Teddy Blog

You can use clothing you no longer want or need, old sweaters you’ve outgrown, or fur coats found at yard sales or thrift store. Wash what can be washed first, then cut out your pattern. One fur jacket can make a couple of teddy bears. Recycling material can be fun and keep your costs of making teddy bears minimal.

There are some teddy bear makers who will use the material you send to create a one of  kind bear for you. But these can be costly and you won’t have the pleasure of making the bear yourself. You can even dress your bear in an outfit from a thrift shop or yard sale, depending on the size of the bear you are planning to make. Keep in mind that you can always create a pattern for clothing to fit the bear you are creating. It’s not really hard to do. But you need some imagination to picture the bear you want to make and dress. When making your own recycled bear if you plan to use old baby outfits from your children or  grandchildren, you will have stories to tell them about the outfits, who gave the outfit to them when they were born, and how much you loved seeing them in that outfit. These recycled teddy bears will make heirloom gifts for your children or grandchildren.

For the first bear I made I used a simple plastic eye assembly. Purchased at the nearest craft store in a package of two, these were very simple to put into the bear’s head. I made sure they were “safety” eyes since the bear was for a child. These eyes are locked into place by a lock washer. I tried to pull one out after I put it in place and I couldn’t do it.

The other type of eyes you can purchase are glass eyes. For a bear for an adult, these eyes may work just fine, but they can present some problems. First of all, no two can be exactly alike. Glass eyes can shatter, leaving tiny shards of glass imbedded in the bear’s fur. Not a very safe thing to happen!

Make sure you have the right sized eye for the size of the bear you are making. Most patterns will give you dimensions for the eyes. Dark brown or black might work best for most bears. Some packages will just be marked “animal eyes”. These are generally round with a black pupil surrounded by a colored iris. “Black” eyes are solid, shiny black. Either eyes will work for your bear.

Let’s talk about stuffing for your teddy bear. There are various types of stuffing available. When I made Brittny’s bear, I chose fiberfill because it would be better for her to have a bear she can squish when she hugs him. A large bag was just about enough for her teddy bear. I try to have this stuffing on hold because I can use it for so many different things when I do any sort of craft that requires a bit of stuffing.

Kapok, a stuffing that is somewhat like fiberfill, tends to have fuzzy little fibers that will float around you when you use it. Fiberfill is the best since it isn’t lumpy, doesn’t have a funny smell, won’t attract any bugs or mice, and is non-allergenic. There are different varieties of fiberfill, so you need to determine just what brand or type to use. Price indicates quality. The cheaper variety isn’t always the best to use. It may clump for you. It may also have tiny fibers that will remove themselves from the rest and float around you. The top quality fiberfill has long polyester fibers that won’t break down into tiny particles. You will need to decide just which brand you want to use. Check the packages and you can see the better quality. It won’t have large lumps, but should look rather uniform.