Free Printable Teddy Bear Sewing Pattern with tutorial

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Today I’m showing you how to make your own Teddy Bear using my free pattern!

This is the easiest Teddy Bear to make.

Below, you will find my step-by-step tutorial with step-by-step photographs.

You can also watch me make this bear in my YouTube video if you’re looking for extra instruction!

This teddy bear sewing pattern comes in PDF format and you can get it at the bottom of the page.

You will need a mid to late beginner sewing level for this project — you don’t need an expert skill level to make this bear!

Complete beginners should be sure to watch my video before starting to get the “whole picture” on how to make this bear, and should also check out my other free pattern for the MOST simple Teddy Bear that can be made by the absolute beginner with very little sewing experience!

This bear can easily be made into a memory bear, repurposing old baby clothes, making it an especially thoughtful gift!

You can also repurpose a thrift store sweater or other old clothes to make this stuffed teddy bear — there are so many different styles you can play around with!

Print out your free PDF sewing pattern at the bottom of the page, then get ready to make your very own DIY Teddy Bear!

Material list

To make this cuddly teddy bear, you will need:

Template/pattern pieces (print your free PDF pattern at the bottom of the page!)
Fabric, about 1/2 yard. (get creative with what kind of fabric! cotton fabrics, old clothes…)
A Sewing Machine
Needle and Thread for hand sewing
A little bit of Colored thread for embroidering the nose
Scissors
Pencil for tracing your templates
Safety Eyes (optional)
Fiberfill of your choice (I used wool — it adds a nice little extra weight to any soft toy!)

Notes/Tips

Use a 1/4 inch seam allowance for this whole bear.

When hand sewing, leave long tails of thread. Knot your thread, then use your hand sewing needle to pull the ends of thread to the inside of the body of your teddy bear before cutting it short. This will make your knots tight and neat.
Any time you see a dotted edge on your template, it should be left open for turning right side out and stuffing with wool or the fiberfill of your choice.

Cut and assemble template pieces

Print out your pattern at the bottom of this page.

Cut out each of your template pieces.

The body of your bear is printed out on two separate pieces of printer paper. (the body was too large to fit onto one piece of paper, so I had to split it up onto two pieces of paper)

You will need to tape together the two body pieces at the dashed line to create one body piece out of these two pieces.

Cut out your fabric

Fold your fabric in half right sides together.

Trace your body template, and trace the arms, legs, and ears twice before cutting them out. This will make 2 pieces for the body, and 4 pieces for the arms, 4 pieces for the legs, and 4 pieces for the ears.

After you cut out these pieces, cut out one head gusset through one layer of fabric.

Sew the ears onto your bear

On the top of your bears head, you will notice a line with some scissors next to it. Trace and cut this line through both pieces of your fabric. This is where you will place and sew the ears of your bear.

Put your ears right sides together and sew them, leaving the dotted edge open.

Use an 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Turn the ears right side out and stuff them firmly. You can use wool or any kind of fiberfill that you like to use.

Then, take each ear and fold it right in the middle of the line you cut at the top of your bears head.

You should line up the ears as far down in the line as you can, towards the center of the bears head.

The right sides of your fabric should be folded together.

Sew the ears into place on each side part of the face.

Sew the head gusset

Next, take the head gusset and sew it to one side of your bears head, right side together and starting at the nose.

The slightly wider end of the gusset should be attached near the nose, while the more narrow end of the head gusset will be towards the back of the head/towards the back of the neck. (no worries – the direction is marked on your template!)

Attach the gusset to each side of the bear’s head.

Sew the body of your bear

After the gusset has been sewn into place, sew the back and the tummy of the bear together.

Make sure that the remaining sides of your bear are sewn together and that there are no holes left open, EXCEPT for the hole at the bottom of your bears body that’s marked with a dotted line on your template.

The entire head and body of your bear should be sewn now, leaving only the legs and arms unattached to your bear.

Attach the eyes

I used a pair of safety eyes for this bear. You can also embroider some eyes onto this bear, but next I’ll show you how I attached safety eyes onto this bear.

If you are attaching a safety nose onto your bear, do this now, too.

If you plan to embroider features onto your bear, do NOT complete this step now. Instead, you will want to save sewing on eyes and a nose as your very last step (this also applies if you choose to sew on buttons for the eyes and nose).

Use your paper template as a guide for where to place the eyes on your bear.

I like to cut a bit of flannel fabric to use as a backing on safety eyes to make them extra secure.

Cut the tiniest hole in both the bears eyes and in the middle of your flannel backing, a smaller hole than what you think you’ll need, and push the eye front into place.

Use your flannel as a backing, and secure with the back of the safety eye, checking to make sure the eyes are very tight.

In the above photo, you can see just how I use the flannel to reinforce the back of the safety eye.

Sewing the arms and legs

Next, we’ll finish the arms and legs for your bear.

Sew the legs and arms right sides together, leaving the dotted edges open.

For the arms, it’s helpful to mark where the dotted line is on your template, so that you can remember to leave that portion open while sewing.

Stuff your teddy firmly, shaping as you go.

Put the tops of the legs inside the bottom of your teddys body and sew closed.

Sew the sides of the arms closed using a ladder stitch.

Attach the arms to just under the neck of your bear.

I didn’t do anything special when sewing on the arms, I just sewed back and forth until the arms were firmly attached.

Embroidering Features

Lastly, you will want to give your teddy a nose.

If you’re embroidering eyes onto your bear, you should do this now, too.

I used brown thread and made stitched going in the same direction as I shaped a triangle into my bear, using the stitch lines of the gusset as a guide.

Knit your thread, and use your needle to pull the ends of your thread to the inside of the teddy’s body.