Meet Ted! He is my nephew’s new keepsake bunny and he was kindly made by Sammie from Grace’s Patch so we could review him on my blog.  My nephew is not even a year old yet so I can’t actually tell you the bunny rabbit’s actual name as he hasn’t been named by his new owner yet…..  but for the purposes of my review I shall call him Ted! 🙂  (Although he is actually called ‘Dotty’ the Keepsake Rabbit on the Grace’s Patch website. I love that name… after all, you all know how much I love polka dots!)

Although I say ‘teddy’ it is actually a keepsake bear that is more designed as an ornament than a teddy to be carried around the house and dragged about by its ears. The reason for this is because Ted has a lot of sentimental value attached to him because he has been created from my nephew’s outgrown baby clothing. I know….how fantastic is that! Plus he is weighted to my nephew’s birth weight of 6lb 14 oz so it is recommended that the bear is kept somewhere safe out of the reach of little ones just in case he gets damaged. Once my nephew is old enough to understand that Ted needs looking after carefully I am sure he will get to give him lots of cuddles. 🙂

My sister-in-law was delighted when Sammie offered her the opportunity to receive a keepsake bear to review as she had always thought they were such a lovely idea and so couldn’t wait to get my nephew’s outgrown baby clothing posted off to her so that the cutting and sewing could begin!My sister-in-law was allowed to choose which keepsake teddy she wanted and she could choose from a keepsake teddybear, a keepsake rabbit, a keepsake duck or a keepsake lion. She opted for the keepsake bunny rabbit as she thought it looked adorable. I definitely agree!

All of the keepsake memory bears are £35.00 each with the exception of the duck design which is £30. There is an extra £5.00 charge for embroidered personalisation of birth weight, birth date and child’s name plus there is an additional £10 charge to have the teddy weighted to the child’s birth weight.

Sammie requires a different amount of outgrown baby clothing to be able to construct each design. The rabbit requires 12-15 items of clothing, the bear requires 10- 12 and the lion and duck require 8-10.  My sister-in-law went through my nephew’s clothes and picked out her favourite pieces to be sent away for the keepsake bunny …there was a mixture of babygros , t-shirts, dungarees and hooded tops. They were all well-used but this just added to the lovable nature of this treasured teddy,

Once the garments had been posted to Grace’s Patch HQ all we had to do was wait to hear about how the creative process was going….

We were kept informed at all times…first we heard that the clothes had arrived, then we were told that the stitching had begun and then finally we had news that the keepsake creation was complete and had been posted.

It only took a matter of weeks for Grace’s Patch to make this wonderful teddy and it was well and truly worth the wait! Sammie states on her website that her current lead time is approximately 6-8 weeks but it all depends on how many orders she has at any given time. To find out how her current order book is looking please contact her here.

Ted arrived well packed in a big cardboard box and he was surrounded by a cosy nest of scrumpled up blue tissue paper. The gift looked amazing! Sammie had advised me beforehand that I needed to put my hand underneath the teddy when I lifted it out of the box so that I could hold the weight of it….but even so, it was still a shock to feel the weight of the teddy. To be able to hold the teddy and to think back to the fact that my little nephew had weighed the same when he was born was such a delight but even more so for my sister-in-law and brother. They were so happy when the keepsake rabbit from Grace’s Patch arrived. They were very impressed by everything about it. It was very obvious how much time and effort Sammie had put into making this teddy for them and they wanted me to say a big THANKYOU to her. 🙂 The combination of my nephew’s old clothing, the weighted body and the embroidered details made this a teddy to be treasured forever! If you are thinking of buying one of these teddies I would highly recommend you opt for the addition of embroidery and weight as it really does make this teddy even more special.

Thanks Sammie….you are a star! A very kind star with a great eye for detail! All of us loved your pattern placement in the construction of Ted…..The ‘Little Brother’ wording on one ear, the ‘Mischief Maker’ text on his chest and the applique truck on his back. You have made the best possible use of all the fabrics that my sister-in-law sent to you and she is absolutely thrilled with the result.

If you would like to order your own keepsake memory bear to treasure forever then please visit the Grace’s Patch website.  The web address you need is gracespatch.co.uk.

Sammie is more than happy to discuss your bespoke keepsake project with you. Her ultimate goal is to create a memory bear for you that brings a smile to your face every time you look at it. It should remind you of all those happy memories of your child wearing those particular clothes. You can catch up with her by sending her a message on facebook, tweeting her on twitter or by contacting her via the form on her website.

It isn’t only keepsake teddies that Grace’s Patch can make from your outgrown baby clothing…there are also bespoke memory blankets and cushions available to order in her online shop.

Before I go I would like to say that if you are looking for a one-of-a -kind, truly original gift for new parents then this has to be it! You could write a note in the ‘Congratulations On Your New Baby’ card saying that you will treating them to a Grace’s Patch keepsake gift and then let them know to keep hold of all the outgrown baby clothes that hold sentimental value. Then when the time is right you can get in touch Sammie and place your order for their memory bear.

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Thanks for reading and thank you to Grace’s Patch for sending the teddy for review on my blog.