Together they have 2 sons, Scott and Ross. Scott and his wife of 7 years, Susan, live in Wimbeldon, London and Ross and his wife Karen, who have been married for 18 months, live quite near to Lynne and Doug in Pinetown.
Since the birth of her children, Lynne spent her free time keeping busy with all sorts of hobbies and crafts and admits that there have been quite a few over the years. At present she enjoys spending her time reading, gardening, doing cross-stitch and most favourite of all, making bears. To Lynne her bear making is a wonderful hobby that brings her much joy.
Lynne's first inspiration came upon buying a bear-kit while attending a craft show where she was selling silk ribbon. It took her a while to complete her first bear named Monty. Monty still lives with Lynne and Doug and has a special place in Lynne's heart as she exclaims: "I love him still!"
After Monty's birth on 16 March 1994 she was completely hooked. Soon she started altering commercial patterns and one day very bravely took the big plunge and designed her very own pattern. The bear did not turn out the way she had hoped, but she persisted and eventually created the look she wanted to achieve. Lynne loves creating traditional bears and sees herself as a traditional bear-maker, rather than a bear artist. She is most proud when people recognises her bears and comments on their lovely faces.
I asked Lynne whether or not she thought her bears represented her personality, to which she replied: " I'd like to think they do. Why?...because I want them to look friendly and loved. I like to think I'm rather a friendly person who has made each bear with lots of love. "
Lynne's first bear - Monty
When asking Lynne what her family thought of Lynne Thomson the bear artist, her reply was: " Oh, they just love my bears, but if they think something is wrong they'll soon let me know. Fortunately my daughters-in-law love bears as well. "
Lynne does not have any definite plans for herself and her bears for the future, however, she hopes that she will still be getting the enjoyment from making bears for years to come.
"Ted is my first bear;
I got him when I was 3 weeks old. My Mom was determined that her wee girl would have a bear for her first Christmas and apparently she walked Johannesburg for my bear, eventually finding the last one in Stuttafords! She paid 3 pounds for it. "
Since her first bear in 1994, Lynne has been making around 125 bears a year. Unfortunately she hasn't been able to keep track of them all. Today, after creating literally hundreds of bears, Lynne looks back at her earlier designs and say " Gosh, when I look at my first bears I see so much wrong with them, I think I make a good quality bear now - everything has improved tremendously!!"
Lynne only uses mohair for her bear designs and feels most inspired when she stumbles onto a "gorgeous piece of mohair", as she puts it and it captures her attention. She just has to have it and then cannot wait to get home to change that piece of newly acquired mohair into a great looking bear. Lynne's choice of mohair is soft, very dense, but not too long in fur pile and although she admits doing hand-dying from time to time, she still likes using natural colours best. Lynne gives her bears an extra touch of magic by using utrasuede for their paw pads and some needle-sculpting to enhance her bear's facial features.
Lynne's favourite sizes are from 25cm (10") to 38cm (15"), but she has made bears from 5cm (2") up, the largest being 61cm (24"). Lynne's bears can be found at Thread Bears in Durban as well as Abby's Cottage Bears in Pietermaritzburg or directly from Lynne.
"All of us in my family have our own bears and Lynnette Bridget is mine, she is hand stitched, made from British mohair. I don't often dress my bears. She is 48cm "
Lynne is proud to share a few highlights of her bear-making career. Lynne first received a nomination in the British Bear Artist Awards 2000 Category 12, thereafter she was pleasantly surprised when she was awarded first place and Best Bear of the Show at the SAAPD show held in August 2000. In December 2000 she was awarded First Place for her medium size bear entered in the Danville Show.
Lynne is also a bear collector and her taste in bears is similar to the ones she designs. " I love the 'Old Traditional Bear' look", she says. Lynne thinks bear making today is simply wonderful, as there are some amazing Bear Artists out there, making the most wonderful bears. Among her favourite bear artists are Pat Murphy, Mary George and Atlantic Bears. "I just love the looks of their bears " Lynne says.
"Louisa is a bear I made for myself; her dress is two hankies I had as a child. I antiqued her and filled her with glass. She is 30cm. I made her after I got home from London. I did the Teddy Bear Times Show, it was held on the Easter Sunday 1999.
In conclusion a few words from Lynne " The best advice I can give to a beginner is to be as meticulous as possible. The joys of bear making have been wonderful for me, as it has enabled me to meet some lovely people and to make great friends both here in South Africa and around the world, thanks to the Internet. "
- Ilze Linssen -
"Benjamin - is a bear I have just completed, he is a donation for the John Peattie School's fete in August. It is a school for Downs Syndrome. Benjamin is a 38cm bear made with short sparse mohair and wool felt pads "
