How to Hand Sew Teddy Bears
Teddy bears can make thoughtful gifts for children and friends, and are often used as accessories in home decor. They are also versatile, as the design and fabric choices used in making a bear can evoke any style you like, whether you enjoy a classic brown corduroy bear or a wacky modern bear in bright colors.
Things You'll Need
- Teddy bear pattern
- Standard sewing supplies
- Fabric and matching thread
- Contrasting embroidery floss
- Embroidery needle
- Fabric pencil
- Polyester fiberfill or other batting
Instructions
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1
Choose a teddy bear pattern from the Internet, such as those linked to in the Resources section, or create your own by drawing a round head, ears, a pear-shaped body, and a right and left foreleg and hind leg. Make sure that your pattern pieces are in proportion to each other, then add seam allowances of 1/2 inch to all sides of each pattern piece. Cut these pattern pieces from the paper.
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2
Pin your teddy bear pattern pieces to a double layer of fabric. Cut around each pattern piece, then unpin the fabric from the pattern pieces.
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3
Take one of the head pieces to use as the face. On the wrong side of the fabric, mark the placement for the eyes, nose and mouth. Also mark where on the top of the head you will be attaching the ears and where on the bottom you will be attaching the head to the body. Leave enough space between your markings to fit the corresponding pieces once they are stuffed.
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4
Stitch the eyes, using the embroidery floss and embroidery needle. You will want to use a floss color that will stand out from the color of your fabric. Do the same for the nose and mouth area on the face, tying off the ends of the embroidery floss on the wrong side of the face fabric. If desired, use buttons or other decorations to create the facial features of your bear.
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5
Place the head pieces together, right sides touching, and pin them in place. Using a regular sewing needle and your thread, backstitch the head pieces together 1/2 inch from the raw edges, leaving space open at the ear markings and the neck. Secure the thread at each starting and ending point. If necessary, finish the raw edges with an overcast stitch.
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6
Stitch together the ears in the same way, leaving the bottom edges open. Turn the ears right side out and press them flat, then insert them, raw edges up, into the ear spaces left in the head. Line up all the raw edges of the ears and ear spaces and backstitch them closed. Turn the head right side out and press. Fold the neckline under 1/2 inch.
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7
Stitch together the body with the right sides together, leaving open holes for all four legs and at the neck. Stitch together the legs in the same way, leaving the top ends open, and turn them right side out. Press each leg, then stuff the legs with the polyester fiberfill. Leave some space at the open edge for stitching.
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8
Insert each leg into the body, the same way you inserted the ears in Step 6. Line up the raw edges and backstitch them together so that all four legs are attached at their respective holes. Turn the body right side out through the neck, then stuff the body, leaving some space at the neckline. Fold the neckline under 1/2 inch.
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9
Line the head's neckline up with the body's neckline and pin the two together to hold them in place. Attach the head to the body using a slipstitch, closing up the final seam.
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Tips & Warnings
The backstitch is a simple straight stitch with one modification, that each subsequent stitch "backtracks" a little over the previous stitch, creating a strong overlapping effect. The slipstitch is made by pushing the needle through the inside edges of the fold and drawing them together, out of sight. The overcast stitch is made by looping the thread around the edge of the fabric, pushing it through one side consistently.
