How to Make a Charity Bear Stuffy

In this time of great need I wanted to do something to help out.  I created a fabric face mask pattern to sew for charity and now I am turning to the children.  I came across this terrific easy to make charity bear stuffy that anyone with basic sewing skills can make.  The beauty of this project is that you can make it from cotton, felt or upcycled jeans.  This pattern came from Shiny Happy World and has all the pieces you will need.  Simply download the pattern and follow the step-by-step tutorial to create your own charity bear that you can donate to hospitals, shelters, fire and police departments. 

I made my charity bear stuffy out of some old jeans that I had on hand and some felt in my stash but you could head to JOANN Fabric & Craft Stores, Hobby Lobby, or Fabric.com to get what you need for your project.  This post contains affiliate links that if you click on them and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.   As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. 

What you will Need: How to make a charity bear softy

• Pattern you Can Get Here
• 1/4 yd Body Fabric
• Pellon Wonder Under
• Scraps of felt
• 2 Safety eyes
• Black embroidery Floss
• Fiberfill
• Standard sewing supplies

Step 1: Cut the Fabrics

Print out the pattern and cut two of the main body pieces.  Cut the parts of the face and body that you want to add.  I used a wide muzzle, medium nose, and a small red heart.  You can use any combination of pieces you want for your bear.  

Step 2: Applique the Body

Add the pieces you chose to one of the body pieces.  I used Pellon Wonder Under to attach the body pieces to the main body.  You can simply follow the instructions for the Wonder Under or some other fusible web product.  You will notice that there is a paper side to the product and a glue side to the product.  Place your fabric or felt onto the glue side of the Wonder Under and press with a hot dry iron until fused.  This should take just a few minutes.  Turn the piece over to the paper side and draw your piece onto the paper and cut out. Peel off the paper baking.  Cover the fabric with a damp press cloth and press for about 10-15 seconds or until fused.  Once the pieces have been fused, top stitch all the way around each piece using a straight stitch.   

You can complete this step without the Wonder Under but I just find it easier.  This way the pieces don’t slip around. It is entirely up to you.  

Step 3: Add the Mouth

Use all six embroidery threads and an embroidery needle and stitch three stitches down from the nose.  Then stitch one stitch up one side and then the other to create the smile.  

Step 4: Add the eyes

Use Safety eyes for this step since this is a child’s toy. I did not have any on hand but used regular buttons.  Once the buttons have been added you have completed to front of your bear body,

Step 5: Create the body

Place the other body piece right sides together with the first body piece,  Stitch around the entire body using a 1/4″ seam allowance but leaving a small opening on one side for turning and stuffing.  

Step 6: Turn and stuff the bear

Turn the bear right sides out and stuff with fiberfill.  Sew the opening closed using ladder stitch. If you are unfamiliar with ladder stitch take a look at this video.

I hope you enjoyed this cute charity bear stuffy.  If you would like more sewing and crafty projects sign up for our newsletter and receive access to our free printables library.  

 

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