Who is Anke?
I'm
Anke Komorowski and I live with my family in Oer-Erkenschwick, it's a little town
at the north of the Ruhrgebiet in North-Rhine-Westfalia in Germany. I'm a child care worker, a remedial teacher
and also a PEKIP group leader (The Prague Programme for Parents and Children PEKiP) and I usually work with handicaped
and non handicaped children and adults.
The beginning of my deep teddy bear love:
As my children were growing up I discovered my passion for sewing as a wonderful hobby for myself.
First I loved to sew colourful clothes for my children but I also created some fabric dolls for them.
I had my first unforgetable contact with handmade teddy bears in the year 2000.
My neighbour showed me her handmade teddy bears and I was so frivolous to say:
"Very nice, but not for me."
Of course you know, that you should never use such a sentence near handmade teddy bears.
A very short time later I fell in love with a teddy in a teddy bear magazine and I found my first experience of bear
making with the great bear friend teddy bear club of Oer-Erkenschwick.
I always wanted to realize my own visions, so I was sewing bears of other people's patterns only for a short time
and started to make my own pattern and bears quickly.
Funny guys who found a comfortable home at my familiy and friends.
Then I took the gloves off:
2006 I visited the Teddycollege, a bearmaker school of Margarete Nedballa, a well-known
German bear artist, for two years.
Here I kept myself busy with all techniques of bearmaking and at least I was able to create my
own, individual and childlike bears. Mobile bears, with kind faces to tell about the love they
want to give to you.
Furthermore I learned about being a teddydoctor, which is another wonderful and satisfying work for me.
Today
Today you can meet us at international bear fairs. I love to present my bears
to you and I enjoy meeting people who love to find in my bears the trusty fellows
they can share their lives with.
I want my bears to be with you in every situation of your life, so I'm
only using the best materials and I'm working very precisely for you.
This is my aim not only as a bear artist but also as a teddy bear restorer.
Being a teddydoctor my work centers around a considerate restoration
which can only be achieved working together closely with my clients.
Of course, you will recognize your old fellow after restoring.
Kits, pattern and handdyed fabric I offer to you, because I like to share my passion and give it
to other people. So I love to help you at every time, please don't hesitate to ask.
At the end of 2007 I discovered the airbrush technique at a school of arts for myself too.
So you may be able to recognize my sister and me by wearing my handmade airbrush t-shirts at bear fairs.
Because the passion is never ending:
Irreguarly I take part to international bear competions.
I'm happy to tell you that "Let me tell you something" was 2008 winner
at TED-Worldwide in category "Artist, Mixed Material , undressed.
2009 "Lilly loves roses" was able to join the second place in the same competion.
"Klein Emiliy" was 2008 first at Seniorencollegewettbewerb of the
Teddycollege, category bears more than 20 Zentimeter, undressed.
Pedrolino was nominated in 2011 at the Golden George competion in category 3,
Premium Class, bear with accesories.
2008 you could read bearmaker portraits in the magazines "Teddy & Co" und "Teddys Kreativ" Bärenmacherporträ
The onlinemagazin "KuscheltierNews" published a bearartist and a teddydoctor portrait also
For this magazine I sometimes write articles about bear fairs and other interesting things of bearmaking. There and in the "Teddy & Co" 2008 and "Teddys Kreativ", you can find free patterns made from myself as well. By doing all these things I hope to contribute people to find a companion through live and a soul comforter in teddy bears. This is my heart's desire.