Woman turns clothes of lost loved ones into 'Memory Bears' to help people remember them by
The thing about memories is that when you are creating them, you don't even realize it. But you keep them close to your heart to live and relive it over the years. Time spent with the people you love can be captured in pictures and videos, of course. But they do not provide a physical sense of warmth. That's when Memory Bears come in. Mary MacInnes has been creating these adorable teddy bears using the clothes of her client's loved ones for nearly seven years now. With these handmade creations, she manages to bring memories back to life in the form of cuddly soft toys.
MacInnes was only 16 years only when she first decided to start her business, as part of a local challenge for youth entrepreneurship in the UK. She decided to put her excellent sewing skills to use as she began making teddys using the clothes of people who had passed away and help their family deal with their loss. The challenge may have been only for a month but she continued creating the bears anyway and still continues to do so. She was also awarded Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2016 for her meaningful business. The adorable keepsakes can be displayed at home and even be passed through generations.
“It sounds cliché but it really is a privilege to be asked to create something from people's personal possessions,” MacInnes told My Modern Met. “The pressure to ensure the safekeeping of cremation ash and jewelry (which can be inserted into bears) is a huge responsibility. It takes 5-6 hours to design, plan, cut, sew, and complete each bear.” People send their favorite item that belonged to their loved one to be incorporated into making the teddy bear. There is also scope for customization and MacInnes will add a special pocket at the back. If her clients want, they can ask her to put letters or other mementos that are special to them.
The bears can be customized in other ways as well. They have jointed legs and arms which enables them to be posed differently depending on where you want to put them. They’re not intended to be toys that can be played with but can be given to children to help them with bereavement. The price for making these bears start at £50 or $70. The prices will vary depending on the specifications and customizations you want to include. She works between two studios, one is in her hometown of Kilmarnock and one in Galashiels. The turnover time for each bear can take anywhere between one to three weeks.
For MacInnes, the process of making the dolls can be emotionally draining. Speaking to Metro she said, "I had a 37-year-old man pleading with me to make his two daughters aged 10 & 12 bears before Christmas. He insisted on paying in full and gave me £10 extra asking me to post them to his girls. It turned out he has terminal cancer and won’t see Christmas. I cried the whole time I cut out, sewed, and stuffed those two little bears." Despite these hardships, she says it is always worth it when she gets a great reaction from customers. The teddys need not only be for loved ones who have passed but can also be made to mark special occasions.
MacInnes actually had no intentions of starting this business at all. She explained, "I made my first memory bear five years ago as a favor for a friend and was constantly asked to make more, but turned them down because I wanted to concentrate on university and a career in bridal. I gave in to requests for bears and once I uploaded photos to my page it just exploded – so at the moment I’m fully committed to making them."