Hello, I am Jan Alford the creator of Jan's Warm Fuzzies.
It all started when I was a little girl and my grandmother taught me to crochet lace….
Over the years I have done many types of embroidery, heirloom sewing, smocking, quilting and knitting. I also love beading and chain maille jewelry making.
During the early eighties I took a class and made a simple muslin bear. That started a love of making teddy bears and I went on to make more little bears out of cotton fabric with hand painted features. In 1991 I started making fur bears with the encouragement of friends and family. Equipped with a commercial pattern and some fake fur I took those first steps into collectible bears. In 1992, after taking a miniature bear making workshop taught by award winning artist, Jill Hawthorne, I was hooked on making miniature bears. I find it very relaxing to hand sew the small bears and I love the fact that I can take them with me to work on whenever the opportunity presents itself.
I design all of my own patterns, starting with a blank sheet of paper and an idea (I find the design process very rewarding). With many new ideas floating in my head, I find it hard to find time to draw them all out and sew, too. You never know what will show up in my assortment of bears/animals.
I have won awards at shows with my bears and in 2001 received a Golden Teddy Nomination for Timmy, one of my three inch teddies. Timmy, also, won a Silver SelecTed bear of the month award from the Wee-Teds online mailing list.
My best friend and supporter is my husband, Steve. He takes me to the bear shows and helps set up and man the table. Sometimes Steve will help name a bear, but he always encourages me in my bear making. We will be celebrating our 33rd anniversary June 2007.
Meet the Artist
