How to Make an Artificial Bear Rug
A bear skin rug is a warm and comfortable addition to a floor. But real bear skin rugs are hard to come by these days. Additionally, many people hoping to take a more humane route to dealing with animals have shied away from animal skin rugs. You can make your very own bear skin rug, however, without killing a bear. Many people have large, worn stuffed bears left over from their youth. Now these creatures of comfort can be given a second life as a bear skin rug.
Things You'll Need
- Old teddy bear
- Fake fur
- Scissors
- Seem ripper
- Felt material
- Bear claw beads
- Needle
- Thread
- Thimble
- Sewing machine
- Pattern paper
- Pencil
- Marker
- Straight pins
- Fabric glue
- Sponge brush
Instructions
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1
Take apart the teddy bear, ripping the threads at the seams. You don't want to destroy the hide of the bear; you just want to take the stuffing out so that the bear lies flat. Cut away the material on its front side.
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2
Place the bear flat on the pattern paper. Its outline should look like a bear rug.
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3
Draw an outline of the bear using the pattern created by the unstuffed bear. You may have to fudge a bit. The bear may not make a perfect outline; you can correct the imperfections in the drawing. You don't have to outline the head.
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4
Cut the head off of what's left of the bear. Leave a lip of sorts behind the bear's head, measuring about two inches. This is where you'll attach the head to the new rug you're creating.
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5
Enlarge the bear pattern by two to four inches all the way around the initial outline.
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6
Pin the fur material and the felt together. Make sure that you use enough pins to keep both pieces of material together.
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7
Pin the pattern onto the fake fur and the felt. You may have to add more pins to ensure that the two pieces of fabric stay together. Following the pattern, trace an outline of the bear onto the fur material using the marker.
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8
Cut around the pattern of the bear until you have two bear-shaped pieces of material---one made from the fake fur, one from the felt.
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9
Glue the felt to the fake fur. This will keep the two pieces of fabric from coming apart as you sew and reinforce the rug when it's done. Let this dry thoroughly before going on to the next step.
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10
Sew a seam all the way around the material you just glued. It should be about ¾ inch inside the outer edge of the material. This will keep the two pieces of material together.
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11
Pin the bear head onto the body you've created. If you're not sure exactly where the head should go, look at reference photos.
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12
Hand sew the bear's head to the body. Cut a thin strip of the fur. It should be long enough to cover the seam you just created by sewing the bear's head on. Glue the fur strip on over the seam. When the glue's dry, reinforce its attachment by sewing it down. This will both hide and reinforce the seam.
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13
Sew the bear claw beads to the bear's feet.
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Tips & Warnings
When looking for fake fur, try to get fur that's as close to the color of the stuffed bear's fur. It'll be easier to blend the two together during the process of making the teddy bear into a bear skin rug.
If you don't have an old teddy bear you're willing to part with, you can always visit your local secondhand store to find one.
