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Today, I’m excited to show you how to sew an adorable and easy felt bear plushie! This pattern is perfect for kids ages 8 and up (with a little adult help) and serves as a great beginner project for hand sewing. So, let’s create a fun project that’s easy for anyone to tackle.
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What You’ll Need:
- Felt
- Free Bear pattern (link below)
- Markers (or similar) for tracing
- Embroidery floss (try to match the colors to your felt)
- Needle with the big eye / Embroidery Needle
- Scissors
- Stuffing (polyester filler, scrap felt, or even ripped-up plastic grocery bags)
Before we begin, make sure you grab the free bear pattern, print it out, and let’s get tracing! This pattern includes the bear’s body, legs, ears, and tail.
Click image to download and print
Click Image to Download and Print
Step 1: Trace and Cut
First, place the pattern pieces on your felt and trace around them using a marker. A sharpie works best for good visibility on felt. Don’t forget to flip the pattern for any pieces that need to be traced twice; this ensures they match up nicely when sewn together. After tracing, carefully cut out your felt pieces, trimming away any visible marker lines. (Save the scraps; they’re perfect for stuffing!)
Step 2: Attach Ears and Legs
Next, it’s time to attach the ears and legs. Position the ear pieces on each side of the bear’s head. Secure each ear using a simple knot stitch with your needle and thread. Start in the back of your bear, and with your needle push out of your bears body and through the ear. then go back through the ear and into the bears body, and knot the stitch.
Repeat for all the legs and the two ears. For the back legs of the bear, put them right at the back of the bears body… unless you want your bear to have a really big bum.
Step 3: Add Eyes
Stitch the Eyes: To sew on the eyes, start by knotting one end of your embroidery floss. Push the needle from the back of the bear’s body to the front where you want the eye. Secure it with a “knot stitch” by pulling the thread tight and tying a small knot. If you prefer larger eyes, you can stitch a few more times—three stitches usually do the trick. Repeat for the second eye, ensuring that the knots are hidden inside the bear.
Step 4: Start Sewing the Body
Begin sewing at the back leg of your bear. Knot your starting stitch behind one of the legs. Use a blanket stitch around the bottom of the body, stopping where you plan to attach the tail.
How to Blanket Stitch: To create a blanket stitch, insert your needle through both pieces of fabric and pause before pulling it all the way through. Pull the thread end (from your last stitch) around the top of your needle, then pull the needle fully through the fabric. Move down your felt slightly, poke the needle back through on the same side as your previous stitch, and again loop the tail end of the thread over the top of the needle before pulling it all the way out. Keep repeating this process, ensuring your stitches are evenly spaced and snug, until you reach the end of your stitching line.
Step 5: Attach the Tail
Once you reach the back side of the bear, it’s time to attach the tail. Place the tail piece between the two body pieces and secure it in place using a running stitch.
How to Do a Running Stitch: Start by bringing your needle up through the fabric from the back to the front and pull it all the way through. Move the needle a little forward and push it back down through the fabric, leaving a small gap. Pull the thread tight. Then, bring the needle back up through the same spot where it just came down, creating a small stitch. Continue this back-and-forth motion, moving slightly forward each time until you reach the desired end point of your stitching.
Step 6: Sewing around the body
Continue with a blanket stitch around the bear’s face, making sure to only sew the two sides of the body together without sewing in the ears.
Continue with the blanket stitch along the bottom of the bear’s face until you’ve reached the front legs.
Step 7: Fill and Finish
Leave a small opening near one of the front legs to stuff your bear. Use small pieces of polyester stuffing or fabric scraps. If needed, gently push the stuffing into tight areas using the back of a pencil. Once your bear is as fluffy as you want, close the opening with a blanket stitch and tie a tight knot where you started.
Step 8: Add a Nose
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Thread the Needle: Cut a piece of thread about 1 foot long. Hold one end and push it through the needle’s eye. Tie a knot at the end of the thread.
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Start Sewing: Push the needle up through the felt where you want the nose. Pull it all the way through.
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The Stitch: For a simple stitch, bring the needle back down next to where it came up. Pull the thread tight, then go up again a little bit away. Repeat this until the nose is as big as you want it to be.
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Finish: When done, make a knot on the back of the felt to secure it. Cut off any extra thread.
And there you have it! You’ve crafted your own adorable felt bear plushie! This enjoyable project is a fantastic way for kids to learn hand sewing and create a finished product they can be proud of. If you liked this be sure to check out my other fun hand sewing projects.
