Lynette Kennedy , Fred-i-Bear

Having only dolls and never a teddy bear as a child, when Lynette sold her 10 year old craft business, she decided to investigate the world of Teddy Bears. Being new to the field, while visiting a shop at the Waterfront, Cape Town, she was shocked when the shop owner told her the price of the Mohair Teddy Bear she held in her hands. It was then Lynette learnt the difference between mohair and synthetic materials.

Lynette has now been making and collecting Teddy Bears for 25 years. She has travelled from the West to the East, displaying and selling her works. Lynette’s Teddy Bears have also won several international awards. For the past 18 years she has been the International representative for the Taiwan Teddy Bear Show. Lynette has also helped with the international bear competition. She is a teacher and a judge for Teddy Bears competitions internationally as well as locally.

All Fred-I-Bears are hand sewn, using Steiff Schulte mohair and plush fabrics. They are fully jointed using either hardboard disks with nuts or, disks and cotter pins. Their size varies. They could be tall or small. No bears are ever alike, although some might look similar to one another as they do come from the same family. Sometimes there are the odd sets of twins.

Lynette’s works are sold at international exhibitions around the world.
Her bear bodies are filled with polyester fibre, and to add weight, they are filled with glass beads or steel shot. Traditional bears are firmly stuffed while the contemporary ones are much floppier. Lynette uses both old wooden shoe-buttons and black shiny glass eyes in her bears. All noses are embroidered using stranded cotton and are finished off with varnish or black wax to give them a “shiny wet look”. Air-brushing techniques are used to add dimension to their faces. Fred-I-Bears are either dressed or undressed. The only attention that Fred-I-Bears need is love and a warm home. Recently, Lynette has been experimenting with “realistic bears” sculpting their faces using polymer clay and incorporating needle felting techniques.

Due to Covid 19, Lynette has not been able to travel internationally and is now looking forward to sharing her bears with you online.

You can view more of Lynette’s creations on her page:
Website: https://fred-i-bear.co.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lynette.kennedy.925
Instagram: https://instagram.com/fredibearlifestyle