Hello fellow Teddy Bear lovers, welcome to my site. Whether you make the bears yourself or just collect them, you are welcome here. I hope that you'll leave me a message in the Guest Book to say you've visited.

Firstly, how did I become interested in bears?

I live in South Australia, and it was while returning by bus from a visit to Mount Gambier - a small town situated in the south east of our state - to my home in Adelaide, that an elderly lady (Mary) came and sat next to me. "What's that ?" she asked, pointing to a basket with a Teddy Bear attached to it that I had purchased during my visit. I took it out of my bag to show her and within minutes it was being passed around the bus for all to see.

"We could make them at Craft," she said, and when I asked her what the craft was that she was referring to, she informed me that she went to a church in Brighton (SA) where - among other things - they made Teddy Bears. No more was said on the subject.

A week or two later I was telling a friend of mine about the trip and what had happened on the bus, when she asked me where this church was; because if I would go with her, we could both learn how to make Teddy Bears. Unfortunately, I didn't get the name of the church from my travelling companion so I spent a lot of time on the phone ringing all the churches in the Brighton area. Success! I found it. In late July 1995, we attended our first class and I was hooked! Sadly, Mary died in 2002 (a big loss to the community). However, this dear soul had lived long enough to see me advance from pupil to teacher in the art of crafting teddy bears and she will always remain in my thoughts as an inspirational figure.

When the Teddy Bear Show was held at the Festival Theatre a few weeks later, I went along. When I entered the door I was completely unprepared for the quality and quantity of the bears on display and found myself overwhelmed by the vast range of materials and parts; such as eyes, discs, and noses etc., that are available to the prospective bear maker.

It is now seven years since my husband and I had a craft room (weatherboard cottage) built in the back garden and it is here on my large cutting out table, that with loving care, all my bears start out in life and when completed, were displayed. To date, I have made and kept for my own enjoyment and for sale, some 350 bears. Although some were originally crafted from commercial patterns, today they are (with a few exceptions) made from my own designs.

To accommodate my large family, the bears now cover the table and other furniture in our sun room and have spilled over into the lounge and hallway - some even sit in collectors bear mugs and on shelves in the kitchen.
Although I have discontinued making hats (you can see them on some of my bears), I still have some available for sale.

Since that first visit to the Festival Theatre Complex in Adelaide, as a visitor, I have designed exhibited and sold my own bears, at the Festival Complex and 15 other Venues, including last year's Doll & Bear Show in Mildura, Victoria (I hope to exhibit and sell bears there again in July 2006).

My latest and very successful addition to my range of bears are my Polar bears. Photos of these are now on display on the Bears for Sale Page.

Hugs Pat Morris

N.B. Many more of my bears are on display at and can be purchased from the Bearpile Website.