Sew A Cozy Teddy Bear Heart Pocket Pillow

Valentine’s Day is a great time to create little gifts with soft, cuddle fabrics.  But let’s face it, when sewing with those stretchy fabrics… we all tend to get a touch nervous.  Today’s tutorial will show you a few easy steps to make it easier and enjoyable.  Thermoweb has products to make cuddle fabrics a cinch to sew and the NEW HeatnBond® Soft Stretch is perfect to create a cozy teddy bear pillow for someone special.

Cuddle Teddy Bear and Heart Pocket Pillow

by Carla from Creatin’ in the Sticks

finished size:  Bear 9″ tall/Pillow 14″ x 13″

Cuddle Teddy Bear Supplies:

HEATnBOND® FUSIBLE TRICOT SOFT STRETCH INTERFACING ¼ yd.
HEATnBOND® LITE SOFT STRETCH™ 1 1/2″ x 3″
STITCH n SEW STABILIZER: TEAR-AWAY 8″ x 4″

Fabric:

¼ yd. pink or white fleece

1 ½” x 3” contrast color fleece for inner ear appliques

Other supplies:

Pattern for bear and pillow –Print the FREE PDF pattern – Heart+Pocket+Pillow
Aurifil 12 wt thread for embroidering eyes
Fiber fill (for stuffing)
24” of ½” ribbon for bow around the neck
2 pom-poms one -1” one- ¾” (please do not use if the bear is for an infant)
Iron and pressing cloth (I love my Oliso Pro)
sewing machine
sewing thread and needle
sharp scissors
erasable pen
permanent marker
other general sewing supplies

Teddy Bear Pillow Project Instructions:

Step 1

Cut out the pattern for the bear and cut out interfacing pieces.

Using a lot of pins will aid to stabilize while cutting because the HEATnBOND® FUSIBLE TRICOT SOFT STRETCH INTERFACING is very stretchy which will keep the bear very soft and cuddly while maintaining his shape. (NO BUMPY FIBER FILL) Once the interfacing is cut, fuse the interfacing pieces to the wrong side of the pink fleece.

Use a damp pressing cloth to fuse the pieces for about 15 seconds with an iron set on the wool setting.  Let the fabric cool then cut out pattern pieces from the fleece cutting around the fused interfacing.

Step 2

Mark the eyes on the bear’s face with an erasable pen using the pattern as a guide.   Place the face, right side up, on the piece of STITCH n SEW™ TEAR-AWAY STABILIZER (the fabric won’t move around and it won’t disappear into the machine) and embroider the eyes. Stitch the eyes on your sewing machine with Aurifil 12 wt. thread on top and 50 wt. thread in the bobbin.

Stitch over the eyes twice.  This is a great way to give an embroidered effect with a sewing machine. Trace the 2 inner ear pieces on the paper side of HEATnBOND® LITE SOFT STRETCH™ with a permanent marker and fuse to the wrong side of fabric following the package instructions.  These are very small and a little heat should not effect the fleece.  Turn the iron down to a wool setting and use a pressing cloth if the fabric is heat sensitive.  Cut them out and place on the bear face using the pattern as a guide.  Bond the inner ear appliques to the bear face and stitch around the ear appliques. Gently tear the tear-away stabilizer from the back of the bear face.

Step 3

Fold bear face in half with right sides together and pin from the nose down to the point as pictured to form a dart. Stitch a ¼” seam backstitching at beginning and end. Turn right side out and hand sew 1 pom-pom (1”) to the point for the nose using double thread.  If this is a gift for an infant, please be aware that, if not sewn properly, a pom-pom can be a choking hazard.  An appliqued nose with HEATnBOND® LITE SOFT STRETCH™ would be super cute also.

Find the center of the bear front body and pin the face to the body matching centers.  Stitch the face to the body by sewing ¼” across the neck from shoulder to shoulder backstitching at beginning and end.

Step 4

Pin bear front to bear back and stitch ¼” around the bear leaving the space between the ears at the top of the head open for turning.  Turn right side out and gently push arms, legs, and ears out.  Mark stitching lines for arms, legs, and ears on the front of the bear using the pattern as a guide with an erasable marker.  Lightly stuff the arm, legs, and ears with fiber fill.

Pin and stitch on marked lines on the outside of the body.  Stuff the body and head of the bear and stitch the opening at the top of the head by turning under ¼” and hand stitching it closed with a slip stitch.

Step 5

Stitch the ¾” pom-pom to the bear’s back for a tail using double thread.  Tie the ribbon around the bear’s neck in a bow and take a couple of hand stitches to secure it.

Heart Pocket Pillow Supplies:

Using SPRAYnBOND® BASTING ADHESIVE to attach STITCH n SEW™ HI LOFT SEW-IN INTERFACING to the wrong side of the cuddle fabric stabilizes it to make sewing this pillow a breeze.

SPRAYnBOND® BASTING ADHESIVE

STITCH n SEW™ HI LOFT SEW-IN INTERFACING

Fabric:

1/2 yd. minky cuddle dot fabric

Other supplies:

Sewing Machine with a walking foot (This is a must have when working with cuddle fabric)

thread

fiber fill

sewing thread and needle

sharp scissors

Protective paper for work surface (Freezer Paper)

other general sewing supplies

Teddy Bear Pillow Instructions:

Step 1

Print pattern and tape pieces together to make one heart pattern and one pocket pattern.

Pin heart pattern on cuddle fabric and cut out 2 hearts from cuddle fabric.  Pin pocket pattern on fold and cut out one.  Cut 2 hearts from the fleece and 1 pocket on a single layer of fleece.

Step 2

One way to sew with the stretchy cuddle fabric is to spray baste batting or fleece to the wrong side to keep the cuddle fabric from sliding and stretching out of shape.  This will help with sewing this pillow.  Lay pocket cuddle fabric on protective paper right side down.  Spray SPRAYnBOND® BASTING ADHESIVE on half of the pocket.  Lay the fleece pocket piece on top of the sprayed half of cuddle fabric and rub to make sure there are no wrinkles.  Spray the top of the fleece and fold the other half of the cuddle pocket over the fleece. Press and rub to make sure there are no wrinkles.

Spray basting adhesive on the back of the 2 cuddle fabric hearts as was done with the pocket and adhere the 2 fleece hearts to the wrong sides.   Press and rub to make sure there are no wrinkles.

Step 3

Using a walking foot, stitch ¼” from edge across the top of the pocket.

Lay the pocket on top of the right side of one of the fleece backed hearts and baste around the bottom of the heart ¼” from the edge using a walking foot.

Step 4

Pin both hearts right sides together. It will be a thick sandwich so a walking foot is a must for this one.

Stitch ½” from edge all around the heart leaving a 3” opening for turning.  Clipcurves and turn right side out.  Gently push the point and curves out and fill the heart with fiber fill. Stitch the opening closed with a slip stitch.

These are so fun to make and minky cuddle fabrics don’t have to be intimidating to sew.  Download this free pattern by visiting Creatin’ in the Sticks pattern shop at Craftsy and make some cuddle fun.