"I've also started to experiment with glitter accents on the nose, even using glitter on the mohair of the bear and this, along with the airbrushing accents, gives quite a unique appearance."
"I want to continue to experiment with colour dyeing the mohair because this is the way I can really achieve a custom colour. I've used coffee, fruit juices and even Kool-aid to achieve the desired colours."
All of Diana’s bears are made from her own original designs, in mohair and with ultra-suede paw pads. She uses mostly antique shoe buttons for the eyes, but occasionally black glass. The usual filling is fibrefill and plastic pellets but the smaller bears, around six inches, are generally stuffed with steel shot to give them a weighted look.
Each bear has finely crafted touches that emerge with care and love and an average size teddy, around thirteen or fourteen inches, takes about eight hours to complete. If the mohair is custom-dyed or tie-dyed, the completion time is considerably longer.
Sizes in Di's Vintage Bear Collection range from six to twenty-five inches, most of them open editions but occasional limited editions or one-of-a-kinds.
Diana works at home, in her office/bear room which has a siqn on the door reading "Bear hugs given here." Inside is her trusty ancient commercial sewing machine, her new computer and a sofa where she can sit comfortably to do the hand-stitching and the finishing work on the bears.
Anticipation
"Sitting on the shelves are my finished bears, keeping a watchful eye on each new creation that will soon join them together in anticipation of the new owner that they will choose to talk to at the next bear show," says Diana. "It's the bear that always chooses its owner!"
The name Di's Vintage Bear Collection came about because Diana wanted to accessorise her creations with vintage accents found on her antiquing trips.
LEFT: Angel bear has feather wings and a flower halo.
page 2
Di's Vintage Bears
Collection conceals a special prayer
message just for the new owner
Every teddy in the Di's Vintage Bear Collection has a special secret message never likely to be revealed to the world at large. Some years ago their creator, Diana Julet, read an article about a note being found inside a very old bear, written by a young girl who had apparently worked on that teddy during production.
"The story intrigued me and inspired me to do something similar with my bears," Diana told Teddy Bear Times, "But I didn't want to include just any note – I wanted it to be special. So I composed a prayer message for the owner and now every bear I make, I stuff the belly with a prayer note."
This kind of thoughtful and original touch is typical of Diana's approach to bear-making, with a strong emphasis on creative flair.
"The aspect of bear-making I enjoy most is the creative process," she explains. "I love receiving new mohair samples arid enjoy the challenge of what I can create with them. I also thrive on the challenge of experimenting with techniques and how I can incorporate them to create unique designs."
A graduate of Kendall College of Design in Michigan with a degree in Advertising Design, Diana worked in that field for many years but began making bears around nine years ago after her son Joseph was born, using the craft as a creative outlet and the means to stay at home when her little boy was young.
Now she divides time between taking care of her family, working
Even after nine years and major advances in her style, one of the first bears she made remains her favourite — and is just as popular with her customers. Little Joe was created to celebrate
Joseph's birth and is only eiqht inches tall, but he is bursting with personality and Diana still makes him as he is always in demand with collectors. "The look of my bear faces has for the most part remained the same and I still use antique shoe buttons for the eyes, but the bodies have changed a lot since my first bears," Diana says. "Their tummies are pudgier and I'm using plastic pellets now to fill them. I'm also using more bent leg designs and the arms are longer and fatter.
"I've recently started using airbrushing accents and I would like to take this technique even further. I feel it gives the bears better depth and enhances their personality."
Di's Vintage Bears