THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 11, 1994 TAG: 9412090303
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY NANCY LEWIS, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Some of Santa's many elves were hard at work last week getting hundreds of teddy bears dressed for Christmas Day.
The women are members of the Hampton Roads chapter of the American Sewing Guild. They had worked for months making clothes for some of the 4,000 teddy bears earmarked for needy local children this Christmas.
Many of the dolled-up teddies will be the only toy a child receives for the holiday.
Last Christmas, Salvation Army volunteers ran out of dressed teddies and had to hand out bare bears, said Anne Barrett, a guild member who was instrumental in getting the bear-dressing project underway three years ago. The sewers hope that this year no teddies will go naked.
The guild women gathered Tuesday evening and dressed some 350 bears in short order.
Bear outfits ranged from a Redskins jersey and pants to a bridal gown and veil.
Some bears looked ready to yawn, rub their glass eyes and head for bed in their flannel pajamas and nightcaps. Others were decked out for school in jumpers, blouses and matching hairbows.
In fact, there were few possible items of bear wear these creative women hadn't thought of - and made.
White there were no bears in top hats or tunics - no teddied teddies or plush bear legs in tights - any one of the dolled-up grizzlies would surely be a candidate for this season's best-dressed bear list.
Parents who are not able to provide gifts for their children at Christmas are allowed to select a bear. The Salvation Army also gets help attiring the teddies from other local organizations.
The number of bears given out has grown steadily, rising from 2,000 in 1992 to 3,000 in 1993 and 4,000 this year.
The non-profit guild is committed to community service. Each year, the sewers make baby clothing needed by area hospitals and also stitch items used in the teaching of handicapped children.
A project in the offing for the new year would provide wool coat-blankets for the area's homeless. ILLUSTRATION: Members of the Hampton Roads Chapter of the American Sewing
Guild, including Margaret Wharton, foreground, dressed 350 teddy
bears in handmade outfits for needy area children.
Photos by NANCY LEWIS
Pat Taylor sews a red hat on one of the 4,000 teddy bears the
Salvation Army will give to needy area children this Christmas. The
seamstresses hope to dress all the bears.
by CNB