Teddy Bear Academy

I've been a professional teddy bear artist since 2001 You can find my bears at: www.TeddiesbyLauraLynn.com.

I am honored to have had my bears appear in Teddy Bear and Friends, Teddy Bear Review and Teddy Bear Times magazines.

How it All Started....

I started collecting artist teddy bears in the 1990's. Soon I wanted to learn how to make my own bears.

I bought a book at my local fabric store about teddy bear making. It had lots of photos, but I could not understand it. I really needed someone to actually show me.

I was very fortunate to be able to get to know Jo Martenson, a teddy bear artist who lived fairly close to me. I was so happy when she told me she gave bear making classes.

I took several classes from her and other artists who were in the area and willing to share their techniques with me.

I then started designing my own patterns and selling my bears on eBay, my website and teddy bear shows.

After doing this for several years, I was asked to teach a teddy bear making workshop. I found something else that I loved as much as making bears - teaching others to make them! I enjoyed teaching in the Chicago area and on the East Coast.

Time and travel costs have limited the number of teddy bear making classes I could do, so I decided to open up Teddy Bear Academy, where I can teach my bear making classes to anyone in the world with an internet connection!