Denim Teddy bears

Here are the results of my denim experiments using worn-out jeans.
I sewed three denim teddy bears and learned that denim is difficult to turn after sewing the seams. The long-legged teddy bear pattern I got from a magazine. The bear is meant to be hung from a door for a holiday decoration. I put beans in the paws and like the posing ability of the long arms and legs. I hand-sewed the muzzle and really wore out my fingers. Not doing that again.

Any bear pattern could be made this way by using long legs instead of short legs. Cut two straight strips with a slight curve for the paw for each leg.

Next, I made the smaller bear with a machine-sewed the muzzle, but still difficult to turn to right side. This muzzle shape makes me see a cat instead of a bear, but still a cute animal.

Then I used same small bear pattern to experiment with denim faux chenille. It took three tries and photos show final results. The side seam is machine stitched wrong sides together so there is no turning needed. It was easy to leave 2" opening for poly-stuffing and then to machine stitch closed. Photos show the bear after wash/dry cycles with long strings; then with strings trimmed off.

Testing stretchy fleece for Teddy Bears

Today I sewed several items using the stretchy fleece and learned that it is difficult to sew small projects. Scraps of stretchy fleece are good for simple finger puppets. The Door Bear sample was the easiest to sew. I used the soft fleece trimmings(from serger) and scraps left from cutting out the pattern pieces to stuff the bear. Fleece was too dark for a photo. Here are the trimmings used for stuffing.


Next, I will try the denim bear.