Abstract Stuffed Bear

I was headed to a friend's baby shower and had made a super soft quilt and some matching burp cloths for her second baby boy. I had some fabric left over and decided to make a matching teddy bear. My girls loved the bear, so the next day we went down to the fabric store and got them some of their own super soft fabric. I was on a roll, I ended up making the girls each a bear, one for their friend, and another for the baby to be's brother. Here's a little step-by-step for this super easy fun project...

-Draw a bear, cut it out, trace the cut out onto the 'inside side of a chosen fabric. (I used a solid color for the back of the bear and a fun pattern on the front):

-Sew button eyes onto the fun pattern fabric (or whichever you choose to be the bear's front). (No picture)

-Place the two pieces together front to front (you are going to pull it through once they are sewed together, so whichever sides you want to eventually be facing out are placed facing each other). Pin the traced bear:

-Sew along the black outline. Start at one side of the end of a leg, and finish at the other side, leaving the leg open at the bottom for stuffing. Trim the excess fabric once sewed together:

-Pull the bear through the open leg:

-Stuff with stuffing or leftover scraps of the super soft fabric or a combination. When stuffing, fill the extremities (ears, arms, other leg) first so they form their shape. Continue to stuff the bear to desired fullness and close up the open end of the leg with a hand stitch or use the machine:

(The five bears, the back of Dahlia's just for reference on the solid vs. pattern. You can see the button eyes in the picture below as well)

-Give the bears to the kids and watch them enjoy:

It was a super fun and easy project. I know I will eventually make another one for Lily when she get older, or when we find some fun fabric at the store.

I just love how these are such a perfect size and are so unique and not perfect. The buttons aren't centered and the ears and arms and legs don't quite match. The belly is a little too round, but they are so fun that way. And the girls sleep with them every night.

Happy creating.