"All that JAZZ " article in the July 2005 issue of Teddy Bear Times.

Sue Watkins discovers she's completely in tune with US bear artist Virginia Jasmer's beautiful, feminine creations~

Virginia Jasmer of Jazzbears has been creating her bears, bunnies and gollies since 1984, when she discovered a passion for bearmaking. It all started as a hobby as a way of relaxing after a busy day working as a speech and language teacher in schools.

After ten years of combining teddymaking with her work, she was delighted to be able to devote all her time to creating bears and other creatures. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Virginia moved to Oregon when she was a teenage. There she met her husband, Fred, who is from Oregon, while they were at university. They have two grown-up sons and four grandchildren.

She now lives in Springfield, Oregon in the West of the United States, in an area called the Willamette Valley, and can reach the sea or the mountains in about an hour.

At home she has her own workroom that is full of wonderful furs and silk flowers. Virginia told me the best thing about this room is the window, which looks out onto her garden, where she finds inspiration from the changing seasons and beautiful flowers. When asked about her hobbies, she explained that her main one is sewing and creating Jazzbears, which takes up most of her time.

Now that her husband has retired from his job with the employment division, he is able to help her. He gives her a hand with the jointing and stuffing, and also does all the paper and computer work.

Virginia has always liked to sew—in fact any form of needlework was welcome relaxation after a day's work. She made clothes as a girl, then when she married she did needlepoint and quilting as well.

Once she learned about bearmaking, all other kinds of sewing were put to one side.

I first met Virginia at Teddy Bear Total in Munster in 2004. Her Flower Bears, which she has been creating for 12 years, are strikingly different and caught my eye as I walked past her stall.

The bodies and backs of the heads are made from green string mohair, with the cutest embroidered faces peeping out from a ring of silk flower petals. The noses are embroidered in a variety of colours, and all the bears have glass eyes.

The Flower Bears are fully jointed and quite heavy, allowing them to sit or stand by themselves.

I asked Virginia what gave her the inspiration for them. Apparently when her oldest grandchild, Alexa, was a year old, Virginia and her daughter-in-law dressed the little girl like a flower for Halloween. Her daughter-in-law found the green body suit and Virginia spent the day making a hood of yellow felt surrounded by large sunflower petals.

Alexa refused to put on the outfit until her mother showed her the reflection in a mirror of herself wearing the headdress. Alexa was enchanted.

Virginia immediately realised what she could do with this idea. She says these bears are still her favourites, probably because people find them so delightful. She specialises in creatures measuring between eight and 26 inches from paws to the top of their heads. Her bears are very feminine and are created from the finest English or German mohair and plush.

The green mohair for the Flower Bears comes from Germany as Virginia cannot buy it in the United States. She told me she chose it because she felt it resembled the furry texture of flower stems.

I asked her whether she collected bears herself. "I collect bears made by fellow artists, while my husband has his collection of naval bears," she replied. They also collect antique furniture, sewing things and chocolate moulds.

Virginia and Fred exhibit at several shows in the United States and work out their annual schedule according to shows they want to attend, places they want to visit and catching up with friends and collectors.

This year, from June 9-12, the Teddy Bear Reunion in the Heartland takes place—this is a show which is held every five years in Clarion, a small town in Iowa, central America. Virginia told me this year would be the first time she was going to the event and she was looking forward to it enormously—it is said to be a marvellous experience, with artists and collectors from all over the world in attendance.

I asked Virginia whether she had ever won any awards for her bears. "I have won numerous ones," she replied. "My most recent prize was a first place Crystal Teddy Bear Award at the ABC Show in San Diego California in January of this year for my Golly Bear."

Virginia and her husband have also attended Teddy Bear Total in Germany for the last eight years, and generally combine this with further sightseeing in Europe afterwards. They were unfortunately unable to attend the 2005 event as the tour they hoped to travel over with was cancelled.