Eyelash
Control!
Marion Fraile
Conquers the
Impossible Yarn
by Lisa Bunting Thoms
Eyelash, one of the most
challenging yarns, finally
met its match in Marion
Fraile, the determined,
steadfast owner and
reigning artist of Bearkidz™, otherwise known to those
close to her, as a kind
and gentle soul.
The hottest trend in bear
making today is crocheted
thread animals and bear
artists like Marion, are
rapidly turning the old-
fashioned skill of crocheting
animals from thread and
yarn, into a fine, collectible
art form.
Degrees of Difficulty
Marion's signature style
revolvesaround transforming impossibly difficult, delicate,
long-fibered eyelash yarn
into such personably cute
baby bears and toddlers,
you can’t help but want
to hold and cuddle them.
Eyelash yarn is one yarn
even advanced fiber artists
hesitate to tackle yet Marion’s
flying fingers produce miniature
bears, animals and Gollies,
so lifelike, they almost spring
from the yarn before she
finishes the creative process.
Roots
“I grew up in Germany,”
reminisces Marion, "and
my love of bears began
very early since my childhood
was surrounded by the
most beautiful bears, which unfortunately, got lost.
However, I still have many
of my childhood dolls.”
Now residing in Boca Raton,
Florida, Marion discusses
how she hasengaged in arts
and crafts pursuits all her
life, “When I was very young,
my grandmother taught me
how to crochet and I got
hooked! Shortly, thereafter
I learned knitting and used
both skills for many of my
projects."
"My first attempts," recalls
Marion, "yielded mostly
scarves and little blankets
for my dolls and bears.
Once I mastered the basics,
then I graduated to designing
and making sweaters for my
friends and myself.”
Prior to the birth of her
daughters, Marion’s career
as CEO/President of a Real
Estate Development Company,
did not leave her much time
to follow any creative urges.
Renewed Interest
After her daughters were
born, Marion became a full-time mother, and once again
found time to knit and crochet.
Marion remarks, “My
adorable girls wore
many of my creations
as babies and toddlers.
I started designing and
making their favorite teddy
bears and also found time
to explore other creative
sides in me, like stenciling,
clay sculpting and woodworking."
New Horizons
After creating original artist
mohair teddy bears for several
years, Marion found she could
apply those technical and
design skills to creating
crocheted thread animals,
with each requiring between
three-five days to complete.
Ranging in size from two
inches to ten inches, with
names like Winston, Tyler,
Frances and Sidney, these
crocheted cubs are all
one-of-a-kind creations.
Marion’s bearkidz™, as she
calls them, come in a rainbow
of colors and are crocheted
of eyelash yarn, primarily
imported from Europe.
bearkidz™ are five-way
jointed with cotter pins,
thread or a combination
of both. Marion sometimes
loosely joints her bears
with a floppy head because,
as she describes it, “they
have more of a “baby-feel”
to them, and it helps me
to pose them more naturally.”
Embellishments
Marion accessorizes her
bearkidz™ as toddlers or
babies, with crocheted
outfits, toys or other props,
before she puts them up
for adoption.
Bestowing the final touches
on her bears is a favorite
process for Marion, “I like
dressing my bears in the
type of baby/small children
designs I would use to dress
a baby doll. I create all my
clothing by hand without
a pattern, except any leather-
style shoes, which I prefer
to purchase."
Ingredients
According to Marion, she
employs no special tools/
materials or references
sources when she creates,
“ Just thread and yarn,
a crochet hook or knitting
needles.”
While the bearkidz™
creator depends heavily
upon eyelash yarn in her
self-defined, “contemporary
with a splash of traditional
style," she also makes
bears from angora yarn
and mini bears using fine
cotton yarn or dmc floss.
Her gollies, in fact, are
a combination of both.
End Results
Marion loves when she
finally puts the bear together,
adding facial features and
watching it suddenly develop
its own character and come
to life.
