By Carma Wadley
Deseret Morning News

      OGDEN — Felines and terriers and bears — oh, my!
 

      Sewed and stuffed and embroidered — easy as pie!
      At least for Luralee Wheatley, who has been making these one-of-kind and limited-edition creatures for about 10 years.
      "I've always had a passion for stuffed animals," she said. "Actually, I've always loved real animals." Over the years, she's collected both.
      In 1995, a friend gave her a stuffed bear and a copy of Teddy Bear magazine, "and I couldn't believe what was out there." She decided to try making some bears of her own. "I had no formal training — I didn't even like sewing back in high school." So it didn't really surprise her when those bears were flops.
      But she didn't give up. She went to a bear show in Colorado Springs, Colo., and signed up for a bear-making class from a man named Ted Menten. A few professional tips and techniques were all it took. "I've been making bears ever since."
      At first, she was using other people's patterns, "but I didn't really like them. So, I started designing my own, and I've been doing that ever since."
      Wheatley, who lives in Ogden, will be showing off some of her creations at the Crossroads Doll & Teddy Bear Show, Saturday at the Utah State Fairpark.
      Back East and on the West coast, collectible bears are so huge they have their own shows — some really big shows, she said.
      They haven't taken off quite that much here in Utah, "so we combine with dolls and dollmakers for two shows a year, one in the spring and one in the fall. But bear collecting is getting more popular all the time."
      Wheatley is the only bear-maker in Utah that she knows of. Some have retired. "There may be some new ones getting into it. There are several in Idaho that come down for the show."
 

      Collectible bears are generally divided into two categories. There are what are considered "manufactured" bears — those made by companies such as Boyd's, Steiff and the North American Bear Co. Even though some of the work on these is done by hand, most is done by machine, and a lot of the same patterns are produced. That's not to say they aren't wonderful bears, Wheatley said. Steiff bears, in particular, are prized — she has a collection of her own.
      The other category is "artistic" bears. These are the one-of-a-kind or limited-edition bears that are made mostly by hand by individual artists and designers. "Even if I use the same pattern, no one bear is exactly like another."
      That's what makes the bears so much fun to do, she said. "Artistic bears are so cool. By the time I design and make the bear, there's a part of me that's part of the bear. That's where they get their personality. They are very individual."
      In recent years, Wheatley has gone beyond bears, adding rabbits, dogs and cats to her repertoire. Last year she started doing some breed-specific dogs — Airedale terriers, Norwich terriers, poodles, West Highland terriers. "They've gone over so well," she said. The short-haired breeds are hardest, she added, but she can do do pretty much any breed. "Sometimes people will send in a picture of their dog and want me to copy it."
      Wheatley began making her "critters," as she calls them, just for fun. "I made them for myself and to give away. But then people wanted to buy them, and I found I had a little business. But it's really just a hobby — a very expensive hobby."
      She makes the animals out of a German mohair made from angora goats, which comes in all colors, and she uses Ultrasuede for the footpads. The glass eyes she uses are also imported from Germany. All arms and legs are jointed, so they can move. And she puts flexible rods in the arms and legs of the bears so they are poseable. They are stuffed with polyester fiber — "stuffed hard like a softball." She often adds glass beads or steel shot to weight the animal, so it won't easily tip over.
 

      "These are not toys for children," she cautioned. They do have small parts that could be worked loose.
      The materials are expensive — German mohair sells for between $100 and $300 a yard. Plus the time — each animal averages between 10 and 20 hours of work — means the cost also puts them in the collectible range. The average bear sells for about $15 an inch; breed-specific dogs are a little more, about $20-$25 per inch. That means her creations can range from about $80 to $500, depending on size and specifications.
      Wheatley sells them at shows around the country as well as on her Web site www.bear-necessities.com.
      But she's not exactly in it for the money. It's just a very satisfying way of expressing herself, she said. "I've always been artistic. But this is especially enjoyable. They are neat little creatures, and it's fun to watch their personalities emerge."
      It's also addictive — once you start, you can't stop. You finish one and want to do another.
      It's a very individualized art, she said. "I can look in a magazine and know who made a bear without looking at the name." Her own bears are starting to be recognized like that, she said. Her special characteristics include extra long legs and arms, "poochy" bellies and expressive faces.
      Given her love of animals, "I'm not surprised I ended up doing this," she said. Even if she occasionally looks around at her menagerie of animals and thinks, "Oh, my!"

If you go

      What: Crossroads Doll & Teddy Bear Show
      Where: Utah State Fairpark, 1000 West and North Temple
      When: Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
      Cost: $6 (discounts for senior citizens and children)
      Free seminars: "Collecting artist dolls," Jack Johnson; "Doll Maker & Friends," Linda Rick