ST. GEORGE —As a St. George artist and seamstress designs memorial bears out of T-shirts and clothing from loved ones, she’s creating a lasting memory and keepsake for generations to come, one stitch at a time.
Vickie Ransbury, a former professional photographer who does everything from sewing to beadwork, said her mother first taught her how to sew when she was only 5 years old. While she is a quilter and clothing maker, it makes her heart the happiest when she’s able to create memorial bears in memory of loved ones.
“It really tugs at the heartstrings – 99% of people cry when they see the bear,” Ransbury said. “It just makes me feel good that I can do something for them that makes them both happy and sad at the same time.”
Ransbury said she has created a variety of bears for local individuals as well as shipped her bears across the U.S. What makes the bears so special, she said, is that they are made from clothing of the person who has died and includes as much of the fabric as possible, such as buttons and ties. She also gives the option of embroidery on the feet of the bears, making them extra personalized.
When creating the bears, Ransbury said she wants them to truly represent loved ones. In fact, she created one bear in memory of her aunt, whose favorite holiday was the Fourth of July, and used festive Fourth T-shirts she often wore and custom embroidered the feet.
Two special bears dear to her heart remain in her sewing room to this day – a memorial bear for her own husband when his father died, created from a jacket and a flannel shirt he once wore, and a bear in memory of her own father, made from one of his flannel shirts.
“I keep my dad’s bear in here because he means a lot to me and it allows me to always have him with me,” Ransbury said.
With some of the more complex designs, Ransbury said there are sometimes nine or more pieces just in the head of the bear alone. No matter the complexity, she said she tries to keep her prices low – $35 – and they range up to $65, depending on the size.
“I’m not trying to make a profit off of it. I understand a lot of people can’t do this and I believe everyone should have one of these,” Ransbury said,
There is a specific process Ransbury uses to create the bears, in which she washes the fabric, cuts the clothing with a stabilizer so it doesn’t stretch out the shape, then places the pattern and cuts it. She includes photos of the entire process with every bear she creates.
Sharon Cook, whose son passed away in March 2018 after going through a successful stem cell transplant, then getting sepsis, said Ransbury reached out a week or so after his passing and asked for pieces of his clothing to make a bear in his memory.
“I gave her his Coca-Cola lounging pants and a while later she presented me with this bear. It is irreplaceable to me and much cherished,” Cook said.
Along with the memorial bears, Ransbury also offers unique memorial animals for pet owners who have lost their best friends. She personally has experienced the loss that comes when a pet dies and knows how painful it can be. She even created a stuffed dog to memorialize her dog Peanut, which was made from a brown blanket the dog used and holds the dog’s ashes inside.
Ransbury’s artistic talents were first realized at age 16 as a professional photographer, a skill she practiced up until a few years ago. She even had her own darkroom built out of her garage and later turned that photography space into her sewing room. Additionally, she paints and crochets and has won many awards at the Fresno County Fair.
“Even though I was a professional photographer forever, I was always super nervous going on a photo shoot, but I’m never nervous about creating these memorial bears,” Ransbury said. “I know it’s something special for somebody and I put my heart into it. Not a lot of people can do it.”
Another hobby Ransbury has taken up is the creation of doll clothing. As she picks up dolls at thrift stores and restores them, she then creates custom and detailed clothing for each one. She entered the Washington County Fair this year with four of her dolls along with a girl’s dress and she took home many ribbons. She also makes a variety of other clothing such as adult and children’s dresses.
For Halloween each year, she makes unique costumes and has done themed things such as Pebbles and BAM BAM, Cinderella, and even a Dumbo and a Buzz Lightyear dress, which she said people went crazy over.
“I’m a jack of all trades, master of none,” Ransbury joked. “I have a saying, ‘Be brave enough to suck at something new.’ A lot of times I make things for nobody just to see if I can do it. I just love creating new things.”
Ransbury takes special requests for both clothing and memorial items, to place a custom order, find her on Facebook here.
Photo Gallery
Vickie Ransbury's granddaughter sports a dress and matching doll outfit made by her, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Vickie Ransbury, St. George News
Vickie Ransbury poses next to memorial bears she has created, St. George, Utah, July 12, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Customized memorial bears made out of clothing from loved ones who have died sit on a table, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Vickie Ransbury, St. George News
A stuffed dog is created as a memorial and features the dog's ashes inside location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Vickie Ransbury, St. George News
A bear Vickie Ransbury created in memory of her dad sits on a table, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Vickie Ransbury, St. George News
A memorial bear by Vickie Ransbury sits on a table, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Vickie Ransbury, St. George News
A bear created by Vickie Ransbury in memorial of Sharon Cook's son is shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Sharon Cook, St. George News
Customized memorial bears made out of clothing from loved ones who have died sit on a table, St. George, Utah, July 12, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Vickie Ransbury stands next to her award-winning doll clothing designs at the Washington County Fair, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Vickie Ransbury, St. George News
Ribbons that Vickie Ransbury won at the Washington County Fair hang in her sewing room, St. George, Utah, July 12, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
A Pebbles and Bam Bam costume created by Vickie Ransbury is shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Vickie Ransbury, St. George News
A Pebbles costume created by Vickie Ransbury is shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Vickie Ransbury, St. George News
A Dumbo dress created by Vickie Ransbury that placed first at the Washington County Fair is shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Vickie Ransbury, St. George News
Vickie Ransbury stands next to her award-winning dress design at the Washington County Fair, Hurricane, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Vickie Ransbury, St. George News
A custom dress and bonnet by Vickie Ransbury is shown on a doll, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Vickie Ransbury, St. George News
An adult women's dress created by Vickie Ransbury is shown, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Vickie Ransbury, St. George News
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