~Shipping and handling of your finalized keepsake.

~Accessibility to your designer, Kim.

~Special characteristics of clothing, such as a printed logo on a t-shirt, will be captured in your custom keepsake.

~Each bear is pieced with a minimum of 25 visible pieces. Interior pieces such as interfacing and stabilizer may account for up to an additional 25 pieces. The number of pieces for each dress and headpiece will vary by design and customization. (Bliss Bears, crafted from wedding gowns, depending on the layers of fabric in the gown may be as many as 100 or more individual pieces, typically cut piece and layer by piece and layer to achieve the most pleasing design.)

~The head of every bear (or Bambini beyond) receives a layer of interfacing to provide smoother lying seams when stuffed.

~An inner layer of stabilizing fabric or interfacing is secured to each piece of the body.

~Each bear is stuffed with a hypoallergenic, dense but “huggable” fiberfill.

~Thread selected to match your crafted keepsake’s fabric

~Legacy and Bliss bears receive black plastic eyes sized to the bear and secured via shank and washer. Brown eyes may be substituted for contrast.

~Bambini creations receive hand-embroidered eyes using a satin stitch and coordinating color thread (brown or black) unless plastic eyes are specifically requested. Alternate color embroidery floss may also be requested.

SAFETY FIRST:

Though 8 Cardinals keepsakes are NOT toys, if Legacy or Bliss bears are to be given to young ones, please contact me about hand-embroidering eyes for safety purposes. An additional cost of $10 is required for hand-embroidered eyes on Legacy and Bliss Bears.

**With humility I offer prayer throughout the crafting of your keepsake, praying for you, your loved one, and your family. If you wish for directed prayer, I invite you to contact me to share your request. After all, “where two or three are gathered…” Matthew 18:20

~Shipping cost for the clothing to be used in creating your keepsake is not included in the price. The customer is responsible for the cost of shipping the clothing to 8 Cardinals LLC.

Most types of fabric work. Bears may be made from a huge variety of items (and array of fabrics) such as business (dress) shirts, polos, t-shirts, sweatshirts, dresses, pajamas, pants, or uniforms. Clothing items made of mesh, as in a sports jersey, require consultation with me and a picture prior to ordering to determine if the fabric is viable for transformation.

Leather and fur are not recommended. Clothing items such as wedding dresses, gowns, or dance costumes that are heavy with sequins or rhinestones are not recommended.

Please contact me if you are uncertain. I am happy to help!

~Legacy Bears: A size Large (L) shirt usually yields a single 18″ bear, though a long-sleeved men’s Medium (M) can work as well. For smaller-sized clothing, you may elect to have a smaller bear made (15″ or 11″), or you may send 2 or more clothing items you enjoy seeing together for contrast. At times, a contrast fabric may be needed to complete a bear due to a shortage of material. If this should happen, prior to completion I will consult with you before obtaining additional fabric.

~Bliss Bears: Wedding dresses or gowns in general should yield a bounty of fabric for an 18″ bear no matter the size. Creating a facsimile dress will depend on the style and size of the original wedding gown. I will consult with you if questions arise during the design/build process or you may contact me prior to ordering to help determine what your wedding gown will yield. Bliss bears created from dancewear are likely to need additional fabric. Coordinating fabric of a similar consistency will be used in addition and is covered in the cost of the bear.

~Bambini Bears & Beyond: For the littlest ones, several pieces of clothing such as 4-5 onesies should work well. For larger children’s clothing, 2-3 items will work. The more items you send the greater the contrast and “patchwork” characteristic your Bambini will have.

ADDITIONAL FABRIC NOTES:

If you would prefer to have a contrast fabric (solid or patterned) incorporated in the design with your clothing item, you may, for an additional cost. For example, if you send a clothing item in a solid color and would like a contrasting patterned fabric, we can discuss your loved one’s favorite colors, hobbies, or occupation to drive the choice of the fabric. For instance, Legacy Blue was made for a little girl from her grandfather’s solid color polo shirt, and the contrasting fabric contains butterflies which are a symbol of new life. Her male cousins’ bears, Legacy Jade and Legacy Garnet, are also made of their grandfather’s polo shirts and have contrasting fabric with compasses, also a symbol of new life.

I do take requests and will be happy to discuss those with you. Please contact me to discuss, and we’ll see what we can work out. During the discussion, we can talk specifics and what it will entail to create your keepsake. If I can create your idea without additional research and resourcing of materials, I will give you a quote. If more research is needed, I will make plans to get back to you to provide a quote once I have all the information needed.

Leftover fabric (remnant) is not returned except by request with an additional charge of $20. Fabric remnants may be saved and combined at a future time to create bears for charitable giving.

I do not launder customer clothing, but it would be helpful if the clothing you send is clean and free of debris.

Absolutely! If you have a specific vision or are dreaming of certain details, it is important to me to try to capture that. Depending on the request, we can also discuss whether it can be accomplished with the clothing you are sending or within the typical time frame it takes to make a bear. We can also discuss if additional cost is required to add specific details. Feel free to text, email, call, or leave a voicemail.

Are you local to the Harrisburg, NC area? (i.e. within 30 miles)
Contact 8 Cardinals for local pick-up and delivery options and pricing. Or simply add items to the cart to receive a local special offer, and Contact Kim at 8 Cardinals to arrange personalized delivery.

After checkout is complete, if you don’t receive your email confirmation, please be sure to check your spam or junk folders. Additional concerns can be directed to kb8cardinals@gmail.com.