{"id":40244,"date":"2026-06-14T08:44:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T08:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/?p=40244"},"modified":"2026-07-09T09:47:35","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T09:47:35","slug":"highlighting-a-wonderful-keepsake-business-claires-memory-bears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/highlighting-a-wonderful-keepsake-business-claires-memory-bears\/","title":{"rendered":"Highlighting a wonderful keepsake business ~ Claire&#8217;s Memory Bears"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Today we are highlighting&#8230;\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Claire Wadhams <\/strong>and her business ~&gt;\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.clairesmemorybears.com\/product-page\/memory-bear-workshop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><b>Claire&#8217;s Memory Bears<\/b><\/span><\/a><span style=\"color: #000000;\">. Claire is a lovely customer of mine who sews lovely keepsake toys using my Funky Friends Factory patterns. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; font-family: segoe;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">\u00a0<\/span>Claire has been sewing my patterns since 2016 &#8211; that&#8217;s over 10 years!!!!!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: #000000;\">You can see the <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/keepsake-unicorn-sewing-pattern\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Kelsy Keepsake Unicorn<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/larry-the-lion-soft-toy-sewing-pattern-instant-download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Larry Lion<\/strong><\/span><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/signature-bear-calico-teddy-bear-instant-download-sewing-e-pattern\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Calico Bear<\/strong><\/span><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/dilby-duckling-soft-toy-sewing-pattern-instant-download\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Dilby Duck<\/strong><\/span><\/a> keepsake toys she&#8217;s sewn in the pic below.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-40251 \" style=\"border: 1px solid #a8a5a9; padding: 4px;\" src=\"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CLAIRE1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"489\" height=\"589\" srcset=\"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CLAIRE1.jpg 800w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CLAIRE1-249x300.jpg 249w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CLAIRE1-768x926.jpg 768w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CLAIRE1-480x579.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 489px) 100vw, 489px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Craft Your Own Memory Bear in a Calico Bear Workshop!<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: #000000;\">This year Claire contacted me about running some online workshops teaching people how to sew memory bears with my <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/signature-bear-calico-teddy-bear-instant-download-sewing-e-pattern\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Calico Bear pattern<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span> (her favourite pattern for making memory bears).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-40255 \" style=\"border: 1px solid #a8a5a9; padding: 4px;\" src=\"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/CLAIRE2-644x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"400\" height=\"633\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #000000; font-family: segoe;\">I love Claire&#8217;s energy in her fun videos!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: #000000;\"> AND she is also super talented. She has fine-tuned her memory bear sewing skills over many years and this is what she&#8217;s sharing in her Calico Bear Workshops! She&#8217;ll show you how to transform special sentimental clothing into a huggable keepsake to preserve your most cherished memories! So of course I said &#8211; That is a FABULOUS idea!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">What to Expect in Claire\u2019s Workshops<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: #000000;\">Claire is hosting a series of video sessions in which she will guide you step-by-step through creating your own Funky Friends Factory <a style=\"color: #000000;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/signature-bear-calico-teddy-bear-instant-download-sewing-e-pattern\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Calico Bear<\/strong><\/a> &#8211; (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.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-40267 size-large\" style=\"border: 1px solid #a8a5a9; padding: 4px;\" src=\"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memory-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams-800x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memory-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams-800x1024.jpg 800w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memory-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams-234x300.jpg 234w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memory-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams-768x983.jpg 768w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memory-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams-980x1254.jpg 980w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memory-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams-480x614.jpg 480w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memory-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Skills you&#8217;ll learn:<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: #000000;\">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!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-40266 \" style=\"border: 1px solid #a8a5a9; padding: 4px;\" src=\"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memoery-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams-880x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"930\" srcset=\"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memoery-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams-880x1024.jpg 880w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memoery-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams-258x300.jpg 258w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memoery-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams-768x894.jpg 768w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memoery-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams-980x1141.jpg 980w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memoery-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams-480x559.jpg 480w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Online-Memoery-Bear-Workshop-with-Claire-Wadhams.