About Us
Dottie Bears
Dottie Bears are collectable character bears created from my own designs, made using high quality mohair and sometimes other fabrics such as specially designed velvet. Every bear is unique and has its own character which comes alive as they are made. All bears are fully five way jointed using either cotter pins or nut and bolt joints, and they all have traditional glass eyes.
Dottie Bears are collectors items, not toys and not suitable for anyone under the age of 14 years. Every Dottie Bear comes labelled with its own name and hand-made with love.
There is a Dottie Bear to suit everyone, whether you love traditional bears or those with a more unusual look. Some of our bears have been adopted or given as gifts in countries including United States, Australia, Canada, Falkland Islands and Spain.
Dottie Bears is a member of the Essex Craft Guild (formerly Essex Guild of Craftsmen) and is proud to be recognised for the high standard of craftsmanship that goes into creating each bear. We display at many events during the year which are listed on our events page
Dottie Bears Creator
Dottie Bears are uniquely designed collectable character bears and are the creation of Wendy Marcon-Knightley.
I come from a background of creativity and makers. My grandfather on my dads side of the family was a tailor in the East End of London and my mum comes from a family of seamstresses and I'm fortunate to have inherited the creative genes!
I've always loved sewing and I first started making bears over 30 years ago while I lived abroad. I returned to the UK in the early 90’s when family life and a career took over and I gave up all my hobbies. In 2015 I decided to take a career break and decided to start sewing again. I realised how much enjoyment I used to get from creating something and having time to relax and suddenly Dottie Bears started to come alive. The rest, as they say is history……
I’m passionate about creating bears and love designing and developing my own patterns and bringing each bear to life.
By the way, where did Dottie Bears come from? My much loved dog, an in dominatable Jack Russell Terrier called Dottie.
A Personal Touch
Dottie Bears is a hobby in my spare time and I still have a full-time job working for St Helena Hospice, which I love. I also volunteer for the Essex Craft Guild committee as press officer and website manager so my time is fairly busy.
I personally value excellent customer service and I aim to deliver my own expectations to all my customers. My rewards for selling Dottie Bears is not about profit; its about giving a bespoke service to every customer for every purchase, because a little bit of love goes into each individual bear.
When you buy a Dottie Bear you’re not just buying a bear, but supporting genuine local craftsmanship hand-made with love.