(Jan Cuming)

Droll Bears from Down Under

by Pam North

Crafts always have been a key component in the life of Jan Cuming, a resident of Wellington, New Zealand. Beginning at the tender age of four with dolls’ clothes, she soon earned the gift of her great-grandmother’s hand-cranked, full-size sewing machine when she was five, with the rule that she could use it only under supervision. All of her pocket money was spent on supplies (“funny how some things don’t change!” she commented), usually for pieces of wool felt, which she still likes using today over acrylic felt that doesn’t feel or handle the same to her. A bad bout of the mumps in childhood had the unexpected blessing of giving her an opportunity to learn to knit as a child. “My brother still uses the garter-stitch scarf I knitted out of short lengths of wool, although now, almost 60 years later, it’s not a thing of beauty anymore! I’ve probably tried nearly all crafts, and I still knit, quilt, and make bears.”
Her love of teddy bears started early also. “I used to take my Teddy everywhere I went, and once had to leave him behind when we had been staying with my maternal grandmother, as Teddy had gotten ‘lost’ somewhere. Evidently it was not a peaceful trip home, with one rather distraught 16-month-old child whining for her Teddy! He did turn up later, as I apparently had made a bed for him outside in my grandmother's garden. I still have my original Teddy, who has traveled and lived overseas with me.”
She started her working life as a manufacturing jeweler, then went into retail management. Life is different for her now. “After 38 years of marriage to an extremely patient and tolerant-of-my-crafts man, I’m unfortunately now a widow with no children.”
With no formal training or classes, her bear-making is self-taught, originating partly from the soft toys she once made for friends’ children, and she designs her own patterns. As an adult she began regularly attending many teddy bear shows, and she started collecting vintage and artist bears. One day at a show she decided to purchase a piece of mohair and a commercial pattern. “It took me another year or so before I actually cut into the piece of mohair,” she recalled. “Once the first bear was made, I decided I could improve on things, and the rest is history. That was approximately 25 years ago. I make mainly teddy bears, but also occasionally other animals, like monkeys, elephants, and dogs. I still have the first bear I ever made. and although he is a little odd-looking, he has plenty of character. Normally I use mohair for my bears, particularly Schulte, which is wonderful to create with, although expensive. I also enjoy painting my own glass eyes, which gives an entirely different look.”
Her style has changed over the years, and she now makes smaller bears than she did previously, partly due to market demand. Occasionally, she still creates a large bear, and she has been enjoying doing a series of 14-inch pandas. “Inspiration comes from all around me. I often go antiquing and see something which sparks an idea. It’s very hard to try and explain where ideas come from, they just pop into my mind, sometimes in the middle of the night. or while I’m doing something else, and I will jot down some notes while I’m thinking about it.”
Over the years she has won many URSA Award Competitions, receiving prestigious awards, ribbons and gifts. She sells her bears currently through online shows and her website. “In the days of live shows I loved to see the reaction that people had when they looked at what I was displaying for sale, and the interaction with my customers. Fortunately, with the online shows, there is still that interaction via email, just not face-to-face. I also taught classes on bear-making in the past, but not for many years.”
Most artists find some aspect of their craft difficult, and Jan is no exception. “Being against a deadline to produce a bear is most challenging, as I need to be in the ‘mood’ to create. The other thing might sound a bit crazy, but I cannot predict what gender a bear will be until it’s finished, when the face decides it. I once had to make three heads for a bear I was doing for a commission before I was satisfied that the bear was a girl. The bear also usually tells me its name as I’m finishing the head. My husband always thought I was weird saying that, but I’m sure that there are other bear artists who say the same thing.”
Although Jan has a craft room in the basement, she generally now sews in her sitting room to take advantage of the almost all-day sun year-round. “It’s wonderfully light and bright. As I live alone there is no one apart from me to complain about the state of the room when I’m creating for a show. Then, as  one would expect, there’s a bit of mohair on the floor. I'm used to living in a house full of projects in a state of semi-completion and mohair bits on the floor, but the house is not always a mess. I have recently discovered that it’s also more comfortable to use my sewing machine (a very old Singer featherweight) standing up at my sewing table. I have the table propped up quite high, like a standing desk. It looks very odd, but works well for me.”
Jan is fortunate to be able to travel annually from her home in New Zealand to the United States. While visiting, she finishes the bears she has brought with her for the online shows. “I enjoy traveling with my ‘adopted’ American family, visiting with friends I've made through the bear world. Together we travel many miles, shopping for antiques and other vintage pieces I use in vignettes for which I am well known. Everyone is always on the lookout for that interesting piece that I can use. Often I hear them call me when we are scouting around an antique mall or a flea market, as they know what I look for. Many of my collectors love antiques, and they often are amazed at the variety of vintage pieces that I have used to tell a story in a vignette. I usually say that antiquing is the way I sightsee when I travel, as I’d rather be poking around an antique mall than walking a nature trail.”
Her other favorite thing besides antiques is Christmas. “I used to produce large-scale Christmas decorations for shopping malls here in New Zealand at a time when it was extremely difficult to buy anything different. My house is always very Christmassy for a much longer period of time than just the holiday season, so it seemed a natural progression to combine my love of that season with teddy bears, so I came up with my company name, Jinglebears, which has been going strong for twenty-five years.”
When asked how she viewed the future of artist bears, Jan responded, “I hope that we can encourage younger collectors to enjoy our craft, as at present I think there are fewer collectors out there, due to a number of reasons. There always will be people who appreciate handcrafted artists’ work, so somehow we need to make ourselves more visible to encourage others to enjoy it also. I’ll keep making bears and critters for as long as I get enjoyment from it, and hopefully that will be for many more years. I’ve been extremely fortunate to have made some wonderful friends all over the world during my years making bears and going to shows. Once life returns to normal post-Covid 19, I will travel again. We ‘Kiwis’ (New Zealanders) are great travelers!”

Contact Information:
Name: Jan Cuming
Business Name: Jinglebears
Email: janfcuming@gmail.com
Website: www.jinglebears-nz.com
Address: 4 Fortunatus Street, Brooklyn Wellington 6021, New Zealand 64 4 3897788
Telephone: 64 4 3897788