I had a friend of mine ask which jointing hardware she should use if she enlarged the 12″ Marco teddy bear pattern. Here is a quick basic tutorial on how I determine what size joint discs I use for my bears.
Author: Laura Lynn
How to Download the Premium and Free Teddy Bear Patterns
Download the Pattern
Print the Pattern
I hope that helps you to download the teddy bear patterns here at Teddy Bear Academy.net!
Alligator Clips instead of Pins
Alligator clips instead of pins: I used to use pins to hold my mohair fabric pieces together while I sewed. Then I discovered alligator clips! They are so much faster to use. They don’t pucker my fabric like the pins did. An added bonus is that they don’t put pin sized holes in my fabric! I originally found them at Radio Shack. I had to ask at the counter as they were not out on the shelves. Recently I’ve been buying them online at eBay (link). I prefer the type with teeth.
Teddy Bear Eyes
Teddy bear eyes are what give bears their personality, but what do you use for bear eyes?
When the first teddy bears made in the early 1900’s in both the United States and 
Germany at the same time, the bear makers used leather covered boot or shoe buttons for his eyes. But eventually, shoe makers started using laces instead of buttons, and teddy bear makers had to find a replacement to use for those beautiful soul searching eyes.
Many teddy bear factories started using amber or glass eyes, shaped just like a boot button. Later, in the 1950’s, manufacturers started using plastic safety eyes instead of glass eyes because of the danger. A child could pull a glass or boot button eye off his teddy bear and swallow it!
Glass teddy bear eyes and sometimes even antique shoe buttons are still used today in teddy bears for collectors. They just bring so much more life and personality to the bear than plastic eyes do.
Where is the world do you find glass teddy bear eyes? Antique shoe buttons? Well, it is hard to find them in local craft stores. If you are lucky you can find the plastic safety eyes there. Thank goodness for online shopping! You can find many types of teddy bear eyes from teddy bear suppliers around the world . You can even buy teddy bear eyes on eBay.
Maybe you want to use antique shoe button eyes on your bears? I have found them by poking around in antique stores – and of course it is so easy to buy antique shoe buttons on eBay too.
Share Photos of the Bears you Made in Class!
Share Photos of the Bears you Made in Class!
I love seeing photos of the bears you’ve made from the classes here. Share those photos here! You can upload them with your comment. I only ask that you limit your photos to bears you made from Teddy Bear Academy classes or patterns. They will not show up immediately as they have to be approved to prevent spam. Thank you, I look forward to seeing many adorable teddy bears!
A Look into a German Teddy Bear Factory
The Martin Teddy Bear Company has been making teddy bears for almost 100 years. This teddy bear factory crafts handmade bears. They create up to 30,000 teddy bears each year. Here is an interesting peek behind the scenes of a large teddy bear “factory”.