Highlighting a wonderful keepsake business ~ Claire’s Memory Bears

Jun 14, 2026 | A day in my life, Blog, Customer Feedback

Today we are highlighting… Claire Wadhams and her business ~> Claire’s Memory Bears. Claire is a lovely customer of mine who sews lovely keepsake toys using my Funky Friends Factory patterns.

Claire has been sewing my patterns since 2016 – that’s over 10 years!!!!!

You can see the Kelsy Keepsake Unicorn, Larry Lion, Calico Bear and Dilby Duck keepsake toys she’s sewn in the pic below.

Craft Your Own Memory Bear in a Calico Bear Workshop!

This year Claire contacted me about running some online workshops teaching people how to sew memory bears with my Calico Bear pattern (her favourite pattern for making memory bears).

I love Claire’s energy in her fun videos!

AND she is also super talented. She has fine-tuned her memory bear sewing skills over many years and this is what she’s sharing in her Calico Bear Workshops! She’ll show you how to transform special sentimental clothing into a huggable keepsake to preserve your most cherished memories! So of course I said – That is a FABULOUS idea!

What to Expect in Claire’s Workshops

Claire is hosting a series of video sessions in which she will guide you step-by-step through creating your own Funky Friends Factory Calico Bear – (one of our most popular memory bear designs). Why did Claire choose Calico Bear? The Calico Teddy Bear pattern is perfect for featuring precious pieces of clothing. Its traditional proportions and large flat spaces make it incredibly easy to mix, match, and highlight different sections of your sentimental clothing, combined with its sweet, smiley face Calico makes a classic yet comforting memory bear.

Skills you’ll learn:

Claire will help you assess your chosen clothing items, plan your clothing layout, and show you how to stabilize delicate fabrics so they machine-sew beautifully. Sentimental garments can be stretchy, delicate, or worn down. That is exactly why having an established professional like Claire by your side makes all the difference! Claire will walk you through cutting out the pieces, sewing and constructing the bear, how to perfectly align facial features, and how to stuff your memory bear to achieve maximum hugginess!

You will be using a genuine Funky Friends Factory Pattern!👍

I have organized with our UK distributor for Claire to obtain official, printed patterns for all attendees.

Workshop Details & How to Book

Spaces are strictly limited to ensure every participant receives dedicated, one-on-one attention from Claire. To find out about upcoming dates and secure your spot – click the link below!

👉 Click Here for Claire’s Memory Bear Workshops!🧸

As you can tell – I highly recommend Claire’s Memory Bears!!!

I know you’ll be in good hands if you attend Claire’s Memory Bear Workshop. If you are wanting to buy a Memory Bear made by Claire – please get in touch with Caire and she can sew a Funky Friend for you (if you can’t sew one yourself using my toy patterns!)

Do you want us to feature the Funky Friends keepsakes you sell?

This Seller Feature series is my way of saying THANK YOU to Funky Friends Factory fans who not only sew fabulous Funky Friends toys but ALSO support the independent designer community by giving pattern credits on their websites and social media posts! If you tag your social media posts with #funkyfriendsfactory – we can find your posts… and who knows, maybe our next featured Super Softie Seller could be be YOU!!!!