How the ReMinkie Memory Bear Ordering Process Works

ReMinkie turns your own fur, fabric, or neckties into a memory bear, pillow, throw, or keepsake quilt. The process is deliberately hands-on: you send the material, ReMinkie calls you once it arrives, and you work together from there. This page walks through what happens at each stage, what you can request, and where orders tend to stall.

What ReMinkie makes from your material

The site lists these keepsake categories:

• Memory bears — jointed with movable arms and legs and fully lined
• Custom pillows
• Custom blankets and throws
• Keepsake quilts
• Custom keepsakes from horse coolers and blankets

The material you send drives what's possible. ReMinkie states it can transform any fur or fabric, and the gallery shows bears made from many furs, neckties, and a wide variety of fabrics. If you're unsure whether a specific item is workable, that's a question to raise when they call you — not something to guess at before shipping.

Step-by-step: from your closet to a finished keepsake

1. Decide what you're sending and what you want made

Before anything ships, settle two things: which sentimental material goes in, and which finished item comes out (bear, pillow, throw, quilt, or a keepsake from horse coolers/blankets). The site's gallery is the best reference for what different materials look like as finished bears.

2. Send your fur, fabric, or neckties

You ship the material to ReMinkie. This is the step where most of the risk sits, so treat it as the one to get right:

• Send material you can afford to lose or have altered — it will be cut and restructured.
• Keep the shipment traceable so both sides can confirm delivery.
• Don't send the only remaining piece of something irreplaceable without discussing it first.

3. ReMinkie calls you when the material arrives

This is the defining feature of the process. The site states: "As soon as we receive your fur, fabric or neckties, we call you and work together." The consultation isn't a form you fill out in advance — it happens by phone after your material is in hand, which means the maker can react to what actually arrived rather than what you described.

Use that call to confirm:

• The finished item and its size
• How your specific material will be used and what gets cut
• Whether you want monogramming or other personalization
• Any details you want preserved (a label, a pocket, a particular panel)

4. Personalization is added

ReMinkie notes that personalization includes adding monograms, and that bears can be monogrammed or personalized. Raise this on the call so it's built into the plan rather than added afterward.

5. The keepsake is made

Production is a small operation: ReMinkie describes itself as a cottage industry with four specialized sewers working with Rita Glosser, backed by over 25 years of experience making memory bears. That scale explains the phone-first workflow — you're dealing with a small team, not a queue.

Who does the work

What to check before you commit

• Pricing and sizes. The site links to a "Pricing & Sizes" page, so get current figures there rather than assuming. Nothing on the homepage states prices.
• Turnaround time. Not specified on the homepage — ask on the call.
• Shipping both ways. Not detailed on the homepage — confirm who pays and how the finished piece returns.
• Material limits. "Any fur or fabric" is the claim; verify your specific item, especially fragile, heavily worn, or very small pieces.

Common places orders stall

• Shipping without a prior conversation. The workflow is built around the call happening after arrival, so there's no pre-approval step — but that also means an unsuitable material only surfaces once it's already with them.
• Sending too little material. A bear, quilt, or throw needs enough fabric to work with. If you're sending a small or thin item, ask first.
• Undecided on the finished product. Arriving at the call without knowing whether you want a bear or a quilt slows the whole thing down.
• Forgetting personalization. Monogramming is available but not automatic — request it.

The short version

Send your fur, fabric, or neckties; ReMinkie calls you when they arrive; you decide together on the finished keepsake and any monogramming; a four-person cottage team led by Rita Glosser builds it. The one thing to nail down before shipping is what you're sending and what you want back — everything else gets settled on the phone.