(Irina Fedi)

Forays into Animal Artistry

by Pam North

As a child, Irina Fedi sewed and knitted clothes for dolls, and as an adult, she studied law and worked at that for eight years until she didn’t, when she chose to completely change what she did as a job. Fedi resides in the Samara region of Russia with her husband and three sons, and after her sons were born, she developed a new career for herself by engaging in and developing various creative pursuits on her vacations. She began by sewing and knitting simple toys in mixed styles, and then for more than eight years, she made teddy bears and their wildlife friends. In the last year she has been making animals that are much more realistic, and she has created a marvelous spectrum of winsome creatures of every type. “Teddy bears and animals are the passion of my life, and I devote all my spare time to creating them,” she stated. “I'm really happy that I found my own wonderful world.”
Bears, birds, badgers, bunnies, deer, dogs, eagles, goats, elephants, foxes, hippos, horses, kittens, lions, mice, monkeys, pandas, parrots, penguins, piggies, puppies, skunks, tigers are all part of her menagerie, with more to come. She had no formal training in her craft. “I didn't study, and I just discovered how to make everything myself,” she continued. “There were no master classes available for me. I studied in every way possible over time, and all my works were created by me as I learned. It all developed gradually, taking a long time to grow over ten years.”
Every one of her creations is 100% handmade by her, and she always uses high-quality professional materials manufactured in Germany and Japan. Her work process begins with the selection of an animal she wishes to make. She looks for photographs of that animal from different angles, and finds close-ups of the legs, body, eyes, and nose. “From those photos I make patterns, which I use to cut out the pieces from sections of fur and other materials. Then, using the photos, I begin to form the shapes of the head, body, and limbs. The details of the pattern all come together as everything is stitched and the padding is added.”
In the body there is a skeleton or cotter pins to make her creations mobile. Some of her animals have  opening eyes and mouths, and perhaps tongue and teeth.  She molds the teeth from polyform clay, such as Fimo or Cernit. “I use glass eyes for realism. I often make the eyes myself, but sometimes I buy ready-made ones from masters,” she explained. She makes every effort to make her animals more mobile and lively, and thoroughly enjoys the process of creating something with her own hands.
“For nine years of my work I sewed a lot of different animals, my favorites being a bear, a panda, a lemur, different birds, eagles, and dogs. I’ve made so many different breeds of dogs: bulldog, pug. dachshund, shih-tsu, and Japanese chin are some. I have started sewing cats recently, and I am still not quite able to sew them quite as well as I would like, but every time, as I gain experience, I do better.”
Inspiration for her comes from photos of animals she looks for on search engines, or Pinterest, or from those creatures that she sees in real life.
Fedi’s work is challenging. “Sometimes what is planned does not work out, but I don’t give up. I’ll continue until I get the results for which I am striving, although it still seems sometimes that it didn’t turn out as perfectly as I wanted. I don't always succeed the first time, and it often happens that I re-draw and re-cut the pattern several times, and then re-sew. If I still don’t like it, then I throw it away and start all over again!” Her obsession with detail and her search for perfection is obvious in the high quality of her work.
She has won an online show competition: Best in Show, Teddies Worldwide 2017.
Fedi is fortunate to have a separate workroom of her own for her crafting. “It’s large and bright, with a comfortable table. My various furs and all my working materials are laid out in closets. I really like my workshop, and it’s there that I can create my toys in a clean environment away from tobacco and pets,” she said.
Fedi sells her wonderful animals all over the world by featuring them on websites such as Bear Pile and on Facebook. She also conducts workshops to teach others, but so far her master classes are in Russian only.
Fedi views the future and direction of artist-made collectible animals with interest. “I think that the level of work is growing in both in quality and quantity. Artists' works are becoming more diverse and more realistic in style. Classic-style teddy bears have become more beloved and more interesting. I think collectors always will find among those creations some that will be to their liking. I think there always will be collectible creations, and that collectors always will enjoy opportunities to choose more interesting and unusual works.”
As a final comment, Fedi noted, “There are many good artists in the teddy world now, and so many are creating amazing things. I'm not going to stop at what I have achieved so far; I’m going to keep on getting better. I will try to come up with new creations and wonderful animals until I have embodied all animals in fur!”

Contact Information:
Name:Irina Fedi (Fediyachikhina)
Email: irinafedi77@mail.ru
Website: https://www.bearpile.com/irinafeditoys 
Address: Russia, Samara region
Telephone:+79171183069