Cut Confusion with the Key to Patterns Made Bear-y Easy

HEY, THERE!

We’re back in the swing of the Simple Bear Necessities series and focused on patterns.

We’ve got the key to decoding the symbols, lines and patterns and making all those numbers makes sense.

Let’s get to it.

Next up in this issue:

• Don’t be one and done

• The Pattern Key 

• Build a bear with Bear Squared

First time reading? Sign up here. 

A MESSAGE FROM 1440

Receive Honest News Today

Join over 4 million Americans who start their day with 1440 – your daily digest for unbiased, fact-centric news. From politics to sports, we cover it all by analyzing over 100 sources. Our concise, 5-minute read lands in your inbox each morning at no cost. Experience news without the noise; let 1440 help you make up your own mind. Sign up now and invite your friends and family to be part of the informed.

Sign up today!

YOU CAN’T CUT JUST ONE 

Yeah, that’s food. But Momma rarely made JUST ONE anything in the sewing room.

Not when she had two kids. What one got, the other did, too.

Except that year my sister and I graduated from different schools on the same day.

She got a new outfit and I had to wear my same stupid purple pants. 

(Said in a salty kid voice. ‘Because said kid, now grown, is still a wee bit salty about it.) 

I also had to ride the bus home. Me and some other kid were the only two on it.

That day was the only time my mom missed a school event. 

Even though I'm still salty, I understand the struggle as a mom.

Parenting requires superhero juggling and thinking on your feet. But I digress.

Momma always made two versions from the same pattern. Each item was customized for our personalities and tastes.

Or rather, she had a superpower that dialed into what we didn’t even know we would like. 

Later, she worked in a clothing factory and eventually started her own lingerie business.

So sewing in bulk was the norm.

It is for me, too.

I cut a handful of bears at a time, but switch up the fabric.

Fur. Chenille. Rose camouflage. 

Whatever catches my eye from my stash. 

It’s true that no two bears will be the same, but you can add more distinction with different colors, patterns and textures.

You can also switch up your techniques and test the results:

• Stuff one bear less so it’s softer instead of firm.

• Place the ears wider apart to change the expression.

• Embroider the nose in a flat oval shape to alter the snout and, ultimately, the personality.

The other perk: If you make a mistake, like attaching an arm backwards, you won’t waste time cutting out another bear. 

You simply grab one from the stack and keep sewing.

*All bears were made by Penelope Carrington for One Good Road Buddy. 

A MESSAGE FROM BEAR SQUARED
HEART MADE SELF-CARE

Be the first to grab the stitch by stitch course for teddy bear lovers and self-care seekers who need a creative outlet that builds a bond.

One that’s hands-on and heart made.

Because you’re building a WHO, not a what.

And in the making, you’re taking a mindful moment to:  

• Unplug

• Slow down

• Be present

Join the waitlist today!

DEEP DIVE
THE PATTERN KEY

If you’ve ever looked at a teddy bear pattern and thought: 

Make it make sense! 

Read on, friend. 

Pattern directions and the books that (supposedly) explain said patterns leave out a LOT. 

And that messy middle makes for some ugly bears.

Today, we’re getting you straight with patterns and HOW to read them so you get to the building part faster. 

The sooner you start sewing your bear, the sooner you’ll ditch any fears you have about not being enough. 

Not creative enough.

Not experienced enough.

Not coordinated enough.

Breathe, my friend. 

Sewing is a task. 

Making a bear is a process completed by doing this task in a specific order with certain guidelines. 

Mindset guidelines including: You’re making a WHO, not a what. 

Followed by a trifecta of questions that make fabric selection personal:  

• WHO is it for? 

• WHO could it be? 

• WHO could it help?

Generally, you don’t know what you don’t know -  until you NEED to know. 

In this bear making world, I’m saving you from that gray area. That messy middle we talked about. 

And ultimately, the disappointment of an ugly bear. 

Correction, a Zombie bear.

One with no personality.

No legacy.

Nothing special. 

As your Chief Bear Alchemist, I’m here to lead you out of the Zombie Bear Apocalypse and into your Plushie Powerhouse Era. 

Because when you make a bear, you are building a bond.

That’s why heart-made bears ride for life as fur-ever friends. 

So let’s build ‘em right. 

On deck: 

• What is a pattern? 

• Symbols, lines and terms 

• Piece by numbered pattern piece

WHAT IS A PATTERN? 

First, let’s get right with our understanding of a sewing pattern. 

In this bear builder's world, it’s a template that shows you how to cut and assemble fabric into a teddy bear.

Patterns come in paper and digital versions. 

