Making More than Just Memories
with Memory Bears
Marlys
Hansen has
a knack for
making adults
fall in love all
over again
with the
irresistibly
classic teddy
bear. Though
not just any
teddy bear,
her bears
are memory
Marlys Hansen with an order of Memory Bears
bears, made
from an article of clothing from a deceased loved one; a cherished
keepsake to help keep their memory alive.
Though originally from Viborg, SD Hansen moved to Verdell,
NE and later moved to Crofton, NE in 1976. She has three children:
a daughter in Nebraska, a daughter in Everett, Washington, and a
son who passed away about twelve years ago. Her children blessed
her with five grandchildren, and she even has one step-great
granddaughter and another great-grandbaby on the way.
Hansen’s bear making journey began in June 1996 when her
father passed away. A friend of hers previously had one made and
when Hansen saw it she could remember the person wearing the
shirt the bear was made from. “I thought it was a great idea,” she
explains.
After finding the pattern for the bear in a magazine, she made
a memory bear for each one of her family members. Her mom
showed her bear off to everyone around her in the nursing home.
Her grandchildren in Washington took their bears to school for show
& tell and her sister-in-law brought hers to work with her. Hansen
suddenly began to get orders for bears. Soon after that she was
asked to be featured in an article for a local newspaper and she
hasn’t had a dull moment ever since.
Hansen enjoys making the bears, as sewing is a primary hobby
of hers. She learned how to sew from her mom and in homeeconomics class at school. Her mom sewed most of her clothes and
Hansen sewed many of her own children’s clothes as well.
“I just like to sew. I like the creativity of it and the finished
product.”
Besides sewing the memory bears, Hansen likes to counter cross
stitch, embroider, knit, crochet and would like to quilt more if she
10vHERVOICE MARCH/APRIL 2015
could find the time. She also reads, plays piano, plays organ for her
church and makes scrapbooks for her children and grandchildren.
Hansen doesn’t use any special equipment to make the bears,
just creativity, time and her trusty sewing machine. She laughs when
I ask if she can remember how long she’s had her sewing machine.
“Yeah, I bought it with my high school graduation money. It’s a
Singer, a floor model and has only had one minor repair job on it,
for less than $100.” As I pick my jaw up off the floor, Hansen laughs
again, “So it’s been a number of years.”
Hansen takes very good care of her dependable sewing machine,
regularly oiling it and cleaning it has obviously helped it to make
thousands of stitches over the years. Though she also has a newer
machine, she still likes to use her standard Singer machine to make
her bears. Hansen makes a few stitches by hand on each bear,
sewing their smiles and the seams on their backs by hand and
adding their little black hand-made nose.
Hansen has used various types of fabrics to make the memory
bears. She’s used different types of shirts, bed sheets, pants, jeans,
sweatshirts and has even used an old-fashioned suit and wedding
dress.
“Some material is easier to work with than others,” she explains.
“Some bears are softer than others because of the material. Some
material has more give than others.”
Never working on them one at a time, Hansen works on them
in groups, like a one-person assembly line. The patterns are drawn
out on all of them first before she cuts them all out, and then all are
sewn and stuffed as a group.
Each bear takes 12 different pattern pieces, though she ends up
cutting twice as many pieces because she also cuts out an inside
lining for each bear, which is sewn into the seams of each bear.
Though no part of the process is harder than another, Hansen
explains that “the head is the most time consuming to stuff, to get
the shape. It really depends on the material.”
“I have even gotten more creative with the bears now than
what I did originally.” She’s had several special orders, making bears
wearing sports jackets, hoodie sweatshirts, western shirts, vests and
ties. She uses her creativity to adjust her standard pattern pieces to
fit the look her customer seeks.
Hansen’s largest order was for 25 bears at one time. From this
order, she made more than just another happy customer, she made
a lasting friendship. She has remained in contact for over 12 years
with the lady who placed this order, corresponding with her by
phone and letters.
vBEARS continued on page 23