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What You Really Need to Make A Heart-Made Teddy Bear
Must-Have needles, simple sewing machines and a question of Who, too
Penelope Carrington
October 27, 2024
HEY, THERE!
It’s almost time for the Great Pumpkin to make an appearance as Beartober comes to a close.
Temperatures have started to drop, making for great snuggle-weather.
I’ve been hugging Albert tighter amid the chill and recent loss of my uncle.
Family came together for the funeral, but it was long, quiet drive home to the city hours away from close or extended family.
Grieving, with this distance, makes me want to the sew.
The familiar hum of my trusty, 1950s Singer sewing machine is a soothing cadence over a snarl of emotions.
I find a new rhythm remembering the past while nudging each teddy bear piece under the machine’s foot. I no longer feel frozen, because I’m moving.
And building. Stitch by stitch.
A home for someone’s heart. A pillow for their tears. A marker of the Time In-between.
What feels hard now, will be less so later. Much, much later.
I’m pairing this weekend’s sewing sessions with the start of the Simple Bear Necessities series, where we’ll dig into what it really takes to make an irresistible bear.
One that’s customized for comfort with a signature charm only YOU can bring.
Even, if you’ve NEVER made a bear.
Next up in this issue:
The 5 Must-Have needles you’ll want in your pin cushion.
The Anatomy of a Sewing Machine Needle
How Fancy Schmancy FOMO kills teddy bear builds.
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MAKING A BEAR ISN’T AS HARD AS YOU THINK
If you can:
Cut paper, you can cut out pattern pieces.
Slide your debit card into a card reader, you can guide fabric under a sewing machine foot.
Lace your shoes, you can thread a needle.
SHARP AND TO THE POINT
We begin with the 5 Must-Have needles you’ll want in your pin cushion.
They range in size from 1.5 to 7 inches and have construction or personality sculpting duties in the bear making process.
You won’t spend even a teddy bear arm or a leg building your teddy bear tool kit either.
Costs run form $3 to less than $10 per assorted pack.
1.5 TO 2.5 INCH HAND SEWING NEEDLES
These are the shortest, skinniest needles on the list.
They’re great for sewing the basting stitch, a removable running stitch used to temporarily hold fabric together.
It’s a stitch used when you don’t want your fabric pieces to slide while you’re sewing them together on the machine.
They’re also used to:
Attach the bear’s paw pads to its legs.
Attach the ears
Sew on special patches such as hearts or flowers
Embroider the nose
Threading them can be a challenge due to the tiny “eye,” the hole at the top. Self-threading needles are an alternative.
Some you pull the thread down through an opening at the top of the needle. Others have an opening on the side of the needle’s eye.
Cost: $4.99 to $8.99 per pack. Amount varies.
3 TO 3.5 INCH SOFT SCULPTURE DOLL NEEDLES
A thicker needle with a bigger eye so it’s easier to thread.
This comes in handy when “sculpting” the bear’s basic face into one with Pooh personality and charm.
Grab it to attach button joints on tiny teddies.
Cost: $5.30 to $9.49. Assorted sizes per pack.
5 OR 7 INCH DOLL NEEDLES
The longest needles on the list.
These are used for sculpting the bear’s face and giving it that Pooh personality and charm.
Their length is perfect for medium bears with thicker snouts. Beginners may find the larger needle easier to handle.
Cost: $2.59 and up. Assorted sizes per pack.
MEDIUM CURVED OR RIB STITCH NEEDLES
Don’t be intimidated by the curved needle.
It’s a lifesaver when closing up your bear limbs and back after stuffing. No more fighting your fabric as you push and pull the sides together to stitch. |  |
The curved needle makes it easier to join the sides with more accurate stitches.
I stuck myself much less after I switched to a curved needle. (Your fingers will thank me.)
Look for it in repair, leather and upholstery needle sets.
Cost: $3.99 and up. Assorted sizes per pack.
SIZE 90/14 OR 100/16 HEAVY DUTY SEWING MACHINE NEEDLES
 Singer.com | I may change my lenses when I’m on a photo shoot, but I prefer the One and Done approach to my sewing machine needles. I go with the Universal 90/14 or 100/16. |
They’re larger, heavier duty needles that can sew lighter fabrics to extra heavy duty upholstery material, faux fur or leather.
Cost: $3 and up. Assorted sizes per pack.
ANATOMY OF A SEWING MACHINE NEEDLE
Each part of the sewing machine needle plays a role in creating a solid stitch as you sew.
Let’s break down the parts from the top to the bottom.
Shank: This top part is rounded on the front and flat on the back. When inserted into your machine, the flat part goes to the back.
