A special teddy bear comes to family center

A hand-made teddy bear with a very special history has been donated to St. James Family Center as a raffle prize. Its creator, Pat Talbott, has been designing and making teddy bears for many years, using fur from vintage clothing. Noses are made from old kid gloves and the eyes are antique jet beads which she says, “politely watch, rather than aggressively stare.”

Her bears have been sold in markets and shows throughout the West and may be found in homes all over the world including Antarctica, Iceland, New Zealand, Australia, Madagascar, Ukraine, Russia, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia.

Many have been specially ordered to be made from furs that had belonged to a family member. Talbott says that smell and touch are what help children remember the stories they are told and that oral history handed down, along with a reminder like this, remains for one’s whole life. She is opposed to killing animals for their fur, but as many of these were killed prior to her lifetime, she finds this a way to give honor to the animal who gave its life.

Raffle tickets may be purchased at The Cutting Edge Beauty Shop, Davis Tax Service or St. James Family Center. The drawing will take place on November 21 during the annual St. James Holiday Bazaar.