A "bag" bear is made without any moving joints. It is virtually a bag sewn in a bear shape and then stuffed; hence the name. These bears are fast and easy to sew and great for kids. They can be made of many different materials, but plush is probably the most popular. For a very young child, you might want to try terry cloth, with satin embroidered eyes instead of the safety eyes. These can be machine washed and dried.
A beginner level seamstress will probably be able to sew this bear by machine. However, the legs are assembled and then sewn into small leg holes, which might be difficult for a beginner. If you have trouble with this step, simply hand sew the legs in place.
List of materials:
Plush fur - scrap at least 14" X 30"
Safety eyes - 10 to 12 mm
Matching thread
Polyester fiberfill
Embroidery floss
16" ribbon for neck
Print the pattern. I suggest you print it twice so you will have 2 pieces of each pattern. All the pieces can be laid out at once, which is easier when spacing them on the fabric. Just remember to mark the wrong side of the duplicate pattern so you will have a right and left side of everything except the muzzle. You can hand trace around the ear pieces to make 4 of them.
Find the direction of the fur (nap) on the front of the fabric by running your hand down the face of the material. The smooth direction is the down nap. See Working with Fur Fabric for tips. Mark the back of the fabric at the side with a small arrow pointing in the down nap direction.
Place all of the pattern pieces with the arrow on the pattern pointing in the same direction as the arrow you drew on the side of the fabric. Make sure the arrows are on the straight of grain. Verify you have a right and left side of the front, back and legs.
Using a fabric pen that will show on the back side, but not bleed thru to the fur side of the fabric, trace around the outside of the pattern. You may pin the pattern to the fabric before tracing or simply hold the pattern piece in place while tracing around it. Transfer all the darts and letter marks from the pattern to the fabric.
