Barbara-Ann Bears
Traditional Teddy Bear
Kits Help Page

A work in progress...

Welcome to our new traditional Teddy Bear Kits help page, as you can see it isn't finished yet, but it's a start and we'll finish it as soon as possible.
We are starting with Bentley Bear, but will add more later, a lot of the instructions are applicable to all of our kits and patterns

If you feel that you need some personal help in making your bear I can offer teddy bear making workshops either on a one to one or group basis. Please click here for more details

Drawing Out

Firstly carefully cut out the pattern, it can help to copy the pieces that say reverse and draw two or reverse and draw four, make sure you note the 'x's on the ears and the joint holes and any other markings,

You need to run your hand over the mohair to find the direction of the fur, the pile should run from the top to the bottom. Place the mohair on a flat and smooth surface so that the back is facing you. Then lay out the pattern. You should have a left and right side head, one head gusset, two left and two right ear pieces, a left and right body front and a left and right body back, left and right inner arms, left and right outer arms and two legs. This is how we drew out our Bentley Bear

you can click on all the images to make them larger

We use a piece of felt on the back of our paw material to make the paws stronger, you don't have to do this but it makes for a better finish, it's also easier to see which is the front and back of the fabric. This is how we drew out the paw pads

We then sew the felt to the paw pad fabric and cut them out.

Cut out the pieces

Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut out the pieces, try not to cut the pile, you do this by sliding the scissors along the fluffy side of the mohair and cutting gently from the back, take your time and be careful, you could practice on a piece of mohair that isn't going to be part of the bear.

Trim off the seam allowance

We cut a seam allowance of about 6mm or a quarter inch in old money, again be careful you can take more away later but you can't put any fur back.

Making the arms

you'll definitely need to enlarge this in order to read it

Then turn the arm the right way around, insert the prong of the joint through the hole, make sure the joint is on the same side of the arm as the pad. Fill the top of the quite firmly arm with stuffing, pour pellets into the paw, then add some stuffing to stop the pellets falling out. Tip the arm flat so that the opening is uppermost then half fill the cavity with more pellets, fill the remaining part loosely with stuffing to stop the pellets falling out and then sew the opening closed with ladder stitch.

The Head

Sew the two sides of the head together from the nose to the neck
Sew the seams flat at the nose	Trim the fur from the top of the snout on the head gusset
Sew the head gusset to the sides of the head	This is how it should look
stuff the head firmly
When the head is stuffed insert a joint in the opening, then sew the opening closed by using a running stitch around the opening. Pull the opening closed around the prong of the joint, fasten off, then go round again with another running stitch pulling up any slack so that the head and joint are very firm.

Making the legs



	Fold the leg over and sew the two sides of the leg. Sew the paw pads into the feet, then make two slits up the back of the legs. Turn the legs the right side out, then fill the feet with pellets and apply a 'cork' of stuffing to stop the pellets falling out. Hold the feet up and look at them to decide which is left and right, our big toes and bears' are on the inside if that helps. Pierce a hole for the joints on the inside of the legs, the big toe side, insert the joints. Stuff the top of the leg quite firmly with stuffing, then you can either fill the remaining part of the leg as you did the arm, or you can stuff it firmly with stuffing if you think your bear might be able to stand up. Then ladder stitch the opening closed.

The Body

make sure you have the correct body sides	fold the two sides together
sew the front to the back	sew the two halves of the body together

Leave the top of the front of the body open and a gap at the back	sew a running stitch around the top of the opening
draw the top closed	but leave a hole for the joint and then fasten off
Then turn the body the right way round

Assembly


We use the joints to position the holes in the body, place a joint at the bottom of the head and puncture a hole through the body at the bottom of the joint and about 1cm or half inch behind the seam. Then place a joint at the bear's bottom and puncture the hole just above the joint and again just behind the seam. This works well on many but not all of our patterns. Put the prong of the joint of the head through the hole at the top of the body, then put a washer inside the bear and over the prong of the joint, holding this in place then put the smaller locking nut over the prong and push firmly into place, turn the bear's nose towards the front. Repeat this process with the arms and legs making sure that the hands and feet are facing towards the front of the bear. Then go round all the locking nuts again using all the force you can muster to click them into place. Now he should start to look like a teddy bear.

© Barbara-Ann Bears 1990-2010, all kits are for hobby use only, they are not to be used commercially either in the copying and sale of kits or by selling bears made from the kits or the pattern, if you would like to sell bears made from our designs please contact us for the conditions. If you would like to improve your bear making and bear design skills for your business or hobby please come to us for a bear making course, we'd love to help you.