This is a soft linen and cotton toy bear. A perfect small project for beginners who just start sewing. You can sew it either with hands or with a sewing machine.
Let's get started!
Firstly, prepare the materials. Here's the list.
Essex Linen Cotton Poplin by Robert Kaufman
Color A - Ivory
Color B - Sweet pea
Color C - Mocha (Speckle)
Color D - Nutmeg
Polyester filling - 20g
A bag of poly pellets - 50g
Gutermann sew-all thread no.875
DMC embroidery needle no.5
DMC embroidery floss no.310 (Black) - around 1 meter
A rattle insert
Sewing pattern (You can download it below.)
Sharp scissors/ fabric scissors
*Feel free to use any alternatives that work for you.
Free pattern for this tutorial!
Step-by-Step Tutorial
A. Cutting the fabric
B. Sewing the head and embroidering the face
C. Sewing the arms and legs
D. Sewing the body
E. Stuffing and finishing
A. Cutting the fabric
*Before cutting the fabric, you may want to wash the fabric first to remove any chemicals on the surface, especially if you intend to use it for your baby.
Hand wash the fabric with detergent. Then, iron the washed fabric to get a flat surface.
Follow the instructions on the sewing pattern sheet to get the patterns.
Follow the colors indicated on the pattern, and transfer the patterns onto the fabric using a pen or a chalk pen.
Cut the fabric along the tracing line.
Repeat the process for all the parts.
You will have body parts x 6 pcs, arm and legs parts x 4 pcs and head x 2 pcs.
B. Sewing the head and embroidering the face
*Sewing tip: Remember that adding a few stitches at the beginning and end can help secure the sewing line.
Sew the head parts together, leaving a 1cm seam allowance at the edge.
Trim the seam to 0.5cm. Cut a small triangle at all curved areas.
Turn the head inside out. (I am using a crochet hook to help smooth the corners.)
Fill the head with polyester stuffing.
Ensure not to overfill. Leave at least a 1cm gap from the opening.
Begin embroidering the face. You can first draw it on the fabric with erasable pen as a guide.
Start with the nose. Make 3 stitches on the nose.
Then, make a vertical stitch under the nose.
Point the needle to the eye position.
Embroider the eyes with 2 stitches each at the same spot.
Make a knot inside. It's ok to tie together with the stuffing.
Make sure that the face is centered.
Sew a line with 0.5cm seam allowance to close the head.
C. Sewing the arms and legs
Fold the fabric into half. Sew the top with 1cm seam allowance.
Cut a triangle at the corner.
Turn the fabric inside out.
Embroider the hands and legs with 2 stitches each as above.
Tie a knot on the inside to secure the embroidery.
Repeat the process for all arms and legs.
Turn the fabric inside out again. Sew a L-shape line from the beginning.
Trim the seam to 0.5cm as above.
Turn them inside out. Fill them with polyester stuffing.
Sew a line with 0.5cm seam allowance to close them all.
Now, we finished the part 1!
