A number of people have asked me where I got the name for my long arm quilting business.

The answer is quite simple. In addition to other creative skills, I make jointed bears. The drawing for my company logo is a sketch I did of the first bear I made, Hector.

The original Hector, with his lace bow, sits on an antique rocking chair that belonged to my husband’s grandmother. He resides in our basement sitting on his rocker next to my grandmother’s antique chair. He is always on patrol.

I drew a quilt for Hector to sit on for gift cards I print; I drew Hector wearing a chef’s hat for the cover of cookbooks my daughters and I have created as family gifts (he appears on the recipe pages and section dividers as well); I drew Hector’s twin sister, Harriet, wearing a bridal veil for the cookbooks given as shower gifts; and lastly, he graces one of my favorite quilts, my redwork quilt, where he, again, is sitting on a quilt.

Now, Hector is colored a warm brown with black eyes and sits on a drawing of a red and white quilt employing a traditional quilt block pattern–you guessed it–Bear Paw.

There you have it, the origin of my company’s name. I told you the answer was simple!