Let it snow...

Hey Everyone! We had our first snow fall with accumulation on Sunday evening/Monday morning. It's the kick off to my first cold Chicago winter, but it gives me an excuse to stay inside and work on my creations! Speaking of my creations, I am currently working on something new... I will hopefully be debuting my first tiger by the end of the week! Check back for pictures and more information.

(The photograph was pulled from a Chicago Tribune article from December 2nd, 2008)

Zi Yu Chen

Hello Everyone! I am very excited to introduce to you my newest creation, Zi Yu Chen. Zi Yu Chen is a one of a kind, 19" panda bear made of two lovely, hand-dyed mohairs in violet and orange. The special dyeing process has created an interesting marbled effect on the mohair, displaying several shades of orange and violet. Zi Yu Chen's nose was hand embroidered with three different colors (brown, orange and violet) making a nice striped effect. He has premium German black glass eyes, violet ultrasuede soft-sculpted toes, and he is fully (5-way) jointed with locknut/bolt joints. He is stuffed with a mixture of super soft polyester fibers and steel shot for weight.

(His name translates into Purple and Orange)

Zi Yu Chen is available now for $205 plus shipping and handling.

Ann Arbor Teddy Bear Show!

Hey Everyone!

This weekend is the 21st Annual Ann Arbor Teddy Bear Show. It is located at 3050 Jackson Road in Ann Arbor, MI. The general show hours are 10:30 - 4:00 this Sunday, November 16th.

I have been working on some new creations and I've been doing a lot of hand dyeing, which has helped me achieve some really unique fabrics and color combinations. I hope you can join us at the show this weekend!

To see who will be there, check out this link to the sneak preview page:
http://www.bright-star-promotions.com/SneakPreviews/AnnArborSneakPreview08.htm

(Pictured above is Blossom the bunny who is all bundled up for winter)

Introducing... Benny!

Benny is an 8" teddy bear made from a blue mohair with a white back. He has black glass eyes and a blue and white hand embroidered nose of perle cotton. He is stuffed with the finest polyester fibers and steel shot. He is fully (5-way) jointed for poseability.

He is available now for $75 plus shipping.

Click here to see his listing on Bear Pile.

Sam, the proud patriot teddy

Let me present to you Sam. Sam is a one of a kind creation by me, Tyler Crain, of Teds 'n Such. Sam is a proud patriot of the United States. Sam is a 12" tall teddy bear made of a beautiful red/navy/golden hand dyed mohair. He has hand painted navy premium German eyes with sparkling glitter accents, dark brown needle felted eyelids, a hand-stitched nose of perle cotton, and golden brown wool felt foot pads with soft-sculpted toes. He is stuffed with a silky soft polyester fiberfil and steel shot for a more realistic feel. Sam is fully jointed with cotterpin joints and hard board disks.

Sam comes with a hand made hat with stars and stripes and a tea dyed American flag to match his vintage Americana coloring.

Click Here to see his eBay auction!

Celebrating My Birthday... and the Fall Schaumburg Show!

Hello Everyone!

My birthday was on October 13th and last weekend we went out for a day of fun in the city. Zac and I, along with his brother and his brother's girlfriend, went to the Brookfield Zoo, located just outside of Chicago. It is an excellent zoo and it was a ton of fun! We were there until about 6:00, so when we left, we decided to go to dinner at Dave and Buster's. For those of you who have never been to one, it is somewhat like a Chuck E. Cheese for adults. They have much better food and lots of fun games that you can play! You can play for tickets and try to get enough to get some prizes. I really enjoyed myself, and it's not too far from where we live, so we may go back soon!

This weekend was the Fall Schaumburg Teddy Bear Show. Valerie Rogers of Bright Star Promotions put on a great show and we all had a lot of fun catching up with our artist friends along with seeing some of our favorite collectors. She is going to be continuing with a show in April. Check out her website for more details.

Below are some photographs of some bears that I had at the show with me.
(L to R: Chief Lightfeather, Jin Kai, Topsy Kretts)

Introducing... Neil

Hello everyone! Let me introduce to you, Neil. He is a wise old bear filled with knowledge and intriguing stories. He could definitely entertain you for hours!

Neil is an 11" bear made of a beautiful gray mohair. He has black German glass eyes and a hand stitched nose. He is fully jointed with cotterpin joints and he is stuffed with the finest polyester fibers and steel shot.

Click here for more information.

My New Job

Hello Everyone!

Here is just a little background information on me :)
I recently graduated from college (in May) with a Computer Science degree from Ball State University. Two months after graduating, I moved to Chicago, a big difference from the small town of Angola, IN that I grew up in and I have enjoyed my summer in the city.

Tomorrow I begin my new job. This is my first full-time job and I'm both excited and nervous. I will be working for a company called Big Machines which is located in Deerfield, IL (a suburb just north of the city of Chicago). I will be doing web development, something I have always been interested in. Because of this, I will not be able to devote as much time to my teddy bears, but I will continue to work on them in my free time and I have plans to attend several shows throughout the year.

Speaking of shows...
My next show is on Sunday, October 26th in Schaumburg, IL
Check out Bright Star Promotions for more information!
It will be a great show and I hope you can make it!

Watch out for more posts as I continue to work in my free time!

Two New Bears and an Elephant!

Hi Everyone! I have 2 new bears and an elephant to share with you! Please meet Clark, Griffin and Eliana.

Clark is an 11" bear made of a beautiful Navy Blue and Violet tie dyed mohair. He has black German glass eyes and a hand stitched nose. He is fully jointed with cotterpin joints and he is stuffed with the finest polyester fibers and steel shot.

Click Here for more information about Clark.



Griffin is a 10.5" bear made out of a lovely brown mohair with a black tip. He has black German glass eyes and a hand stitched nose. He is fully jointed with cotterpin joints and he is stuffed with the finest polyester fibers and steel shot.

Click Here for more information about Griffin.





Eliana is a 7" elephant made out of a cream mohair with a rosy pink tip. She has black German glass eyes, she is fully jointed with cotterpin joints and she is stuffed with the finest polyester fibers and steel shot.

Click Here for more information about Eliana.

Introducing... Melyngoch!

Hello! I would like to introduce to you my newest creation, Melyngoch. His name is a welsh word that simply means 'Orange'. Melyngoch is a 9.5" tall dragon made of a hand-dyed fiery orange tie-dyed mohair. It has shades ranging from reddish orange to peach. He has black glass german eyes, he is fully jointed with cotter pin joints and he is stuffed with the finest polyester fiber and steel shot. His chest, spikes, inner wings, tail and foot pads are made of an off-white wool felt. His chest was soft sculpted and shaded in lime green. His feet have needle felted toes in lime green. He also has lime green needle felted eye lids.

For more information, click here.

Welcome!

Hello! My name is Tyler Crain and I am the artist behind Teds 'n Such. This is my blog for you to keep up to date on what is happening here in my workshop!

I am 22 years old and have been making bears for 10 years now. I really enjoy the teddy bear world and all of the wonderful people that are in it.

I became interested in making my own teddies one holiday season, so my mother and I went to the store and found a teddy bear pattern. The initial intent was to make teddies for family members to give out at our holiday get together, but soon I was hooked on teddies.

I purchased a book at a local craft store and with the help of some friends in the bear world I designed my first bear. Now all of my designs come directly from my imagination onto a piece of paper, then they are transferred to the fur, and a new bundle of life is born.