Claire's Sewcial Sewing: Miniature Teddy Bear Tutorial

In the kit should be a piece of interfacing, four small buttons and a length of embroidery cotton. All you need to do is choose a piece of cotton fabric and a ribbon. About a fat eigth of material and 12 inches (30cm) of ribbon.
DO NOT CUT OUT THE PATTERN.
Trace the pattern pieces onto one side of the interfacing. Ensuring the glued side is face down. Use a contrasting pen to the material you are using trace round the pattern. I have used permanent marker to show up on the photographs, but using water solubles or chalk is best. The ones that turn invisible are ok if you can sew fast!

Press the interfacing onto the wrong side of your fabric. This interfacing is light and will require a pressing cloth. Cover the interfacing in the pressing cloth or clean tea towel and with an iron set to cotton and no steam, press for 10 seconds, lift the iron and move to another spot and press for 10 seconds. Do not glide the iron. Continue in this way until all the interfacing has adhered to the fabric.

With fine thread sew around the pattern pieces leaving the gap un-sewn. I would recommend using an open toe foot or a transparent foot and sew slowly, turning and moving the fabric with the needle down.
The areas on the pattern piece marked with a dotted line are the openings. Do not sew these areas and secure the beginning and end of the sewing. For the ears leave the bottom un-sewn.
Cut the pattern pieces out with a scant seam allowance. I make the seam allowances about 1/8th inch (2mm), but 3/8th inch (4mm) are fine. At the openings leave a bit more fabric than at the seams. Clip the concave curves and notch the convex curves close to the stitching, i.e. round his head, bottom, ears and top and bottom of arms and legs, cut v's out of the seam. At wrists, ankles and neck clip the seam.

Turn the ears right side out and finger press. Cut through both layers at the top of the head where indicated. The ears need to go into this slit either side of the seam allowance. To give the ears a bit more realism, pleat them slightly in the centre. Sew across the top in a smooth arch. Sew the other seam at the top of the head if it comes undone.

The body can now be turned rightside out and stuffed. Do the same with all the other pieces. Hand sew the slits open, either with a ladder stitch or over sew them shut.

With strong thread and a longish needle that will go through the holes in the buttons, start at a cross, as shown in the pattern, fasten the arms/legs as follows: from inside of arm/leg, take needle through, then through a button, back down though the second hole, straight through body to come out opposite the first arm/leg, now back though the body , arm/leg and button and continue untit the button has been secured at least three times. Now do the same with the other arms/legs. Being careful not to catch the opposite arm/leg. Ensure that the arms/legs are the righ way up and facing forward.
With the embroidery thread sew on the eyes, nose and a mouth.
Tie a ribbon round neck.
Enjoy your teddy, but remember, he has small parts and should not be given to children under 3 years old.

Claire's Sewcial Sewing