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">You will be using a genuine Funky Friends Factory Pattern!\ud83d\udc4d<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: #000000;\"> I have organized with our UK distributor for Claire to obtain official, printed patterns for all attendees.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-40269 \" style=\"border: 1px solid #a8a5a9; padding: 4px;\" src=\"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/COVER-Signature-Bear-Calico.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"493\" height=\"559\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Workshop Details &amp; How to Book<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 12pt;\">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 &#8211;\u00a0 click the link below!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>\ud83d\udc49 <a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/reel\/1822132478923845\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Click Here for Claire&#8217;s Memory Bear Workshops!<\/a>\ud83e\uddf8<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-40268 size-large\" style=\"border: 1px solid #a8a5a9; padding: 4px;\" src=\"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Claires-Bears-Online-Memory-Bear-Workshops-877x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"877\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Claires-Bears-Online-Memory-Bear-Workshops-877x1024.jpg 877w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Claires-Bears-Online-Memory-Bear-Workshops-257x300.jpg 257w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Claires-Bears-Online-Memory-Bear-Workshops-768x897.jpg 768w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Claires-Bears-Online-Memory-Bear-Workshops-980x1145.jpg 980w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Claires-Bears-Online-Memory-Bear-Workshops-480x561.jpg 480w, https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Claires-Bears-Online-Memory-Bear-Workshops.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 877px) 100vw, 877px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">As you can tell &#8211; I highly recommend Claire&#8217;s Memory Bears!!!<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: #000000;\">I know you&#8217;ll be in good hands if you attend Claire&#8217;s Memory Bear Workshop. If you are wanting to buy a Memory Bear made by Claire &#8211; <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/snugglysoftdesigns\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">please get in touch with <\/a>Caire <\/strong><\/span>and she can sew a Funky Friend for you <span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">(if you can&#8217;t sew one yourself using <a href=\"\/products\/instant-downloads?limit=all\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>my toy patterns<\/strong><\/span><\/a>!)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"padding: 20px 20px; margin: 30px 40px; border: 3px dashed #f88fed; color: #000000;\">\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Do you want us to feature the Funky Friends keepsakes you sell?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt; color: #000000;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/easy-printable-tags-for-handmade-toys-free-copyright-credit-labels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>support the independent designer community<\/strong><\/span><\/a> by giving pattern credits on their websites and social media posts!\u00a0 If you t<\/span>ag your social media posts with <strong>#funkyfriendsfactory<\/strong>\u00a0 &#8211; we can find your posts&#8230; and who knows, maybe our next featured Super Softie Seller could be be YOU!!!!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-28019\" src=\"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/hashtag_funkyfriendsfactory.jpg\" alt=\"hashtag_funkyfriendsfactory\" width=\"550\" height=\"188\" \/><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\">I can&#8217;t wait to see YOUR Funky Friends toys for sale!<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><br class=\"clear\" \/><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"float: left;\" title=\"Teddy-bear-rings\" src=\"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Teddy-bear-rings.png\" alt=\"Pauline McArthur - Funky Friends Factory\" width=\"224\" height=\"218\" \/>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 12pt;\">Till next time,<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #000000; font-size: 12pt;\">Happy sewing,<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong> Pauline<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-6592\" title=\"White-Spacer\" src=\"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/White-Spacer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"520\" height=\"30\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today we are highlighting&#8230;\u00a0Claire Wadhams and her business ~&gt;\u00a0Claire&#8217;s Memory Bears. Claire is a lovely customer of mine who sews lovely keepsake toys using my Funky Friends Factory patterns. &nbsp; \u00a0Claire has been sewing my patterns since 2016 &#8211; that&#8217;s over 10 years!!!!! &nbsp; You can see the Kelsy Keepsake Unicorn, Larry Lion, Calico Bear [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":40277,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,19,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-a-day-in-my-life","category-blog","category-feedback"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/500-CLAIRE.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40244"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40244\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40276,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40244\/revisions\/40276"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/40277"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=40244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/manage.funkyfriendsfactory.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=40244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}