Bear Stuffie Tutorial

I have been having a great time creating these little bears. My goal is to create at least one bear each month. I have become better at sewing through the years (I'm a self-taught sewer) but nowhere near perfect. My best friend is the "seam ripper", haha. I also take advantage of all the wonderful online tutorials and patterns as well as classes (CRAFTSY), and follow many wonderful blogs. This is my feeble attempt at writing a tutorial:

Last year I purchased Kid giddys doll die cut to use with my Big Shot. I love it! I can cut patterns out quickly. I use the sizzix doll die to create the body, arms and legs. I like my bear to have a different size head, so I use a pattern I got from taking Wendi Gratz woodland critters class through Craftsy. I cut two of each. I also cut out bear snout, nose, and ears using the woodland critters pattern (or freehand them). Every bear needs to have a heart and label (my label includes my favorite verse- Jeremiah 29:11).

These bears are cut and ready to be sewn. I like to first sew arms, legs and ears. I stuff them lightly and set them aside. Then, sew the front head to the front body (set aside)and sew the back of head to back of body. All my bodies have a heart in the front and label in the back. You can sew the heart and label or use strong fusible web and iron it on.

Next, sew felt eyes and nose to front of head. You can also embroider eyes or use safety eyes. I purchased some safety eyes for my January bear and found that I really liked how they looked. I used felt for the eyes on the mouse. Then, stitch or embroider the mouth. Sew ears to front of head. To assemble, attach the arms to the front of the body.

Put right sides together making sure to put arms and ears in the inside. Pin all around to secure everything in place. Sew around and leave the bottom open for turning inside out.

This is ready to sew all around body (leave opening on the bottom). The last thing to do is to turn it right side out and stuff it. Attach the legs to the bottom of body and sew it close. (Sorry, don't have a picture of that). Check out Kid Giddy's youtube channel to learn how to create a doll. You might also check out Crafty Gemini Creates youtube channel for a great tutorial on sewing a sizzix doll. Voila! My January bear. I gave her a scarf and hat to keep her warm. Now, I need to find her an owner.