Traditional patterns come in envelopes and are printed on tissue-like paper. You can buy them online or in stores from Joann’s to Walmart.

Other patterns come printed on copy paper or are traceable from a book. Both are often true to size so you can cut and sew. 

Digital patterns are bought online and come as a downloadable PDF. 

Some are true to sizes. Others might need a bit of enlarging to get them to the right size. 

Once you’re set on the size, you can hit print and cut out the pieces. 

The style of the bear determines the number of pattern pieces required to make it. Bears without joints, for example, have fewer pieces. 

Other design elements that add to the number of pattern pieces include:

• A separate paw piece sewn on the arm.

• A head gusset or center piece which gives the head a three-dimensional shape. 

SYMBOLS, LINES AND TERMS

Each pattern features symbols, lines and terms. 

The symbols and lines are acronyms and shorthand for what you need to do to cut out or put together that particular pattern piece. 

These are the most common:

A fold line directs you to fold the fabric and place the pattern’s fold line on that folded edge so what you cut out will be one piece instead of two.  

The cutting line is the line you follow to trace and cut out the pattern piece.  

The stitch line shows you where to stitch. If there are places that should be left open for turning and stuffing, they will be marked with triangles or circles. 

Jointed bear patterns will include dots on the arm, leg and body pieces to indicate placement.  

Dots can also be found on the head to mark the placement of the ears. 

A trim line is dashed, like a stitch line, but this shows you where to trim the fur around the muzzle, the ears or even the stitch lines. 

A POINT ABOUT ARROWS

Arrows are last on this list of symbols, lines and terms, but they are the most important. 

Arrows help determine where to place the pattern on the fabric. 

In other words: The arrow should match up with the grain of the fabric or the direction of the nap or fur. 

To determine this direction, brush the fur. When it lies flat, that downward direction is the way the pattern arrow should point. 

If you’re NOT using fur, you’ll want to place the pattern on the straight or crosswise grain. 

To find them, start by locating the selvedge. 

That’s the official edge of the fabric, which has a distinct finish to prevent fraying. You’ll also find details such as brand, fabric type and design.  

The straight grain runs parallel to the selvedge while the crosswise grain runs perpendicular.  

If you’re still unsure, or prefer the shortcut, pick up your fabric and give it a pull. 

The lengthwise grain doesn’t stretch as much as the crosswise grain. 

Again, the direction with less pull is the lengthwise grain so that’s the direction your pattern arrow should point. 

Fabrics with plaids and patterns normally run parallel to the body.

One thing to note: DO NOT CUT ON THE BIAS OF ANY FABRIC. 

Your bears will look like they stepped out of a fun-house mirror, wonky and misshapen. 

See, the bias is the diagonal grain of the fabric. 

Grab your fabric or fur and pull it diagonally. The stretch, or diagonal grain, is impressive but NOT what you want to cut on.

PIECE BY NUMBERED PATTERN PIECE

Now it’s time to look at the numbers.

Three things are true of every bear pattern.

• It has a set number of pieces.

• Each piece has a number.

• ‘Flip or fold’ is a mandatory question.

Here are the pieces in a typical teddy bear pattern: 

• Head

• Gusset

• Ears

• Paw or foot pads

• Legs 

• Arms

• Body Front

• Body Back 

• Nose*

I included the nose because an embroidered nose is my nemesis so I sew on my signature nose. 

This totals 9 pieces. 

That number could go up or down depending on whether the:  

• Limbs are part of the body

• Ears are part of the head

• Paw pads are part of the arm 

This aside, how do you figure out how many arms, legs and other pieces to cut? 

Check out the number on the body part (above) because understanding the math is not common sense. 

Cutting out a bear properly goes beyond having two arms and two legs. (If those parts are separate from the body.) 

In fact, you need to cut 4 arms and 4 legs WITH TWO of each arm reversed. 

Enter that flip or fold truth we mentioned. 

Each pattern piece has a number -  1,2 or 4, - which tells you how many of that particular piece to cut. 

If the cut number is 2 or 4, you will cut half of those pieces with the original pattern and then FLIP the piece over to cut out the mirrored version. 

GET BEAR SQUARED

That’s a wrap for this week’s Simple Bear Necessities installment about patterns. 

There’s more to come including:

• The six hand stitches you need to know

• The best stuffing to fill your bear

• The eyes that will be the window to their huggable soul.

If, however, you’re ready to start building a fur-ever friend, get on the waitlist for Bear Squared. 

It’s the stitch by stitch course for teddy bear lovers and self-care seekers who need a creative outlet that builds a bond.

One that’s hands-on and heart made. 

The digital course opens this month.

Sign up here and get some bear-y special bonuses when it opens.