Do you have an old fur coat that's been in storage for years?

To see examples of bears we have made previously from recycled vintage garments, click here to see our Fur Bear Gallery!

Would you like a custom bear made from your own fur garment? There are a lot of answers on this page for many of the questions that you may have about the process.

You will find that we strive to offer a truly custom and unique creation, made possible through a variety of design options.

Where do I begin?

Alternately, here is a quick selection of links; these will hop you straight to answers just for the questions listed.

Can you make me a custom fur bear out of my old fur garment?

What type of fur can be used to make a fur teddy bear?

• NO mouton
• NO rabbit (Due to allergies - tried it once & never again!)
• NO endangered or restricted species (examples: wolf, ocelot)
• NO new animal pelts (we only recycle existing garments)

What size & how many bears can you make out of my garment?

Some furs even in the best of condition cannot be used to make a bear below a certain size; we absolutely cannot guarantee availability of every size of bear for every garment. Particularly with small bears, only a few types of fur can be used for smaller-sized bears (and even then the garment must be in very good, supple condition). Keeping that in mind, here are some very general estimates on what can be made from different garments:

• Hat: a small bear (or may need to combine with another fur for a small panda)
• Stole: a medium bear or multiple small bears (example, four or five 6-8" bears)
• Coat: a large bear, several medium bears, or bears in a combination of sizes

If I ask you to make me a fur bear, how long will it take?

How much will my custom fur bear cost?

• A surcharge for preparation & conditioning of the garment
• The base price of your bear (determined by size & fur type)
• The price of any optional features you decide to add to your bear
• Shipping & handling (determined by your location & chosen delivery method)

Garment Preparation Surcharge

Before a bear's pattern can be cut from a garment, there are many preparatory steps that must be done to it first. Included in these steps is the careful removal of the lining, as well as gentle conditioning of the inside of the pelts to make them more supple. This can be a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. Instead of raising the cost of every bear to cover the effort put into this process, we add a single surcharge per garment. This way, if you send us only one coat, then you are charged only one preparatory surcharge, regardless of how many bears are cut out of it. Refer to this chart for the cost.

The Base Price of a Bear

The base price of a bear is determined by the bear's size and the type of fur being used. We classify furs in one of two categories, "short furs" and "longer and more difficult furs". Find your fur in this list:

If you cannot find your fur mentioned in the above lists, contact us. Once you know which category your fur is classified under, refer to this chart to see our bear pricing. Please remember that not every size of bear will be available for every garment.

Optional features

How will my bear be constructed? What materials will you use?

The bear will be assembled fully five-way jointed, which means that the bear's head, arms and legs will all be moveable but securely attached. We joint with a system that includes standard hardboard discs, cotterpins for smaller bears and tapbolts for larger bears. Your bear will be stuffed with polyfill, it will have a bit of extra weight added to it (likely with internal bags of glass beads, steel shot, or copper BBs) to give it a more substantial feeling. Our fur bears are never stuffed to extreme firmness, nor weighted to extreme heaviness, both would seem inappropriate for such softly touchable bears.

Other details of your bear will include premium glass eyes and a hand-stitched perle cotton nose (occasionally we may suggest a hand-sculpted polymer clay nose instead). Simple accessories may be added to the finished bear, such as a pretty ribbon. We would prefer that you let us choose the material and colors for paws, eyes, nose and any accessories. You are welcome to make requests, but we may not always be able to accommodate them.

Some people like to request that the lining of the coat be included somehow in the design of the bear. Please indicate if you would like us to try to do this with the lining of your garment (such as any monograms); however, please be advised that the condition of the lining will affect what can or cannot be done with it. High quality lining that is in good condition can sometimes be used as material for the pawpads, or it may be possible to turn a strip of the lining into a bow as an accessory for the finished bear. We cannot make promises in advance, but we can try to incorporate the lining if you request it.

I want you to make my custom fur bear! What happens next?

1. Contact us to get on the waiting list

   We'll respond to confirm that you have been added to the waiting list, and let you know how long the wait should be. Find our contact information here.
   
   

2. Ship the garment to us when we indicate that we're ready

   When your turn at the top of the waiting list arrives, we will get in touch to let you know it's time to send us your fur garment. Roll up your clean, dry fur (it can be wrapped with white tissue paper, or use nothing), then place the fur inside a clean plastic bag. Place the bag inside a secure box and mail it to us.

   We request that you include a $10 payment with your fur. If we discover that the fur is unsuitable for teddy bear making, we will use the $10 to pay shipping charges to return the fur back to you. Otherwise, $10 will be subtracted from the total balance you owe on the bear.
   
   

3. Evaluation of the garment

   The very first thing we do when your fur arrives is give it a thorough evaluation. We need to make sure that it is in good enough condition to be turned into a fur bear. We may be able to tell just by looking at it or feeling it, or we may need to open up a portion of the lining to look at the back of the pelts.

   If we determine that the garment is not in good enough condition to be turned into a teddy bear, unfortunately we will not be able to proceed any further and will return the garment to you immediately.

   If your coat passes our evaluation, we will verify the type of fur, make notes of styling (belts, pockets), size of the garment, and other factors that will influence what bears can be made from it. At this point, we will contact you directly to discuss our findings. We will reach an agreement with you as to what can be created from your fur, including number and sizes of bears, and whether optional features can be added*. We will confirm the price with you, and also let you know when we expect your bear to be finished.

   * Please note that because fur pelts are not man-made, natural variations in the skins can occasionally result in unforeseen difficulties. While not a common problem, we will contact you immediately if in the process of making your bear, we uncover any issues with the pelts that may force us to change our plans as to number of bears, size or style. This is rarely the case, however.
   
   

4. Receiving the deposit

   Once we have determined size, number of bears, and any additional features, then we also know the cost of the bear. Before bear-making can begin, we need to receive the following deposit:
   
   
   • For one bear only, the deposit amount is equal to 50% of the cost
   • For multiple bears, the deposit is equal to 25% of the total
   
   

5. Making your bear

   Once the plans are set into motion and the deposit has been received, now it's time for the fun part... the construction process of your bear can begin! We'll keep working steadily until every part of your project is completed.
   
   

6. Home sweet home

   Once your bear (or multiple bear project) is completely finished, we will let you know! At this time, we can also mail or email photographs of the finished bears. The balance of your payment needs to be paid in full, then we'll ship your bear home to be with you! (Any scraps remaining from your original garment will also be returned to you.)

Not every garment can be made into every size bear!
In particular, we cannot guarantee the smaller bear sizes for every fur! We will need to confirm availability of sizes with you on a case-by-case basis.

NEW in 2008 - discounts for multiple-bear orders!
See our FAQ for more information. The discount will be applied only to the price of the bears, not to the fee for preparation & conditioning of the original garment.