This past Saturday, over 30 community members and Spoonflower employees spent the afternoon sewing RARE Bears for one-of-a-kind kids supported by RARE Science Inc., a non-profit research organization accelerating cures for rare childhood diseases. On this very special afternoon, quilt guilds, sewing groups, and crafty individuals stitched up bears all over the country to Spring into Action. From California to here in Durham, North Carolina, it was RARE Bear mania!

RARE Bear Mania Hits the Greenhouse!


RARE Bear Mania Hits the Greenhouse!Volunteers stitched up RARE Bears Saturday afternoon in the Spoonflower Greenhouse.

RARE Bear Mania Hits the Greenhouse!San Marcos, CA quilters spent their afternoon hosting a local RARE Bear sew-in!

“I’ve been and everybody’s been in the hospital before and remembers how lonely and isolating it is”, said Spoonflower Greenhouse volunteer Lauren Bange to local newspaper The Herald Sun, “It’s nice to give back and let someone know that they have someone rooting for them other than their family and doctors.”
RARE Bear Mania Hits the Greenhouse!Spoonflower Greenhouse volunteer, Ann, gives her bear one last hug before donating it to RARE Science.

As bears were completed, “oohs” and “aaahs” filled the room with excitement from the cuteness of the stuffed creatures. RARE bears are pieced together with remnant fabric (don’t worry, we’ll always credit the designer for the use of their fabric and will never use a private design!), making each one just as unique as the child receiving the bear. Adding finishing touches of embroidered eyes and noses brings an extra touch of personality to each bear.

RARE Bear Mania Hits the Greenhouse!Each RARE Bear is completed with custom printed RARE Science sole fabric, printed at Spoonflower.
RARE Bear Mania Hits the Greenhouse!

Specific to RARE Science, each RARE Bear includes a unique ID ribbon to make it possible to send a photo of the gifted bear and child back to the person who carefully stitched up the bear! While Saturday’s sew-in may be over, we encourage you to sew a RARE Bear of your own to donate! If you are interested in sewing a bear to donate to RARE Science, please click here.

RARE Bear Mania Hits the Greenhouse!

RARE Bear Mania Hits the Greenhouse!Proudly showing off her sewing skills, Anitha is all smiles after getting past the trickiest part of the pattern – the head!

If you hosted a RARE Bear sew-in last Saturday, let us know in the comments below or tag your photos with #RAREbeararmy!