Shaft: The thickness determines the needle’s size.
Front Groove: An indentation on the front of the needle. It guides the thread into the eye and makes sure the stitches are smooth.
Scarf: An indentation on the back side of the needle. It makes it so the thread can be hooked by the bobbin, a small spool that holds thread for the lower part of the stitch on a sewing machine.
Point: This goes through the fabric to pull the thread to the bobbin hook and form a stitch. This MUST be sharp to do its job,
Bent or dull points will cause skipped stitches, fabric pulls and frayed threads.
DEEP DIVE
BACK TO THE FUTURE OF FOMO
Have you ever seen The Jetsons?
One of my favorite cartoons, it drew me in to the futuristic life of George Jetson and his family.
I can still hear the buzzy theme song, full of zippy strings and proclamation-hinting horns:
Meet George Jetson.
His boy, Elroy.
Dau-ghter, Judy.
Jane, his wife.
They lived in the cloud-based Orbit City where they drove flying saucers, road conveyor belt sidewalks and left the cooking to the push-button Food-O-Matic.
The older model.
And Jane was NOT happy about it.
Yeah, even in that Space Age future, FOMO was a thing. (For those who don’t know, that’s Fear of Missing Out.)
It’s like pinning for an iPhone 16 when you still have a flip phone.
Never mind that you can still make calls on the more basic model. It’s the bells and whistles that count.
THE BENEFITS OF BASIC
My 1950s Singer, which I’ve had for 41 years.
When it comes to making bears, you don’t need high tech gadgets and machines to make a teddy bear with heart.
I use a 1950s Singer with a knee pedal.
It was serving as a roach motel in the storage room of a nursing home when my mom rescued it.
Fumigated it.
And had it repaired.
It sews ONE stitch: straight.
Leather, velour, long haired fur and short. This machine flies over everything.
I’ve used it for more than 40 years and it’s STILL a workhorse.
I’ve killed newer machines with fifty, eleven hundred dealybobs and stitch types.
Frankly, you don’t need a sewing machine because you CAN make a bear by hand.
It will take you longer. But if you want to do lean and basic: a needle, thread, scissors and pins will do. Less, you see, is more. Too many people think they need ALL the fancy things to learn something new AND do it WELL. |  |
Well, I’m here to tell you: Save. 👏🏾 Your. 👏🏾 Money. 👏🏾
If you already sew, you probably have what you need in your sewing room.
If you know someone who sews, shop their supply closet.
CUT DISTRACTIONS, SEW COMFORT
When you’re starting out, all the high tech and fancy schmancy things can be a distraction from the real work of learning how to make a bear.
In fact, adding high tech learning curves only increases First-Step Anxiety.
Even with all my experience, there are days I’ve done everything BUT the Sewing Thing.
And there are dozens of things to learn when making a bear including how to:
Properly cut fur (the backing, not the fur)
Trace your patterns
Prepare your cut pieces for sewing
NONE have anything to do with the myriad of buttonhole or stitch settings found on fancy sewing machines.
Sitting down at the machine and sewing? That can be the real struggle, but go ahead. Sit and sew.
Tools aside, WHO your bear is for matters most after gear.
This simple question determines everything about your bear including the:
FABRIC | SIZE | VOICE |
EYES | NOSE | LIMBS MOVEMENT |
A bear for a newborn shouldn’t have fur that sheds when brushed or stroked.
Small accessories and button eyes are out, too. They’re a choking hazard.
Turning the old clothes of a late loved one into a memory bear?
Cottons, denims and low-stretch fleece and flannels are better fits.
Shirts made of silk and other fabrics that fray, stain or wear down easily can mean more trips to the teddy ER and a shorter life span.
KNOW THAT YOU’RE BUILDING AN ENDURANCE BEAR.
A fur-ever friend who will be cherished long after its former child BFF grows to have more bills than playdates.
THE WHO OF YOU
Bear specs aside, YOU are another WHO that counts.
I still remember the thrill of sitting down to make a bear for my daughter. Olivia was nearly 2 feet tall with skinny limbs that swam in her lace-trimmed dress and matching bloomers.
Each stitch brought me closer to giving my daughter what I had: a childhood full of imagination, play and adventure.
Your memories and experiences will also infuse your heart-made bear, creating customized comfort one can snuggle.
My daughter, Super G, with Olivia (center) and friends when she was little.
The three of us - Super G, Olivia and I - might have missed out on some of those experiences had I been derailed by a complicated sewing machine.
So remember:
YOU are your best bear-making tool when you keep your tech simple and focus on the WHO as you build the perfect teddy bear match.
Until next week!
