According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the word 'repurposed' means “to use or convert for use in another format or product.” 

That seems to fit our topic perfectly, as we want to talk a bit about teddy bears created from materials that were originally made for another purpose. 

Are we talking about bears made from old clothing?

Bears made from Grandmother’s fur coat?

Teddies crafted from fabric that originated as plastic soda bottles? 

Actually, we are talking about all of the above and more! Of course the most common term to use would have been recycled, but since we are referencing the material the bear is made from and not the bear itself, we settled on repurposed.

Creating teddy bears from fabric that originated as plastic bottles makes perfect sense, as there is a dire need to stem the tide of waste going to our landfills. We were gobsmacked (my favorite British term meaning shocked or startled) to learn that 40 million plastic bottles per day are discarded, with only 12% of the water bottles going to recycle, and just 30% of soda bottles saved from the landfill. If you see some of the amazing fabric that is created from this waste, it could inspire you to design and craft some fascinating teddy bears. 

Mary Meyer has recently introduced bears and animals they call their “fuzz that wuzz” line which are made from recycled plastic fabric.

Some of our modern acrylic plush fur fabrics are at least part recycled plastic containers.

If the bear is hand crafted, it is probably more likely you will find teddies that have been made from cashmere sweaters, wool coats, old jeans or any number of materials that can readily be found with a quick search in your neighborhood charity shop.

While some teddy collectors are somewhat reluctant to purchase a teddy bear made from an old fur coat because they feel an animal was sacrificed for that fur, it is actually a process of recycling the fur coat into a charming teddy bear, making good use of a material that would otherwise be discarded. Many families have an old fur that was handed down, and since it rarely has practical use as a coat or stole, it can be turned into a family heirloom in the form of a teddy bear. 

Doris actually created repurposed teddy bear parts right from the start. 

The Professor, our very first antique bear came to us in 1972 with only one ear. She removed it and opened the seam to create two mohair ear fronts, then backed them with a material that was as good a match as she could find at the time. I was impressed with her creativity until I discovered the source of her material. 

I opened my closet and took out my fuzzy bathrobe to discover two round circles cut out of the back of the robe! It was my first lesson in the rule that nothing is sacred when it comes to a teddy bear need. 

This same enthusiasm for utilizing old fabrics came into play about 10 years ago when a visit to my sister turned up a 100 year old quilt that belonged to my grandmother. 

Unfortunately it was filled with holes and tears and was not salvageable as a useful quilt.

Since nobody wanted to keep it around, Doris claimed it and within a few weeks she had managed to salvage enough pieces to create a teddy bear for each member of my family and she utilized smaller pieces to produce a smaller size bear for our children. This gesture became a lasting memory for everyone.

During the course of our travels over the past 35 years, we have met a host of teddy bear makers and artists that have created some amazing teddy bears from a long list of repurposed fabrics. 

One artist that stands out as a clever use of repurposed fabric would be Diane Gard. One of her early projects involved the purchase of alpaca linings from GI coats  that she discovered in a surplus store in the mid 1980's. 

She later came across a movie theatre that had been closed for many years and made arrangements with the owner to purchase all of the theatre seats which were covered in mohair! She invested a great deal of time and effort in stripping the mohair from the seats and designing a limited edition 'Liberty Bear'.  To complete the vignette, Dianne found a roll or two of tickets from the same theatre, so each of her limited edition bears came complete with a ticket to the movies!

Diane also created a bear she called Rough Rider, made from old rayon fabric from the upholstery found in an old Pierce Arrow automobile.  

The prototype is on exhibit in the Museum of American History at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. A tribute to her incredible talent. 

Diane is now retired from bear making and enjoying life with her husband Clint, her children and grand children.

A tattered family heirloom quilt is salvaged to create teddies in two sizes as keepsakes.

A replacement ear backing for The
Professor was made from my repurposed bathrobe!

Diane's GI coat lining bear.