TBAAF - Purchase Directly From International Bear and Doll Artists

My name is Betty J. Franks and I’m just happy to be part of the teddy bear world. As far back as I can remember I’ve always enjoyed teddy bears. There were always people, places and things that feed my passion and encouraged a creative imagination.

Collecting teddy bears soon became one of my hobbies and it wasn’t long before I became interested enough to try my hand at designing my very own bears. As primitive as they seemed to me, people began showing an interest in them. The next step was trying a show or two, which added to the fun and excitement.

It has been fun experimenting with different materials. Most of my bears are made with mohair, glass eyes, embroidered noses and expressions. Cotter pins, bolts and lock nuts are used to fasten the head, arms and legs. I also have learned to needle felt teddy bears and friends from with wool roving. I also crochet some small teddy bears.

Making teddy bears has brought me into a world of friendship, excitement and joy.

I hope to keep my hobby going as long as I can; traveling to new places, meeting new people, learning and experimenting with new ways to enjoy teddy bears and the things I love.