THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 28, 1994 TAG: 9410260158
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CATHERINE M. KURCHINSKI, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
VICKY LOUGHER SPENDS most of her days and nights sewing and stuffing teddy bears. ``I have what they call in the business, `bear fever,' '' she said.
It's obvious when you walk into her Chesapeake home. Her family room has been transformed into a bear haven, where guests can admire her line of handmade teddy bears.
They come in all shapes and sizes, colors and costumes. Some of her bears stand along her fireplace mantel, while others peek out from inside antique trunks and baby carriages. And each one has a name. There's ``Achy-Breaky Bear,'' a country line dancer; ``Linda, the Good Witch of the North,'' a fairy princess bear; and her most popular sellers, the ``Elegant Lady'' bears, dressed in 1920s-era clothing with feathered hats, furs and antique jewelry.
``They remind me of little old ladies going to a tea party,'' said Lougher. Made of German mohair, a soft, wooly fur, the fully jointed bears range in size from 9 to 30 inches and sell for $150 to $700 apiece, Lougher said.
Nearly every weekend, Lougher carefully packs her minivan with her cuddly creations and travels the bear-show circuit. This year alone, she has traveled to 31 shows.
The Michigan native has not only won several first-place and best-in-show awards for her bears, but she was recently invited by the Franklin Mint on an all-expense paid trip to Philadelphia to participate in the company's first annual doll and teddy bear show. ``I was ecstatic when I found out that I was chosen to participate with other bear artists,'' said Lougher, who began making bears only three years ago.
Her line of ``Elegant Lady'' bears has attracted the most attention from collectors. Lougher considers these tall, thin honey-colored bears her trademark.
``I haven't seen too many bear artists who dress their bears in 1920s attire,'' she said.
An artist who believes in authenticity, Lougher visits antique shops looking for eyeglasses, bow ties, jewelry, hats, and even old lace and fabric to create her costumes. One of her bears, a distinguished-looking teddy named ``Elmo,'' wears an antique white collar, bow tie and round eyeglasses that were made in 1915.
The tedious process of bear-making begins in an upstairs bedroom, where Lougher keeps her ``bear'' essentials - German mohair, glass eyes, ultra-suede ``paw'' material, bags of Poly-Fil stuffing, an assortment of colorful fabric, buttons, feathers, hats and antique jewelry. And, of course, her faithful Singer sewing machine.
The artist begins with an idea and draws a pattern on a piece of paper. It usually takes six to eight hours to bring a bear ``to life,'' she said, and another three to four hours to make the costume.
The face is the most important aspect of bear-making, Lougher said. ``The face has to look lifelike,'' she said. ``If the bear doesn't speak to the customer, he won't buy it.''
Lougher makes her bears ``speak'' by the facial expression she creates. The eyes, nose and mouth are placed in such a way that the bear can look happy, sad or even mad. As an example, Lougher pointed to one of the Elegant Lady bears. `` `Freda' looks a little stern because of the shape of her mouth and the way her eyes are set, and also the way her fur is combed.''
Bears can speak, as well as ``growl'' at their customers. ``Elmo'' is equipped with a growler mechanism. ``When you turn him upside down, then upright again, he sounds like a baby bear crying,'' said Lougher.
Each bear is personalized with a name tag and the artist's signature. ``I have to be careful when I sign their paws,'' she said with a childlike gleam in her eyes. ``Bears are ticklish.''
Lougher currently has bears in 28 states and four countries - Australia, Canada, England and Holland.
In the future, she hopes to sign a contract with the Home Shopping Network and the Franklin Mint, both of whom are test-marketing several of her bears for mass production. But Lougher said she's not getting her hopes up too high. ``If it falls through, I don't want to be disappointed,'' she said.
Lougher said she hopes to create a line of sailor bears for her next project. A Navy veteran, Lougher plans to use her husband's old cracker-jack uniforms for her sea-going bears.
Lougher acknowledged that her new-found passion would not be possible without the support of her husband, Gary, a Navy senior chief, and her 15-year-old daughter, Jennifer.
``They help keep the house clean and give me the freedom to create my bears and travel to bear shows,'' she said.
The most rewarding aspect of bear-making, said Lougher, is ``seeing the expressions of love and joy on people's faces when they look at my bears. There's nothing quite like it.'' MEMO: For more information about Lougher's bears, call 1-800-Teddy-0-9.
ILLUSTRATION: Vicky Lougher's ``Elegant Lady'' bears wear 1920s-era clothing
with feathered hats and furs.
``Elmo,'' left, wears an antique collar and bow tie.
The bride bear is made of German mohair.
by CNB