Townsman, 1991-11, Page 13tomers are frequently people who are
young -at -heart, as opposed to young.
"More often than not the bears I make
are going to adults, about 75 percent
of them. There has only been about
four percent of them made for chil-
dren between the ages of six and 12,
while the remainder have gone to
babies," she says. "If I know the bear
is going to a child, I will make it so
the clothing is removable. That way
when the youngster is old enough to
take better care of it, it can be
redressed and no damage has been
done."
Patti's ideas are primarily her
own, though she is inspired by com-
ments she overhears. Though her cre-
ative talent has helped, she admits that
she has always enjoyed doing all
kinds of things and PM Bears is more
an extension of that. "I have always
been a jack-of-all-trades sort of per-
son," she explains. "I have always
been able to look at things and think,
'Oh, I could do that,' so I give it a
try."
The challenge facing her at this
time she says, is to gain the recogni-
tion of other teddy bear designers, to
create what will be considered quality
design. "I would really like to do a
Santa Bear. That one will be for me. It
will be something I would only take
orders on. I'm looking for that one
bear that people will recognize. That
one bear that will be PM Bears."
Hospital workers are
part-time toy makers
With his silvery whiskers,
sparkling eyes and ebullient chuckle,
Bill Landon of Blyth, could be Santa,
or at the very least one of his elves.
Like his merry counterpart, Bill, with
the help of his Mrs. Santa, wife Jo,
toils in his workshop, creating crafted
toys designed to delight anyone who
might discover them under their
Christmas tree.
Unlike the Clauses, Bill and Jo
are employed full-time outside the
home — both work at Wingham and
District Hospital — thus their toy
making industry is primarily consign-
ment. "At one time the house was full
of stuff," said Bill, "but Jo didn't like
that too well", he added, with his cus-
tomary chuckle. Actually, he
Working together, Bill and Jo Landon
fashion wooden toys that delight
young and old.
Christmas Cheer
is
Coming Your
Way!
LAKEPORT
STEEL
A holiday
of joyous
celebration
is our wish
to all our
cherished friends
and customers.
Goderich
519-524-2171
1-800-265-5183
Fax 519-524-2449
Hanover
519-364-1247
1-800-265-5513
TOWNSMAN/NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1991 11