Heirloom Soulmates

By Carrie Brooks

Deep down, every adult carries a child within.” These are the words of New York City based teddy bear artist Curly Julie. It is just one year since she entered the world of artist bears but she feels it was just waiting for her to discover it. “I’ve enjoyed creating things all my life. My skills started when my mother taught me to sew at the age of five. Being a child, I was obsessed with sewing, knitting, needle felting, and embroidery. During my teenage years, I designed and made different kinds of clothes and accessories for myself. 

However, my interest in creating collectible teddies began much later and coincided with a tough period in my life: when I had to start my life again, on a new continent surrounded by complete strangers. My bears helped me overcome sadness and hardships.”

Yet it was dolls that kept her company in her early years. “It’s so frustrating that I didn’t have any childhood teddy bears. I had lots of Barbies instead. To tell the truth, I never played with them; I used them as models to create outfits and accessories. I remember my first doll: my mom bought a Barbie for me when I turned five. She was a stunning doll, and I was afraid to take her out of the box so I wouldn’t dust her dress. That was the day I took a needle and fabric into my hands for the first time.”

So, looking for something to make with her needle skills two years ago, Curly Julie bought some pink wool and knitted a doll. “She was amazing, but there was one thing I wanted to improve: the doll could not make realistic, relaxed poses because she was not jointed; she was one piece. I started looking for information about jointed toys on the Internet and was thrilled  to find a tutorial from a teddy artist who explained how to use disks and cotter pins. Some time later, I knitted a fully jointed doll, and that time I was obsessed with the idea of making a teddy bear.

I drew a pattern of a bear myself, and very soon, a cute creation was looking at me with his button eyes. He tugged at the strings of my heart. I’m so grateful to my very first bear for making me happy and inspired. I realized that I wanted to make more bears and master the artistry of teddy bear making.” So, she read every book she could find about teddy bears to educate herself in their construction. “I say that I’m self-taught but I believe that all my life I have been making something as practice for teddy bear artistry. That was the beginning of my journey as a teddy artist.”

The bears Curly Julie makes are all one-of-a-kind creations, completely hand made with love, extreme care and attention to detail. She stitches everything by hand in a variety of styles. “As an emerging artist, I make various bears—big and small, vintage and fashionable, furry and smooth, dressed in outfits, with variable necks, growlers and lids. However, one noticeable aspect in every bear is that each has a vivid personality. I create soulful bears that can be sad or happy, thoughtful or timid, kind or gentle.”

The soul of a bear is very important and thanks to her son, also forms part of her logo. “I cherish the idea of a teddy companion for a lifetime, as it brings warmth to everyone’s heart. Deep down, every adult carries a child within. My logo has a peculiar story: my ten-year-old son painted a picture of his idea of an heirloom soulmate. He depicted his twin brother holding my first bear. I liked the picture so much that I decided to keep it unchanged for my company’s logo.”

Curly Julie loves vintage style and keeps one particular bear in mind. “Once, I tried to make a new bear look very old by using aging techniques. The people who saw the bear often asked about his age and felt pity for him. Pretty soon, he was lucky to find a loving home in a private collection, where his owner highly appreciated the bear’s personality.”

Inspiration is drawn from nature, especially when it comes to combining colors, and from people she knows too. “When I create the bear’s facial expression, I always think of the people this bear resembles. I have bears that look very similar to my relatives, friends, and famous people. Very often, I hear from people that my bears have such unique personalities. That’s why each one is one-of-a-kind; it’s impossible to make two alike, even using the same pattern and materials. I use only premium materials and professional tools. My favorite fabric is long-piled kid mohair, though it’s the most challenging to work with.”

Curly Julie enjoys the design process, creating her own patterns and making accessories for them. She has also developed a preferred way of stuffing her bears. “For stuffing, I use a combination of things; I love working with sawdust and wood wool. I’ve discovered a way to make a bear look realistic: the stuffing allows the bear to adopt relaxed postures, have folds on its tummy, bend its head, and position its paws in various ways.” That said, she embraces new things if they work. “My bears have changed with the development of techniques. I’m open to everything new and proudly experiment with fabrics and tools. My very first bear will be kept in my family as an heirloom soulmate. I love all of my bears. ” 

Working in her home studio, Curly Julie takes pride in keeping it spotless and organized. “I have a shelf with folders for my patterns and design projects. Each envelope in the folder is organized in alphabetical order, so it doesn’t take long to find the pattern I need.”

She was thrilled to take part in the TBAI show in Philadelphia, 2024. “It was an incredible opportunity. I connected with like-minded individuals, including talented artists and collectors, and understood that my bears are truly appreciated. I sell my creations online, and I also have social media accounts where I share the process of crafting my teddies and showcase my work.”

Being a relative newcomer to bear artistry, Curly Julie knows she still has much to learn and relishes the opportunities that lie ahead. “I have a long list of my professional goals, the bear artistry techniques I would like to master in future. Among them are very big bears, miniature bears, bears with opened mouths, bears with flexible skeletons and many more. Not long ago I was a beginner bear maker. If I could have said something to myself at the very beginning, it would have been the following words: please, believe in yourself, follow your dream and guide your life with the light coming from your soul.”

Contacts:

email: uljashka85@gmail.com

instagram: @heirloom_soulmates

bearpile: bearpile.com/heirloomsoulmates

tedsby: heirloomsoulmates.tedsby.com