In her words, “The biggest
reward is to hold a tiny
character in my hand,
born from thread, using
a hook and many stitches.
This is always the moment,
when I fall in love with this
little creature!”
“My goal is not to produce
record quantities,” reflects
Marion, “but rather to make
heirloom quality, one of a kind creations, which mirror my
thoughts and reveal the
excellent craftsmanship
in their design."
Framework for Ideas
Inspiration for new designs
is always difficult to pinpoint
but Marion confides, "I love
babies and small children.
My large doll collection
consists of babies and
children and the Steiff baby
teddy bears in several sizes
and colors, comprise a large
part of my bear collection.
My favorite style is traditional miniature bears with a whimsical touch."
New Directions
Her love of both bears and
children is evident in Bella,
a recent creation and currently,
her favorite.
Bella sprung from one of Marion’s newer, experimental designs.
These bears are six to seven
inches high and the limbs are
longer, lightly weighted and
jointed “floppy”, which makes
posing them a lot simpler.
Their size gives Marion the
chance to also purchase “real”
shoes for them. The majority
of her bears wear entire
ensembles handmade
by Marion, right down to the
tiny baby booties
Marion describes Bella as
“a little bear girl with a sweet expression and wonderful
features. Her dress is crocheted
with a 1.25mm crochet hook
and very fine cotton yarn.
Any thicker yarn and Bella
would have looked looks
out of proportion.”
Marion believes selecting
the right yarn size is an
extremely vital element
in the overall execution
of a thread animal design.
The Golly Equation
Surprisingly, Marion says
her gollies are the biggest
hit with collectors, “Each
of my gollies found an
adoptive family immediately.
I am being asked constantly
by collectors, to let them
know when I have a new
one available.”
Marion describes her gollies,
“I try to make happy/sweet gollies. Using pastel colors
supports a baby/child feel
as well the way I stitch
on the facial features. Most
of my gollies come with a
crocheted outfit.”
Consistency
Marion contends that
"whatever I start doing,
always ends up as a baby
or toddler bear. However,
I am incorporating different
yarns and colors in my designs."
"I work as I go," continues
Marion, "without a pattern.
I call it crochet sculpting.
I do not keep notes and
start each creation from
scratch. "
"There will be similar, but
never identical bears, like
humans,all have a head,
eyes etc, limbs, but each
one is an individual -
different in size, proportion,
etc."
Recognition
All the love, time and talent
which Marion puts into
making and designing
bears has caught the
attention of many people
in the bear world including
major magazines like
Teddy Bear and Friends,
Teddy Bear Review and
Teddy Bear Scene.
The British bear magazine,
Teddy Bear Scene, focused
on Marion and her work in a
full fledged feature article.
Marion was also invited
by a group of established
artists to their next "invitation
only" Christmas show in
November." I feel honored,
" beams Marion, "since they
made it clear, they hand-pick
who can come and only the
very highest quality work
is accepted.
With all this recognition,
Marion remains humble
and attests that the high
point of her career occured
when her husband of 34
years said, “I like this bear!”
She also said she feels
grateful for every compliment
and email she receives from
her collectors.
Perfecting Her Craft
Marion is a member of the
Thread Artist Guild™, an
organization established
in support of Thread Artists
making miniature animals,
bears, and their miniature
accessories. The Guild is
comprised of thread artists
who crochet, knit and needle
felt at all experience levels,
from "newcomers" to those
who are internationally
recognized.
She also belongs to a Yahoo!
group called Thread Animals,
whose goals are to teach,
share tips and techniques
and enjoy the world of thread
and felted teddy bears and
other animals.
Marion recently joined Teddy
Bear Review's Theodore Society,
a worldwide “hug,” of collectors, artists, manufacturers and
industry notables dedicated
to promoting the love and
good will naturally generated
by a close association to the
teddy bear. |
3428 Hillvale Road 
