DIY FELT BEAR TOY
DIY Felt Bear Toy
Fun printable sewing pattern kids will love
Today’s creative craft’s project – DIY felt bear toy – was an unexpected idea. It was one of those days when we had things planned when we suddenly got struck by an illness. One of those days when Etsy and printable crafts become your best friend! There is plenty of crafted and creative options and our favourite are preschool activities and definitely the textile art!
When the little ones can’t go out to play with other children, you can still help them to have some fun and even educational time! I learned to draft all kinds of preschool worksheets and eventually made one for other parents too! If you’re interested, view the Printable Preschool Activity Book downloadable from our shop! And of course – to help the little one with the games, coloring and practice you can make today’s stuffed felt teddy! He’s the cutest!
Don’t miss even more creative crafts to enjoy or make as a gift:
Simple Fabric Bunny
Felt Mouse Cat Toy
Beautiful Handmade Bookmarks
Upcycled Denim Apron – Perfect for artists or gardeners
Cute Woven Necklace Tutorial
Easy Zipper Pouch Tutorial
Lovely Spring Fabric Tulips
Felt Bear Toy by AmuruToys
While my boy enjoyed some fine motor practice, the search for a teddy to make began. I came across the cutest printable pattern template made by Anna from AmuruToys
! Simply purchase the bear pattern via Etsy, print out and follow the easy steps to put the stuffed teddy together. He wears a cute floral scarf which I made from embroidered piece of beautiful oatmeal linen. I am a big fan of neutral colors and greys so the scarf added gorgeous pops of color! It’s now my son’s (and our cats!!) favourite toy! It is a perfect size too, big enough to play with the cars or sit by the table, yet small enough so he can carry it or pack in his luggage when we travel!
This project makes a beautiful handmade gift too – the teddy or the printable pattern!
Making the DIY Felt Bear Toy
You will need:
- DIY felt bear toy pattern downloadable HERE (I did my own adjustments for this project but the bear body pattern is a great guide!)
- approx. A4 size of primary colour felt fabric for the body a small piece of felt in contrasting colour for the face (No need to buy large quantity of felt, simply get an assorted pack of felt sheets in a variety of lovely colours!)
- approx. 3x15cm of linen/cotton fabric for the scarf
- basic embroidery thread for the scarf
- embroidery needle (I tend to use the blunt end needles but for felt fabric the sharp-end embroidery needles just as efficient!)
- loose cotton wool for stuffing
Instructions:
Print out the pattern and cut the paper pieces out. Place them onto the felt drawing lines around, and then cut all the felt pieces out accordingly – the body, arms, ears and the face.
Firstly, focus on creating the bear’s face. It is easier to have it finished before attaching all part’s together. Stitch the nose and moutn onto the brown piece of felt with white embroidery thread . In case you find it hard to embroider a small piece of fabric, you can embroider the face before you actually cut the piece out.
Then stitch the face onto the front of one of the body parts with the same embroidery thread colour. After embroider eyes above the face with black embroidery thread.
Take the front and back of the bear placing the right sides together and attached them to each other with a grey embroidery floss. Remember to leave a small opening on the side to be able to turn the bear inside out. Also, remember to place the ears in now, pointing inwards. You’ll stitch them into place when stitching around the edges to join the front and back of the bear’s body. When you turn the bear inside out, you’ll see the ears nicely in place.
Make the arms by attaching the arm pieces together with stitching. Turn them inside out just like the body. To avoid them sticking out, I didn’t stuff the arms with the cotton wool. However, at this point I stuffed the body and closed the opening. I attached the bear’s arms to the sides and used the grey embroidery floss again to embroider the detailig.
Final touches
The final strp was my bear’s scarf. I used the embroidery hoop to attach the linen and create a floral pattern in reds and greens. This part took the longest, approx. 2 hrs. If you feel embroidery may be too difficult, you can also paint or block print the fabric with textile paints. Textile paints are easy to use and only need 3-5 minute colour fixing with an iron and a piece of baking paper. When I finished embroidering the scarf, I stitched it to the bear using the grey embroidery floss.
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