Teddy Blog

I have been checking into making noses. Since that is a part of the teddy bear that will need to be done before stuffing I thought I needed to do some research.  I have found different techniques. Some might not be the best, but then again it’s up to the bear maker to pick the right nose for the bear they are constructing.

I have seen embroidered noses on many bears.  These will take time to do and a lot of patience as you will need to sew over the same area again and again to make a good satin stitch to cover the material underneath.  Any mistakes may not be able to be repaired.

Plastic noses can be purchased and seem to be easy enough to attach. However,  a plastic nose on a bear for a baby is not a very good idea.  Even with the connections these plastic noses have on them I would think a small child might be able to remove the nose if they are diligent in attempting to do so.

Cloth noses can be attached quite easily.  I have some patterns for bears that include a specific pattern piece for the nose.  You can also choose the materials you would like to use for the nose.  A nice soft material would be preferable.  I don’t think a furry nose would be nice, though.  I just bought some black fleece that is a short pile. I intend to use that for noses. You don’t need a lot of material so you may be able to find some on the clearance piles in the fabric stores.  I ended up purchasing 6 inches of material. That will make plenty of noses for bears.  And it wasn’t expensive buying just what I needed.

I found a great site online for embroidering noses. teddybearstutorials.blogspot.com/2011/08/nose-embroidery.html

Due to some unforeseen happenings I haven’t updated anything about teddy bear making for quite a while. Happy to say I intend to get busy making and creating some new teddies for presents this Christmas.

I have everything I need here now. I found some wonderful joint connectors at A.C. Moore. And my cousin Pat decided she didn’t want some of her teddy bear makings and sent those to me. I will be using them! I found some nice material. Now I just need to get busy and start some bears. I keep checking for new patterns in McCalls and Simplicity. They do have some nice ones. If I come across one that is easy for beginners I will note it here on my blog.  I keep looking for new ways to make bears and experimenting with techniques to simplify the procedure of stuffing the bears.

Since I am currently laid off I do have the time to get busy with bear making. That will be a good thing to keep me from being stressed out not working. Keep tuned, my bear making friends!

For Christmas Alex bought me a teddy bear wearing a cute backpack which contained a jewelry box that held the necklace that matches the ring he gave me last Christmas. This teddy bear is so adorable, comes with a scarf that says YOU ARE LOVED. The jewelry store that sold this told me the bears practically flew out of the store. So many people thought this was a nice way to present a gift. I totally agree. So now he sits on the bed every day, a wonderful reminder that Alex loves me and wanted to make me happy for Christmas.

And good news…the trigger finger has been fixed and I can once again begin working on bears. I have two to make, maybe 3, for Christmas this year. Since it’s already March, I should get busy!