Hi everyone my name is Chris and I am making my first bear. Actually this will be the first time I have sewn anything this my home economics class in 7th grade. I am a machinist/CNC Programmer and teach on the side, I am used to working with metal and not fabric an whole new world for me. The reason why I am doing this is my mother loves collecting Bearington bears and a few others at well. So for Christmas I thought I would surprise her with a bear I made for her. I went out and purchased a Brother sewing and embroidry machine, which I plan to use just for the paw pads and feet to embroider her initials and some hearts and flowers. I plan on doing the rest of the bear by hand sewing as from my reading that is the best way to go.

I picked up the 15 inch Chloe kit and well I already messed up as I fogot to reverse the pattern on the inner arm. No real biggie as it was going to be my trial bear. I plan on making the final bear out of fox fur and suede.

Anyway my first question on the arm pads/paws there is a triangle shape that matches up with the inner arm. Is that there just for alignment purposes or do I need to sew that with the seam???

Also anyone know if there is a place where you can buy furniture for a 15" bear, I would love to find a chair or something to put it on!

Hi Chris,
Welcome to the forum. Your mom will be so pleased that you are going to the effort to make her a bear. Will the fox fur be the bear for your mom? Before you work with real fur, come back on here and get some tips for working with real fur before you begin. Or you can send me a PM and I will help guide you through it. There are some things you need to do with real fur that do not apply to mohair bears.
Now, to answer your question about the triangle. The triangle is just there to help you line up the paw pad with the arm. I call them match points. You should see some else where on the pattern pieces. If you are comfortable with using a sewing machine, there is no reason that you can't use it for the entire bear. There is no right or wrong way to make a bear, it is what works for you. If you are going to hand sew it, use good tight stitches that are fairly small. Most people I know that hand sew use a running back stitch for the mohair bears.
If you have any more questions just ask. I have this thread marked to let me know when something shows up.
Have fun making your bears.
Donna

Thanks a lot Donna, I appreciate the help. I am shaking in my boots!! Yes I do plan on using the fox fur for the bear I am making for her. I just got the pattern transfered last night, I ended up putting weights on the pattern so the pattern wont be distorted. Going to pick of a xacto knife on the way home to cut it out, as I am worried about distorting the fur, by cutting all the way through with scissors. Anything I forgot or any other suggestions to make his go easier will be great.

Thanks
Chris

Hi Chris,
I usually make a copy of the pattern. I like to keep one copy uncut so that if I loose parts, I have the original to go back to. After I have a copy made I cut that copy out and when just beginning bear making, I would then glue the pattern on card stock or empty cereal boxes or what ever I had. Then cut the heavy stock pattern out. Then lay the pattern pieces on the back of your fabric and trace around the pattern pieces. You are pressing down on the card stock pattern as you trace so that there is no distortion of the fabric. I use a fine point sharpie marker to trace. Use something that is not going to bleed or run on the fabric. Some people use a pencil if it will show up on the back of the fabric.
Once you have it traced on the back of the fabric, go back and check that you have reversed all the pieces that need to be reversed. Some people cut extra pattern pieces with the reversed pieces so they have the whole pattern laid out correctly.
Now, you are ready to cut. I like to use Fiskar microtip scissors. They are designed without the finger and thumb hole so that your hand does not experience any stress injuries from cutting. Before I found the Fiskars, my thumb would experience nerve damage from the scissors pressing on the nerve as I cut out the bears. You want a microtip on your scissors. Little embroider scissors will work well also. You will take very small cuts. Your cuts should be about 1/2"-1" snips at a time. You will slide the bottom blade along the backing of the fabric so that you are not cutting the pile. I worry that with the xacto blade you will not have the control you need to cut. And if you are pressing against the fabric with the blade while the fabric is lying on a flat surface you will cut the pile off as you are cutting. If you want to see a picture of the scissors, look at Edinburgh Imports web catalog. Go to the supply section and then find the scissors. The Fiskar 5, Gingher 6 or the Squizzers would be good choices. You don't want something like dress maker scissors, they will cut the pile off. I buy my Fiskars at WalMart.
Take a deep breath, you can do this!
Donna

Just wanted to say thanks a bunch for your time in explaining in detail the next steps to take. I have the pattern transferred and went out and got the Fiskar scissors and I will start cutting tonight.

I put a couple of scrap pieces of the fur on the sewing machine last night and it is very difficult to move the fabric around on the foot. The seem of the two straight lines were great, however like I said maneuvering the fur under the foot is a pain. Should I use a particular type of foot or do you think the fur is two thick to manuever??

Also being that I am going to use a 1/4" seam allowance as suggested and I am pinning it, is it alright to use a stapler to give it a little more strength while sewing??

Thanks
Chris

You are welcome for the hints.
Stapling the pieces together before you sew them will be fine. Just don't get close with the needle on your sewing machine, if you hit a staple with the needle, the needle will break or bend. After you have sewn the seams you will need to remove the staples. Just use a staple puller or something similar.
I have not had trouble getting the mohair under the presser foot. I have trouble with faux fur! You can try using a zipper foot or if your machine has a walking foot that is the best. What type of sewing machine do you have? I may have a walking foot that would work for you.
If I remember correctly the fabric used in the Chole kit is a fairly dense mohair. You may want to use the staples then use a basting stitch before you sew. Many artists will do the muzzle and the foot pads by hand because there is so much curving and these are important areas to be correct.
After you have the seams sewn you will want to pick the fur out of the seam on the inside of the bear. You can use an awl or large needle to gently pull the fur free from the stitching. After you turn the bear pieces right side out you will again want to pick the fur out of the seams. This makes a much nicer flatter seam and better finished bear.
Let me know if you need any pictures along the way or if we need to have live feed through Skype.
Donna

Thanks Donna, I played with it all weekend and gave up using the sewing machine. I was just having a hard time keeping the fur tucked in at the seams, and when I flipped it inside out the seam was noticable and I couldn't comb the hair with out damaging it. So I ended up with handsewing it. I got both ears done last night and they look pretty good. I need to get some longer pin needles tonight. I am just glad I have enough fur to do three or four bears, although I will probably only get one out of it in the end.

Thanks
Chris

Well been working on this guy for about a month now, I never knew how much goes into making one. I have the head sewn and stuffed along with the ears, body and one arm. I have also been working on a dress for the bear that I am hand embroidering roses onto and machine embroidered her initials on some suede for the feet. I don't think I could have done all this without all the posts here and all over the web.

Anyway I have a couple questions:

1:)Closing seams with the fur is there a particular type of stitch I should use, do I sew each stitch loose the pull it tight or just pull it tight on each stitch??

2:)Also is there any tricks to sewing the nose!!

Sounds like you are going to have a very nice bear when you have her finished. I like to use a ladder stitch to close the openings in the bear. I usually take three or four stitches and pull it tight. Some people pull it tight after each stitch. Just what ever works for you. Be sure to use the good strong thread like and upholstery thread or artificial sinew. Regular sewing thread will break.
Learning to do a good nose takes time. Just take your time and place each stitch where you want it. I think every bear maker has their own way of doing noses. It is just something that you have to do to get comfortable with your own style. I like to use felt templates under my nose so that I don't have the fiber from the bear sticking through my stitches. I like to put a little extra stuffing under my felt piece to give the nose a little bump. I also like to stitch a fan shape nose where I keep coming back to the center at the bottom of the nose. It took me about six years to find the nose I like to do.
Keep working, you'll get there.
Donna