There is not any reason as to why most people cannot own at least one teddy bear if they chose to. There is no shortage of them on the market. Even picking one up at yard sale is often an easy thing to do. Many of them can just be popped into the washing machine to freshen the little guy up, and he will be as good as new.
To make owning a teddy extra special, it is easy to make one of your own. While as you can guess, I have not resisted having an extensive collection of my own, among them are a few which I have made, just so my collection would be extra special. I often will whip up a teddy as a gift, while watching movies like Ira Sleeps Over, which as you might have guessed has a teddy bear as part of the story.
Step One
You want to gather all the items you are going to need, which are:
- Material
Choose the material which you want your teddy to be comprised of. There are lots to choose from. If you want it to be plush, then you can choose to use artificial furs, or you can go with velvet or almost any material that you desire. You will need about one yard for the body and approximately ½ yard for detailing.
- Eyes
You have to decide whether you are going to buy animal eyes or make your own out of felt.
- Nose
The nose can be made from felt as well.
- Filling
Buy an excellent quality polyester filling, as this will help the teddy to retain its shape and add to its durability.
- Sewing Machine
If you want to make the bear quickly, then doing so with a sewing machine is the best choice. However, if you are making a small bear, you can hand sew it.
- Pattern
You can either buy a pattern for the teddy bear, or you can make your own. If you are actually going to make your own, then use another teddy as your template. Making sure you leave enough seam allowance when tracing the parts. You should easily be able to find a pattern online, which is either free or that you can buy. You can download it and then cut out each piece from the material that you chose.
Assembling
- The Ears and Head
You will find it easier to start with the head and attach the ears first. If you are going to stuff the ears, do this once you have attached them to the headpiece.
- The Body
Sew the body sides, then sew the arms and feet first, before attaching to the body. If you are adding a tail to your teddy, attach this to the body, before you close up the back seam.
- Stuff the Body
You should be able to stuff the arms and legs now, and then the body, and it will be ready to attach the head.
- The Mouth, Eyes and Nose
There are actually a couple of options for making the mouth. It can be sewn in the shape of a smile with small stitches, or it can be created by making a fold to shape a lip. Next, sew on the eyes and the nose.
The final step is to sew the head to the body.