About the Artist Vicki Stephan

About the Artist

Welcome to Raspbeary Hollow

is a funny gift. Not only does it erupt in many forms, but it rarely remains stifled
for long. Like many teddy bear artists, I arrived at the craft by a very circuitous route.

Having learned to sew from my grandmothers and a couple of aunts, I honed my skills on Barbie
and Betsy McCall doll clothes, an ark-full of stuffed animals, clothing for myself and gifts for
family. Then in college, I shifted through majors in veterinary medicine, zoology (animals are the
theme), and finally graduated as a medical technologist (switch to humans here). All of this took
me pretty far from the sewing machine!

During a 12 year career in the lab, I managed to get married to Pat and have our first son, Sean.
When the need to be creative again struck, I found a calligraphy class and started a small side
business doing original pieces including family trees.

After a move to Massachusetts in 1983 and the birth of our second son, Drew, I began to look
for a creative outlet that I could accomplish between the interruptions of 2 small children.
Calligraphy required way too much concentration.

About that time, the teddy bear craze was beginning in the US. I combined my rusty sewing
skills with that aforementioned love of animals and started making teddy bears from a few of
the commercial patterns then available. About five patterns in, I began to develop my own style
and my first original design, Noah, was born. That was just a few weeks before our daughter,
Caitlin, was born in 1985. A local shop owner was supportive and in a very short time, the
Raspbearies company came into being. Whew!

Then with 3 small children, I somehow managed to develop a few more patterns and decided to
plunge into the show circuit at the Amherst Teddy Bear Rally in 1987. I sold my whole inventory
in less than 3 hours: months of work! There were many more shows to come, many more designs
and bears. Additionally, I enjoyed the uproarious camaraderie of a wonderful group of fellow
teddy bear artists known as the Teddy Bear Artists of New England, most now retired.
Cheers, Ladies!

For the last 26+ years, I've been fortunate enough to do something I love and weave it around
the lives of a very busy family. Along the way, I've even entered a national magazine contest
with a pair of bears skating....and won (see below) Best of all, I have met some of the most
wonderful and interesting people in the form of collectors, other artists and those who can't
believe I make teddy bears for a living!

In 1991, we built a house on a pond in a wooded hollow with a workshop in
which to make teddy bears. You won't find Raspbeary Hollow on any
map, but it is full of wild animals, 2 cats and a lot of teddy bears - now

Fall 2007
A very dry pond!

December 2007
Let it SNOW!

Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the photo

Evolution of a Logo

Recognize the bears in this photo?
Hint: see the home page! That is the first Cody
that I made (he lives now with Joe & Jeanine
Lamothe) with Nicholas in front and they are
sitting on my coffee table.....Cody is a BIG guy.

I made a line drawing of Cody and 'magically'
fitted it together with another, replacing
Nicholas with a line drawing of a
little Tundra (see Archive ) done by
April Whitcomb Gustaphson for me
and....voilá....a logo!

PS...Cody is still available by special order, but
Nicholas is a closed edition

Cody and Nicholas

1995 Golden Teddy Award

The Skating Lesson
Nicolai and Mischa

Probably more than you want to know!

April 2010
Geese & Ducks

June 2008
Frogs & Lilypads