Teddy bear eyes are the most expressive part of a teddy bears face, so you will need to decide what sort of eyes to use, what size and colour and where to position them. If the teddy bear is for an adult or a collector, glass eyes should be used.
Glass Teddy Bear Eyes
Glass eyes come in a huge range of colours and sizes and most of them are hand made, it's very hard to choose which colour although black is the most popular.
I love to use one of the many choices of blue eyes for bears that are white or light coloured. I like to also trim the fur around the eyes so that the eyes are more visible. I use coloured head straight pins to decide where to place the eyes. I prefer the eyes to be set fairly close together, but they can be wide apart if that's the right look for the bear. Move the pins around until you're happy with the position. I use dental floss to sew in the eyes as it's very strong and almost impossible to break. Pull the eyes in tight so that they make an indent in the teddy bears head. This makes the eyes look like they are in an eye socket.
Safety Teddy Bear Eyes
Safety eyes should always be used is the teddy bear is for a baby or a child. These also come in brown, black and many other colours.
Eye sizes range from 1mm for small bears to 30mm for large bears. Safety eyes are placed in the head before stuffing the head. Glass eyes are sewn in after stuffing. I find that putting larger eyes on a teddy bear makes the teddy bear look younger. Most bear makers tend to use black shiny eyes but I like to vary the eye colours and sizes that I use.
Where to buy Teddy Bear Eyes
Glass eyes can be bought from craft shops that sell teddy bear supplies or they can be bought easily on-line.
Happy Bear-Making!
First of all, your teddy bear or stuffed animal needs to have a name. If he or she doesn't come with one or you don't like the name given, choose one that you like and which suits the toys character.
Check out the laundry instructions for washing your teddy bear or stuffed animal. Some can be washed in the washing machine, but check the label first. Please don't put you mohair collector teddy bear with glass eyes that you paid a fortune for in the washing machine. These bears can be cleaned by dusting, light vacuuming and wiping with a damp cloth. I personally like to wash teddy bears and stuffed animals by hand and hang them by the ears on the washing line out of direct sunlight. This sounds cruel but I'm sure they don't feel any pain!
Dressing the teddy bears is also fun, clothes can be bought or made if your handy with a sewing machine. Some teddies have a very nice collection of clothes for various occassions.
If your teddy bear or stuffed animal gets injured, sew him up or his stuffing may start to fall out and the hole will get bigger. Use a strong double thread to sew up any loose seams.
If you have a very fluffy teddy bear or stuffed animal they can be washed and brushed then dried with a hair dryer to keep them fluffy.
Teddy bears make good friends so spend some time with them!
Types of Fabrics Used In Making a Stuffed Teddy Bear
When buying or making a stuffed teddy, you need to decide whether you would like your teddy bear made out of mohair or a synthetic fabric. It is hard to choose if you are making a bear as there are so many choices! Beginner bear makers should start off using a synthetic fabric as mohair is very expensive and best to use when you have more experience in bear making. When buying a bear, you will find that teddy bears made out of synthetic fabrics are much more affordable.
Synthetic fabrics come in different pile lengths and a vast range of colours. Longer piles are more suitable for larger bears and short piles for smaller bears. Of course, this rule doesn't have to be followed because you can make a bear out of any kind of fabric you like. It all adds to the special character of the bear, nothing is set in concrete.
Mohair is the most popular fabric used in bear making. Mohair comes from the fleece of angora goats and it is tightly woven onto a non-stretchable backing fabric. Mohair is the traditional fabric for bears, most favoured by bearmakers. It has been used for 100 years in bear making. Mohair is also available in many colours, pile lengths and types, and like all bear making fabrics it is sold in fat quarters which are square shaped pieces of fabric. A fat quarter is more suitable for cutting out a bear pattern and measure about 70cm x 50cm which is big enough for a 40cm bear (16in).
Types of Mohair:-
Tipped Mohair - Available in straight or curly pile with the tips dyed a different colour which is very effective.
Spare-pile Mohair - This type of mohair looks a bit baldy and thinned out. Ideal to make an old looking bear.
Extra-dense Mohair - This pile is thicker than regular mohair.
Curly Mohair - This is very soft and has curls and waves made by steam processing.
Distressed Mohair- This mohair is made to look like the old fur seen on antique bears.
Straight pile Mohair - This is popular with bear makers and is a straight, thickly woven pile.
For first time bear makers I recommend buying a bear making kit. These kits include everything that you need to make your first bear and detailed instructions. It's an easy way to start off, and familiarises you with bear making techniques to make your bear making journey more enjoyable.
I have a little secret that I promised not to tell
It’s hidden in the garden at the bottom of the well
We wrapped it in a blanket
And tied it very tight
And dropped it down there slowly
On a dark and stormy night
Me and my friend Billy, well we had to put it there
To protect it from some greedy bears
Who really just don’t care
We go and check it when we can
To see if it is safe
It has to stay there for a while
Until our special day
We call our friends and set a date
Then we shop and bake a cake
That day at dawn, we creep outside
Down to the well and we check inside
Our secret is there, we have saved the day!
We pull it up and take it away
The day is fine and the garden is ready
We bring out our secret and give some to each teddy
You see, on our special picnic day
It wound be rather funny
To have a teddies picnic day
Without a giant jar of honey
So please don’t tell a greedy bear
About our hiding place so near
Because of course we’ll have to do it
All again next year!
Down a winding cobbled lane
In a quiet country town
In a little junk shop window
Sits a teddy with a frown
He is very old and ragged
And he is falling all apart
He’s so very sad and lonely
That it breaks his teddy’s heart
He wasn’t always like this
He use to be quite smart
Once he was a new bear
Held close to someone’s heart
His fur was thick and curly
His arms and legs were strong
His glass eyes shone so brightly
In the years when he was young
He thinks about the life he’s had
While he sits there all day long
It was mainly good and a little bad
But he always did belong
One night while on a ship at sea
He was woken suddenly
And put into a lifeboat
On a night of tragedy
He fought a war in a tiger moth
Flying high up in the sky
He spent some time in hospital
Where a nurse fixed up his eye
He went back home to England
He had parties to attend
He never ventured far away
From his lifelong friend
When many nights of darkness fell
And the bombs came raining down
He was taken to a safer place
Underneath the ground
They laughed and sang and had some fun
To keep up the spirits of everyone
After many years of love and hugs
And being taken everywhere
He was left one day on a ferry boat
That left him in despair
He sat up in the window
With the captain every day
As all the big ships came to port
While he crossed the bay each way
His owners never claimed him
Which made him feel quite sad
So he went home with the captain
Then he didn’t feel so bad
He stayed for many years
Until the captain passed away
When he cried his teddy tears
He was all alone again
Someone packed him in a big brown box
And put him in a truck
He was taken to the junk yard shop
And that’s where he’s been stuck
So if you’re passing by one day
Please take him to your home
He looks old, worn and tattered
And he doesn’t like to be alone
