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Read and familiarise yourself with
all the instructions before you start. Trace or photocopy the pattern
pieces, pasting them onto cardboard. Check the pile direction of the
mohair marking the back with an arrow in the pile direction. On the
reverse side arrange your pattern pieces and draw around all of them,
transferring markings such as openings and joint holes. Make sure you
have all the pieces, and that they have been reversed where necessary
before cutting out. Using sharp scissors cut out pieces cutting the
backing only, not the mohair pile. Next cut out the paw and footpads
from the ultra suede. Carefully trim the pile away from all the seam
allowances. I find this very important as it gives lovely neat seams.
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Stitch the top and
bottom darts in both body pieces. With right sides together, pin then
stitch from E right round to D, leaving a small opening at the top dart
area for the head and in the back for jointing and stuffing. Using an
awl make a small hole in the body where marked for the legs, leave the
holes for the arm joints at this stage. Sew the paw pads to the inside
arms F to G. pin and stitch the inner arm to the outer arm leaving open
where marked, for turning and stuffing.
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Fold the leg in
half right sides together, then pin and stitch the pieces leaving the
opening where marked for turning and stuffing. Leave the foot pad open
too. Make sure you have a joint mark on the opposite sides of each pair
so that you have a right leg and a left leg.
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Fold the ultra
suede footpad in half and mark on the wrong side of the centre points of
the toe and heel. Pin the foot pad into place easing it in gently and
aligning the toe and heel points as you go. When you are happy tack into
place and finally hand sew using very small back stitches and extra
strong thread. Using an awl make a small hole on the inner leg where
marked for the joint, then turn right sides out.
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With right sides
together, pin and stitch the ears around the curved edge only, turn
right sides out, and over sew the straight edges together. To make the
head, with right sides together sew under the chin seam, from neck to
nose A to B. I stitch this seam twice for extra strength. Pin the head
gusset into place easing it in gently and matching A at the nose and C
at the neck opening, then tack this seam into place. I then hand stitch
using very small stitches and extra strong thread from the top of the
head around the nose area and back to the top of the head on the other
side. Machine stitch the remainder of both the seams from the top of the
head down to the neck opening. Leave the neck open between B and C. Turn
right sides out.
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Stuff the head
firmly paying particular attention to the nose area - it makes
embroidering the nose easier. Using strong doubled thread run a
gathering stitch around the open neck edge. Assemble the head joint as
follows - fit a plain washer to the bolt and super glue in to place.
Next fit the hardboard disk and glue to the washer. Once dry insert the
joint into the head, then pull up gathered stitches tightly and tie off
passing the threads back through the head to secure.
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Trim your nose area
and using a long piece of black perle, embroider the nose. I usually put
two or three layers of vertical stitching starting from the middle to
one side and then from the middle to the other side and then back across
the whole nose again. I also outline the finished nose with perle
thread. Leave inserting the mouth until later.
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Mark the
desired eye positions with glass headed pins and make a small hole with
the awl. I like to place them just outside the gusset seam. Cut a long
length of strong thread, double it and attach the eye to the centre of
the threads. Trim the ends of the threads to leave four ends. Thread
these ends into a long doll makers’ needle and pass it diagonally down
through the eye position and exiting on the opposite side of the head
next to the joint. Pull the eye into the head, then make the eyehole
bigger with your awl if you need to so that the wire of the eye sits
down into the head, but do not tie off at this stage. Repeat with the
other eye. Check that the eyes are level, and balanced with the nose.
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Re-thread two threads onto the needle, pass back
through the same hole and out of the head again approximately 2/3mm from
the first threads. Pull each eye down tightly and knot several times,
then sew the ends back into the head to lose them. Now is the time to
trim your teddy’s face back to the desired length, remembering to remove
a small amount at a time. It will not re-grow if you remove too much!
Now the face is trimmed you can mark the shape and position of the mouth
with pins and embroider using the same perle thread as the nose, once
finished carefully trim away any excess fur from the mouth line. His
ears can now be pinned and then ladder stitched into place.
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Now attach the head
to the body by passing the neck bolt through the top of the body, add a
hardboard disc followed by a plain washer then the first plain nut.
Tighten this nut firmly then add the second plain nut and tighten again
holding the first nut still as you do so. Finish off with a drop of
superglue between the last nut and the bolt.
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Next attach his
legs where marked doing the nut and bolt joints up firmly. Find the
markings for his arms, they may need to be moved slightly so that your
teddy’s arms are not sitting too high. When happy with the positioning,
attach the arms to the body, once again doing the nut and bolt joints up
firmly
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Stuff each limb
firmly and close all the seams with ladder stitch. To finish, stuff the
body with a little polyester filling around all the joint areas and his
neck and chest area and then fill his tummy with the pellets. Add more
polyester to stop the pellets coming out as you close up his back using
ladder stitch. Now is the time to embroider the claws onto Thomas’ paw
pads, if you wish. Finally give him a good brush all over, add a large
flamboyant ribbon and give Thomas a big hug.
