Teddi the Bear Pattern (Free!)

Today I am finally sharing the pattern of this cute little bear that I made for each of my three children over a span of seven years. For many years, many people asked about the pattern but I feel not confident to share as I was amateur in sewing and writing tutorials (i still am!). All of my patterns are conjured in my brain and I sew following my heart most of the time. That means my templates are changed whenever I want or I wish to. There's just no fixed instructions for my sewing. Of course, I always choose the easier way out!

So this is the newest bear addition. I call it "Teddi the Bear" just like what my youngest son calls him. Okay, I stole the idea from him actually.

Fabrics are Paperie by Amy Sinibaldi from Art Gallery Fabrics. I have been saving the fabrics to make this bear seriously. They are a perfect match.

Smiling bear with a crooked nose.

Different wooden buttons for the arms and legs.

And an adorable "handmade" tag at the leg.

The adorable back pose. He can stand, sit and pose!

I am have taken hundreds of pictures but posting just a few so as not to bore you.

A happy family! Look at all their expressions. So cute!

Each bear has a different face. Papa bear (1st bear) looks like a monkey, Mama bear (2nd bear) looks like a doggie, Baby bear (3rd bear) finally looks like a bear.

To cut the story short, I think I am ready to share this bear pattern. It's not a perfect one but I believe all kids will feel ultimate happiness when they receive handmade presents from their parents. No matter how bad your sewing is, it's the thoughts and heart that count. It's the LOVE!

"Handmade presents are treasures that would be cherished forever..."

This bear is the easiest bear you can make I promise you. I used to handsew all the previous bears until Teddi the Bear that I try to use machine sew since it might be easier for most of you. If you choose to handsew, it'll just take a little longer (make a small bear perhaps?). If you wish to machine sew, you still need to do some handsewing like blind stitch or ladder stitch or connecting the body parts together.

What you need:
- scrap fabrics
- thread (i recommend quilting thread but you can use whatever you have)
- normal needle (for patchwork and sewing of eyes)
- a very long needle for joining the body parts
- buttons
- black or brown embroidery thread for the nose and mouth
- stuffing (cotton or polyester)

Now you are ready to go! I am going to keep this tutorial straightforward. You can do your own version without following entirely. Don't worry at all with mistakes or wobbly stitches or anything. I term my sewing as "lazy sewing without restrictions".  So just enjoy the joy of making this bear for someone you love!

Download the pattern here (Page1 and Page 2). You can print at whatever size you want depending on how big you wish the bear to be. A 100% no scaling print gives a 11" tall bear.

**Remember this FREE pattern is only for personal use. You can make as many as you want for your children or loved ones. But, do not make a truckload of it to sell!**

Cut out all templates. For "feet" template, glue it on a soft cardboard and cut it out again.

One important point: Remember to hide all knots inside the bear! (look at this video for how to do it)

Step 1: Arms

Take two fabrics and pin them right sides together. Place template on top and trace.

Handsew (upper pic) or machine sew (lower pic) along the traced line, leaving a 3-4" opening (preferably not at the curves). Trim the seams to 1/4" and snip generously. Turn inside out.

Put stuffing inside (but not too full until bursting!). Ladder or blind stitch to close the opening.

Take another two fabrics and repeat the same way for the other arm.


Step 2: Legs+Feet

Repeat the same way as how you sew the arms but do not sew the straight line as it's the opening.

After stuffing (please stuff more here so bear will have stronger bigger legs to sit or stand), sew continuous stitch around the opening and pull to gather. Tie a knot.

For feet, place template on fabric (fussy cutting is great here!) and cut 1/4" bigger around. Use continuous stitch around the edging and pull tight to gather before tying a knot. Iron. Take out the template by bending the cardboard. Iron once more to define the shape of the feet.

Repeat for another feet.

Pin the feet on the legs and blind stitch in place.


Step 3: Body(front)+Body(back)

For body (front), pin two fabrics right sides together and place the template on top. Trace the template and sew along the line (but not the opening).

Repeat the same way for body(back).

Now join the body(front) to body(back) by pinning the two parts together right sides together. Sew along the lines and snip several times at the seams. Turn inside out and stuff the body full. Sew a continuous stitch around the opening before pulling the thread tight to close the opening. Tie a knot.


Step 4: Face+Head

Repeat the same way as how you sew the body(front)+Body(back)


Step 5: Ears

Pin two fabrics right sides together and trace template onto fabric. Sew along traced line (except opening and trim to 1/4" seam allowance. Snip generously for easy turning out.

Put just a little stuffing. Fold in the seams at opening. Pin in place and whip/blind stitch to close the opening.

Now position the ears 1" each from the centre of head. Pin and use ladder stitch to secure the ears. Give a little tug when tying the knot for a gathered crinkled ear look.


Step 6: Joining of body parts

This is the long joining needle that I bought many years ago from Spotlight.

To join the face/head to body:
Find the centre of both parts and pin down in place. Use ladder stitch to sew them together. You don't have to be neat or accurate here. The important point to to sew them tight so they don't separate. Pull the thread tight after sewing one round around the neck. Be generous with your knots.

To join the arms:
Using a long joining needle and thread (with several knots), poke through one side of the bear. Take a button, place about 1" down from the top of the arm and guide the needle through the button holes. Then return the needle to the other side of the bear by poking through the body. Take another button with the other arm and repeat again. Remember to pull the thread tight each time you join to hold the arms in place. Repeat this joining a few times. For the last time, make several knots and hide it under the armpit.

Note: The curved part is the upper part of leg. 

To join the legs:
Repeat the same way as how you join the arms. Make sure you sit the bear and position the legs so the bear can sit rather comfortably without topping over. The butt must be on the table together with the legs. The legs should be almost parallel to the arms.


Step 8: Eyes+nose+mouth

You can use two buttons for the eyes. Or you can use embroidery floss to sew them. When using buttons, use the same way as to join the body parts with buttons. Give a slight taut or pull to hold the button eyes together.

I use embroidery floss to sew the nose and mouth but you can choose anything else to use like beads. For the nose, there's a pointy part at the face that marks where you can start sewing. I encourage you to draw the nose and mouth position using water soluble pen first until you are happy with how they look.

Lastly, you can add any embellishments like lace as scarf or fabric tags like me or anything you wish to!

And there you go! You made a teddi bear!

Hope you enjoyed this tutorial and have fun making as many bears as you can! Please tag #teddithebear in IG to share with everyone your very own handmade bear!xx