Bear Making 101

We do have the kits available for purchase in the shop. It contains most of your materials. But for those of you who like to do it on your own, here's the instructions and the pattern. Feel free to enlarge or shrink the pattern to make a bear of your own.

Most of all-Have fun and bring them in for us to see when they are done!

Materials:

• 1/8-yard fur or fabric of your choice
• Heavy-duty nylon upholstery thread (for joining)
• Regular thread for sewing
• 6 to 7 mm eyes
• Embroidery floss or Perle cotton for nose and mouth
• Poly-Fil stuffing
• Ultra suede or felt for paw pads
• 5-inch needle
• Hand-sewing needle
• Chopstick for stuffing
• Tweezers to help when turning
• Awl
• Sharp scissors
• Fabric pen

Instructions
Note: Please read all instructions before you begin.
For pattern, click here.

For Fabrics: Selecting a fabric depends on the look and the cost you want. You can use mohair, synthetics, upholstery velvets or any fabric you find at fabric stores. An old coat can also be used.

For Layout and Cutout: All fur has nap. Run your hand over the fur in all directions to find the nap mark arrows indicating this on the back side. Make sure when laying the pattern out that the arrows on the pattern pieces match the arrows you have made on the fur. Trace around each pattern piece, making sure the arrows are pointing in the right direction. Be sure to flip the pattern pieces to get the right and left sides. Each pattern piece is marked with how many you will need and if you need to flip them. Cut carefully, taking small snips through the backing only and not through the fur. This will prevent "bare" seams. Be sure to mark any openings. You will cut your head pieces (3), body pieces (2), arm pieces (2), leg pieces (2) and ear pieces (4) from fur. You will cut the paw pads for both arms and legs from felt or ultra suede.

For Sewing: All pieces are sewn right-side together and then turned. If sewing by hand, use a buttonhole or overcast stitch and a ladder stitch when closing all openings and attaching the ears. It is best to keep a 3/16-inch seam allowance and be consistent when sewing. Be sure to tuck in the excess fur as you sew for better looking seams.

For example of ladder stitch (refer to figure at right): Come up at "A," go over the top and go down through "B," up at "C," over the top to "D," up at "E," over the top to "F," etc. You should see a pattern that resembles the rungs of a ladder on the outside of the fabric. After 4 or 5 rungs have been made, pull gently but firmly and voilá! The fabric will turn inside out and the seam will disappear! On dense fabrics you may have to help the fabric by tucking it in as you are pulling. Be patient and it will come out just fine. Continue with this process until the opening is closed and knot the end as usual. You will use this stitch to close everything except the head and to attach the ears. To close the head, you will use a running stitch and pull the opening closed. Remember, pull firmly and gently.

For Body: With right sides together, sew the body from "A" to "B," leaving the opening at the neck. Turn right-side out and this is ready for stuffing.

For Arms: With right sides together, sew the paw pads to inside arm pieces "A" to "B." Be sure the paw pads curve the right way. Then sew the arm from "C" to "D" and from "E" to "F," leaving the opening near the elbow. Do the same for the other arm, turn right-side out, and now these are ready for stuffing.

For Legs: Sew the leg from point "A" to point "B" and then from point "C" to point "D," leaving the opening near the knee. Now is the time to check the size of your paw pad. Don't worry, they are often too big. Just trim it down until you think it will fit. Sew the paw pad beginning at the heel then all the way around, going full circle back to the heel. Repeat with the other leg. Turn right-side out and these are ready for stuffing.

For Head: Sew head pieces together from point "A" to point "B." Match the center of the gusset to point "B" (the nose). Sew across the nose and then down the side of the head to the neck, one side at a time, leaving the neck open. Turn right-side out and this is ready for stuffing.

For Ears: Put right sides together and sew from point "A" to point "B," leaving bottom edge open. Turn right-side out.

Helpful Hint: When turning pieces, you may find that tweezers or a chopstick is helpful in the tiny places. Be careful not to push too hard or you might tear a hole in the seam or paw pad.

For Stuffing: You should have 1 body, 1 head, 2 legs, 2 arms and 2 ears. You are now ready to stuff. With Poly-Fil stuffing you want to use small pieces to keep it evenly distributed. Stuff your bear firmly in the head and the rest of his parts to your liking. The more you stuff, the chubbier and harder he will be. When you have him stuffed, close up the head with a running stitch and all other parts with the ladder stitch -- except for the ears, these don't get stuffed or closed.

For the Ears and Face: Pin the ears to the head. Experiment. Ear placement is part of your bear's personality. Carefully stitch ears to head using the ladder stitch, tucking under edges as you go. This is one of the trickiest parts of bear making.

Mark your eye placement with pins. Take the awl or very sharp scissors and poke a hole at each of your pins. Take the nylon heavy-duty thread knotted on the 5-inch needle, come up through the neck and out at the hole and thread on the eye. The needle goes back in the hole and out just behind the nearest ear. Next, go back through the head near where you just came out and across to the other hole and out. Thread on the other eye and this time you will go back through the head to the other ear. You will need to pull the thread and set the eyes as you go. Pulling tightly, knot the thread just behind the ear. Your bear can see!

Give your bear a nose by sewing a satin stitch using the Perle cotton or embroidery floss. Do not knot the thread. Using a regular needle, come in through the cheek and out at the center of the nose. Working left and then right and ending back at the center, you can make a "V" nose or a straight-bar nose, whichever you prefer. The nose is part of the personality, too, so experiment with different styles until you find one you like. To make the mouth (See Figure 1.), you will come out at "A," go down to "B," over to "C," back to "B," over to "D," back to "B" and then out the back or side of the head. Pull very tightly and clip off the end of the thread. Gently pull on your last mouth stitch and the end will disappear into the head.

You should now have 1 completed teddy bear head, 1 body, 2 arms and 2 legs. Let's get him or her together.

Using the 5-inch needle, take a long, double-strand of the heavy-duty thread and knot it. Do the head and body first. Starting with the head, go up from the neck and out behind one ear, go down right next to where you just came out and through the head. Now go through the neck in the body, through the body and out the bottom. Make a "V" inside your bear. Go up right next to where you just came out, through the body and the head and out behind the other ear. Can you imagine the "V" inside your bear? Repeat this 4 to 5 times, pulling the thread tightly, making the "V" over and over. To tie it off, on the last repetition, go through the head, but not through the body, pull tight again and cut the thread near the needle. Tie the thread in 4 to 5 knots and they will be hiding under the neck of your bear. Trim off the excess thread.

For the legs, using the 5-inch needle, figure out where you would like them. Using the same needle, take another long, double-strand of the heavy-duty thread and knot it. Starting at the "hip" of the bear's body, go straight through to the other side and out the body. Attach a leg, making sure the foot is facing the right direction, by threading on the leg. Go back through the leg near where you just came out and then back throughout the body and attach the other leg. Continue going side to side 4 to 5 times, pulling the thread taught. On the last repetition, go through the leg and not into the body. Cut off the thread near the needle and tie 4 to 5 knots in the thread. The knot will be hidden between the body and the leg. Cut off the excess thread.

For the arms, follow the instructions for attaching the legs. Be sure that the paw pads are on the inside. They are the palms of a bear's hand. The knot here will be hidden between the body and the arm.

You can tie a fancy bow around the neck or take him shopping for some accessories. Please remember, this is a collectible and is not intended for children under the age of 8. The small eyes can be a choking hazard if given to a young child.