Adorable teddy bears are no longer just a children's toy. Increasingly, they are sewn to decorate the interior or just for the soul. Cute bears made of faux fur, velvet, suede or fabric bring us back to childhood and give us unique emotions. It is especially nice that you can sew such a bear yourself, even if you have never held a needle with a thread in your hands. And having sewed a couple of simple toys, be sure to try to take a pattern more complicated and you will probably get a unique bear.
Material selection
Sewing a bear from fabric is much easier than from faux fur, since fur or other similar pile fabric (suede, velor) has a pile direction that must be taken into account when cutting.
In addition, these bulk fabrics are simply harder to work with. Therefore, we recommend that beginners try to sew a bear out of ordinary dense cotton. Another great material is felt. It is also ideal for beginners, since it is easiest to sew a bear from felt. In other cases, take a fabric that simulates fur, which does not roll too much on the cut and does not stretch so that the toy does not deform when assembling parts. Think about disposing of unnecessary things and scraps, for example, how to sew a bear from jeans or an old sweater. Take the amount of fabric based on the size of the future product. For beginners, we recommend an average toy size of 20-25 centimeters - it will be easier to work with details and the amount of work will not be too large. Miniature toys are the hardest to sew, so we advise you not to start with them.
Next, prepare the stuff for stuffing. You can use a synthetic winterizer or holofiber for this, or even scraps of fabric, or you can stuff a bear with granulate, sawdust, or even cotton wool. Such materials are often found in specialized stores for creativity.
In addition to fabric and printed material, you will need threads, needles (even if you plan to use a sewing machine, all parts are sewn to each other manually).
Details of the future bear
Next, think about how you will make the bear's face. The easiest way is to buy ready-made plastic nose and eyes and stick them on or draw eyes, nose and mouth with fabric markers. You can embroider a nose with threads, but for the most beautiful interior bears, you should look in the needlework stores for glass eyes that are sewn by hand. Also for such bears, as well as for real Teddy bears, special articulated mounts will be required that allow the head and legs to move.
And the last - decor elements. You can do without them, but the bear will be much prettier if you supplement it with simple clothes or a ribbon around the neck.
The easiest teddy bear
Even a child will cope with such work, so you can safely sew a toy with your children. The pattern of the bear from the fabric can be drawn by you by hand, and you can draw as you like - a teddy bear with long legs or a round puffy bear with a big head or ears.
Fold the fabric in half with the pattern inward, lay the pattern on top and circle with chalk or a fabric marker. Cut two parts at once and sew them on a typewriter or manually, leaving a small hole for turning out and stuffing. Turn out the fabric, stuff it well, not forgetting about the ears and paws, sew the hole with your hands. The bear is almost ready, it remains to draw a muzzle for him and decorate him as imagination suggests.
Sock bear
A pair of woolen or knitted socks, naturally new, will make a very cute bear. A pattern is not needed, and the entire master class is placed on one picture - from one end of the sock cut out a head with ears, from the other - a trunk with lower legs, from the scraps to cut the upper legs, and from the other sock - an oval for the muzzle. Next, you need to sew a slice on the head between the ears, sew in the paws and fill the body and head, connect them together and make the face. Funny bear is ready.
Tilda Bear
Another version of the popular toy is a Tilda -style bear . These are minimalistic textile toys in which the proportions of the body are elongated and long. It is best to sew such a bear out of bright cotton with a small original print.
So, the pattern of the bear from the fabric should be transferred to the fabric, folded twice. Next, cut the parts with seam allowance. Sew each part of the toy, leaving a hole, and turn it on the front side. To twist the narrow parts of the paws, use a pencil or wooden stick. Fill all the details and sew the holes with a blind seam.
Buttons can be used to connect the legs and torso, then the legs can be moved. Gently sew the ears to the head and the head to the torso. It is better to embroider the muzzle with thread - Tild’s eyes are traditionally made using the French knot technique, and the nose and mouth can be embroidered with small stitches according to a pre-made pattern.
Teddy bear
The pattern of this bear is perhaps the most difficult, since it needs a fabric that imitates fur and special paw mounts. So, in this case, the pattern is not transferred to the material folded in half, but two drawings of the details of the body, head, ears and paws are made. Moreover, one detail of the pattern is located next to another, but mirrored. This is necessary so that the pile of fabric at the finished toy was directed in one direction. Cut parts only with very sharp scissors so as not to damage the pile. In the details of the legs and torso, where they will be fastened to each other, make punctures for future joints.
Also often in Teddy's feet, palms and inner part of the ear are made of another material, such as leather, so they are cut separately.
Then we do everything as usual - the pattern of the bear from the fabric should be cut, stitched, twisted and stuffed. It's time to insert the mounts. These are cardboard disks with a hole in which a bolt, nut and 2 washers are inserted. A disk with a bolt is inserted into the paw through an un sewn hole, and the fabric is sutured around the outgoing bolt. A disk is also placed in the body at the attachment point of this paw and its hole must be combined with the hole previously made in the fabric. Next, attach the paw to the body so that the bolt from the paw enters the hole in the body and fix the structure from the inside with a nut. Do the same with all the paws and the head, and you can sew up all the remaining holes and form the muzzle.
To do this, pull the muzzle from the inside in the eye area (to add volume to the eye sockets) and mouth (to form a bear's smile) with a needle with a thread and a knot tied at its end. You can bring the thread behind the ears. The tightening makes it possible to create exactly the expression of the muzzle that you want to give to your toy.
Bear Me to you
This charming bear is familiar to everyone by its cute and touching postcards. These bears are distinguished by a gray-blue color, so choose a fabric that is close in color. They also have a muzzle made in a special way - it consists of two parts of a contrasting color and of a blue nose. These details and a special pattern of a bear made of fabric make the Me to you toy recognizable.
Please note that this bear always has feet made of suede or finely pile fabric. Sew them in a circle after sweeping the details of the lower paw and only after stuffing.
Also a special feature is a large decorative patch from the same companion material. You can buy a blue nose made of plastic and stick to the muzzle. For the rest, this toy is sewn in the same way as the Teddy bear, they can have the same pattern , but it can be assembled without hinge fasteners, but simply by sewing parts to each other.
polar bear
The pattern of this bear differs from the previous ones in that the polar bear will not sit, but stand on four legs.
In principle, the whole sewing process repeats the previously described, the only caveat is that you should fill your paws well and tightly so that your polar bear does not fall over on its side, but stands well and firmly.
As you can see, there is nothing complicated in how to sew a bear out of fabric, the main thing is patience and accuracy, and you will succeed.