MADE BY HAND : The joy of hand-sewn toys

By Ted Scheffler

I have a soft spot in my heart for stuffed animals. When I was little I had a Teddy Bear that my grandma gave me. At some point, I set him on our stove and burned one of his ears. Lucky I didn’t burn down the entire house! I still have Teddy; he’s resting in a box somewhere in the basement. Renate Green also has a love of stuffed animals. As owner of RgGreenscreations, she hand-sews stuffed animals like horses, bears, puppies and doll with her daughter, Ginger. They also crochet items such as hats, purses and coffee cozies. Since they’ll all handmade, each is unique and one-of-a-kind.

When asked about the origins of their business, Ginger says “When I was little my mom had taught us that if we were going to be watching TV,  we could be doing something with our hands. We have been sewing & crocheting ever since then. We helped my mom make sock monkeys that she would sell at bazaars. Friends & family would encourage us to make this a business.”

She adds, “Before we started our business, we would make gifts for family & friends. We also had people order things from us. We had family & friends that would tell us that we should do this as a business. Plus, our church was holding a business class. I was encouraged to take this class.” The rest, as they say, is hand-sewn history.

“Our goal is to provide items that can bring joy to people’s faces,” they say. And as for advice for others wanting to create a business like theirs: “If this is something you really want to do, don’t give up - even though it may seem hard.

See Renate and Ginger’s products on their Facebook page Rggreenscreations Green