The Artist

Hello, my name is Aina Ferris, creator of Binkibears.

Here is a collection of my crocheted critters September 2005

I was born in Germany in 1950 and have lived in Canada since 1954. I inherited my artistic skills and love of needlework from my paternal grandmother Momo and my father. I have been an artist since childhood and have dabbled in painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing, cross stitch, needlepoint and of course teddy bears. I graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in Fine art and English, hoping for a career in commercial art. Fate intervened and I became a Human Resources professional instead. However, I always have a number of creative projects on the go. Starting with teddy bears, I acquired a lovely collection of steiff animals from my grandparents during my childhood and they are proudly displayed in my home. I have never lost my love of stuffed animals, and as teddy bears became more popular in recent years, I naturally progressed from collecting to designing and making my own. I started with plush bears about six years ago, fashioning my first pattern after my old friend with the red hat. I now work in mohair, fur and thread bears and love every minute of it..

I have been making bears for about five years now and I started to attend bear shows in the fall of 2003 and submit my work to bear magazines. I have been published in both Teddy Bear Review and Teddy Bears & Friends Magazines. I am thrilled to have won the Ace Award from E-Bearz University for excellence in Teddy Bear Design with my little bear Blue. This award was awarded on October 1, 2003, by Nancy Tillberg, Dean of the University. I won a second Ace Award for Fiona and the Frog Prince in September 2005.

I design all of my own bears and love to create traditional Mohair bears. I have also created a family of crocheted bears called Funcky bears named after my great grandfather, the Baron von Funck. These bears are fun and off the cuff and live up to their names. I write stories for all my bears so they can be adopted and know that their names and characters will be appreciated by their new owners. IN 2005 I added a new bear family to my collection. These litle fellow are called pocket buddy bears (PB Bears). They are inspired by the japanese style bears and have large heads and small bodies and are small enough for a pocket or purse so no one needs to leave home without one.

My beloved old bears!!

The tattered teddy on the right with the red cap is my oldest bear from 1952 and very well loved as you can see. My mother repaired his paws and feet and crocheted a red hat to cover his missing ear. The taller bruin on the left is from 1954 and was the first of many bears and friends sent to me by my grandparents after we emigrated to Canada from Germany. The tiny panda is my mother's and she carried him with her on all her travels for over 50 years. He is now retired and living in my hug.

This photo was snapped in 1953. My father owned a motorcycle with a side car and we are on a day trip. Here we have stopped for lunch and my mother and I are eating rye bread sandwiches. If you look closely, you will see the same small panda peeking out from the collar of Mum's coat. He looks like he is checking out the food and hoping for a bite.


This photo shows me in my crib in 1953 with my old bear beside me. At this point he still has both of his ears and is in very good condition. Here he is wearing a nighty for bedtime and watching me counting my pennies. My father was going out and I wanted him to buy me another bear. However, I did not know the value of money and was heartbroken when told my pennies were not enough.