How to Make Faux Fur Tear Bears

Add faux fur tear bears to your scrap booking activities.

Tear bears are scrap booking favorites made from thick handmade mulberry paper and the creativity of your imagination. You wet the outline of your design on the paper with a paintbrush or damp Q-tip, let it set a bit and then tear it. This leaves the edges shaggy and makes it look like fur. Why use paper when you can make a faux fur tear bear.

Things You'll Need

• Faux fur
• Paper
• Pattern
• Scissors
• Fabric glue
• Chipboard
• Needle
• Thread
• Eyes and nose or felt to make them
• Fine-tip zig pens

Instructions

1. Draw your tear bear design. Cut out the parts for a pattern from heavier paper. You'll need an oval for the body, 2 tubular pieces for legs, 2 tubular pieces for arms, 4 circles for ears and front paws, 2 ovals for feet and a larger circle for a head. Make a separate circle for the snout of the bear.

2. Place the faux fur so the furry part faces the table and the back side is up. Draw your pattern to the back of the fur. Use a different color for the snout if you desire. Put a line of glue on the pattern lines you just drew. Press it down and allow it to dry. This eliminates floating fur and raveling while you're cutting.

3. Brush the fur to the center of the fabric while you cut it. Take little snips so you're cutting only the backing and not the fur as you cut the pattern. This leaves more fur to lay over the edge.

4. Lay out the fabric on chipboard. The additional backing makes the faux fur bear a little sturdier. Glue the arms and legs down to the paper. Add the paws and feet. Put glue on the back of the body and center it. Glue it down to the paper. Brush down the fur on the legs and trim a bit if necessary to get it to stick better. You can also stitch the parts together if you choose.

5. Glue the ears to the back of the head with fabric glue. Glue on the head. Add the snout. You can stitch it on if you choose or glue it down. If you glue it down, comb the head fur outward and trim it slightly if necessary.

6. Allow the glue to dry. Trim around the bear and chipboard. Glue on eyes and nose. Draw in the mouth with a fine-tip zig pen. Add special decorations or clothing to your faux fur tear bear.

Resources

• Tear A Bear Connection has patterns.