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Teddy Bears? What are teddy bears doing on an alpaca site? Did you know that the single largest collectible amongst adults in the world are teddy bears? Did you know that alpaca plush is one of the favoured "furs" to use on teddy bears created by top teddy bear artists?
I really like the
mohair as more frequently used by bear artists but as an alpaca breeder
and attendee/participant of alpaca shows I wanted to promote alpaca. I
have always been uncomfortable with the many teddies being marketed at
these shows. Instead of being made of manufactured alpaca plush, they
have been created from the hides of these gentle and remarkable creatures.
These are livestock that we market on the premise that we do not need
to kill them to benefit from them as their value lies in their fleece,
which is harvested annually. Grant you, in South America their culture
dictates wasting nothing if it may provide income to their many impoverished
families. They will and do use the hides of babies that have died to make
up luxuriously soft rugs and home accessories, including teddies. I have
no quarrel with that but in our society I do not believe this to be the
case and so would rather market teddies made out of manufactured alpaca
plush to underscore that they do not have to die for us to enjoy the privilege
of an alpaca teddy in our hug. So my quest became a search for an alpaca
plush bear which wasn't as easy as I had expected. I knew they were out
there because I have R.John Wright's wonderful "Paddington"
but even "Paddington" doesn't sport the soft plush I was looking
for. I turned to my friend Melanie Warren of Warren
Bears in England who came through with her usual inspired flying colours
with Inti and Misq'i! I was so pleased that I just had to adopt them both!
She is such a gifted artist and has captured the very gentle sweet nature
of the alpacas in the faces of her bears.
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I know it's out there. What I could find felt harsh and am convinced
it was lama rather than alpaca. If anyone knows alpaca it is by
its very nature one of the softest fleeces imaginable so am also
perplexed as to why more bear makers do not use it. I have since
learned that many bear artists do not even know about it! I cannot
imagine a teddy being more huggable than one made of alpaca.Although
every bit as durable as mohair perhaps the sad lack of variety of
finishes as provided by the manufacturers do not inspire bear artists
or perhaps the higher expense? Major producer Peru realizes only
4000 tons alpaca annually compared to the major mohair producers
of South Africa, Turkey & USA which produce 22,000 tons annually.
Perhaps its rarity accounts for the minimal supply delegated to
craft textiles and variety of finishes because what would go into
plush would be the small amount of left over lower grade fibre that
cannot be used by the fashion industry. I just feel so fortunate
that I've been able to have Melanie guide me to her sources (