Michele Freeman , Eden and Friends Bears

Michele Freeman is a Teddy Bear Artist born in South Africa . She currently resides in Texas, USA.
She enjoys working with Faux fur, Mohair, Alpaca and using Wool Batt to needle felt the face and paws. As an Industrial Designer and Engineer, Michele has been designing and making bears and animals professionally since 2012. Needle felting her bear’s faces is a key differentiator that sets her apart from other more traditional Bear Artists.

Michele has won numerous international and national awards for her bears including:

· 2015 International Teddy Bear Artist Award (UK) for “Pirate Bear”
· 2017 TOBY Industry’s Choice Award (USA) for “Fletcher Grey Steampunk Aviator”
· 2017 TOBY Public’s Choice Award (USA) for “Fletcher Grey Steampunk Aviator”
· 2018 TOBY Industry’s Choice Award (USA) for “I Believe I Can Fly”
· 2018 Bristol Bear Award for Excellence for “The Mad Hatter”
· 2019 Beverly Port Awards for Bear making excellence for “The Time Thief”
· 2019 TOBY Industry’s Choice Award (USA) for “The Time Thief”

“Bringing the creativity, design and necessary techniques together is critical in making a quality product. “ Michele says. Each One-of-a-kind handcrafted bear is finished from nose to paw tips using her own custom patterns. “A huge amount of time and effort goes into the creation of a high quality unique bear, so my OOAK bears are for collectors and not for children,” she says.

She finds inspiration watching movies, reading books, children’s stories and Classics and shooting the breeze with her daughter, Eden. “She is such a fun source of inspiration, and is the Eden of Eden and Friends. A bear cannot be offered for sale unless it has received Eden’s stamp of approval.”

Michele’s work has also appeared in many publications including the Teddy Bear Times Magazine, Teddy Bear and Friends Magazine, Bear and Buds Online magazine and Teddy Bear Times and Friends magazines.

Visit her websites to view more of her wonderful creations:
Etsy: www.edenandfriends.etsy.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Eden-and-Friends-Artist-Bears