DIY teddy bear free pattern and tutorial

A small soft teddy bear is just a perfect gift for a baby. Having this in mind, I have prepared this free teddy bear pattern, that is super easy and fast to sew, just perfect for the little baby’s hands to hold and hug.

I love teddy bears since forever. I got my first one, my Bruno when I was just a small baby. Teddy bear Bruno sticks with me for better and for worse for nearly 40 years now. Today, Bruno plays with my two sons who know, just how very precious he is to me and thus handle him with special care.

Apparently I am not the only teddy bear fan since teddy bears are among the most popular gifts not just for children but are often given to adults as well to signify love, congratulations, or sympathy. A handmade soft little teddy bear is just a perfect gift for a baby shower gift, and this one can be done really fast. So, let us make one.

 

How to sew this simple super soft teddy bear

 

The material you will need for the baby teddy bear

  • prewashed soft anti-pill fleece in a light color
  • felt in light and dark pink color
  • black, light, and dark pink embroidery thread
  • filling

Finished size

  • 6 in x 8 in
  • 15 cm / 20 cm

How-to steps for sewing baby teddy bear

Step 1

Get your Baby Teddy Bear sewing pattern. Print it full size on A4 sheet of paper: 

Don’t cut the pieces out just yet. Since sewing fleece may be challenging, I have used a small trick.  Cut two squares from the fleece, just a bit bigger than the teddy bear, and position them right sides together.  Put the paper with a printed pattern on the top and pin everything together, like on the picture.

Baby Teddy bear free pattern for easy sewing - step 1


Step 2

Sew the teddy bear together following the pattern line on the paper. Leave an opening as marked on the pattern.

Baby Teddy bear free pattern for easy sewing - step 2

Step 3

Carefully remove the paper with the pattern. If you are precise enough, you will end up with a cut-out pattern, you can use for some other project.

Baby Teddy bear free pattern for easy sewing - step 3

Step 4

Cut out the teddy bear from the fleece so that you cut approximately 0,5 cm away from the sewing line, living extra 0,5 cm around the opening, which will make closing the opening much easier later. Make small cuts where marked on the picture below all the way to the seam, just be careful not to cut through it.

Baby Teddy bear free pattern for easy sewing - step 4

Step 5

Turn the bear around through the opening, and fill it with a filling. Close the opening using the ladder stitch.

Baby Teddy bear free pattern for easy sewing - step 5

If you are having trouble with hand stitches, then this would be perfect for you! Check this PDF that includes all 6 best stitches for sewing stuffed toys with photo and video tutorials in one place:

Best hand stitches for sewing stuffed toys video and photo tutorial

Step 6

Use a trick pen to draw the position of eyes, nose, and mouth. Topstitch them. Always start by stabbing the needle from the other side of the head to the front side, so that the end of the thread will be hidden inside the head. Then make three small stitches on the same spot to fix the thread and then stitch the eye or nose over these three stitches so that they will not be visible at the end. When you are finished with embroidery, hide the ending under the embroidery and back through the head. The same goes for the heart and cheeks. 

Baby Teddy bear free pattern for easy sewing - step 6

Step 7

The only thing left is to share a picture of your baby teddy bear, your little masterpiece with us on FacebookInstagram, or Pinterest.

DIY Teddy bear baby toy

Do you know of any additional tips on how to make this tutorial even more helpful? Feel free to use the comments section below to share your thoughts and ideas.

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80 Responses

    • Hi Maya,
      I lead a sewing group at Canyon Lake Presbyterian Church in Texas, U.S.A. recently our pastor asked me if we could make something that he could take on an upcoming mission trip to the Texas/Mexican border. You may have heard of the humanitarian crisis that is happening. There are so many refugees, mostly from Honduras, who are seeking asylum. I chose your pattern for the baby bear and our ladies made 185 bears. This past week a group of us went down to a respite center from the Catholic church(San Juan Basilica. After the asylum seekers have been processed, they go there to receive a hot meal, shower and hygiene products before they leave by bus to go to different destinations in the U.S.
      We gave the bears to the children (they have nothing!) I wish that you could have seen their faces. They clutched those little bears right to their hearts and carried them around with them all day. Thank you so much for sharing the pattern! Other church ladies were interested, so I will share the pattern and hopefully together we can make many more bears and touch the hearts of many more little children. God Bless you.
      Sincerely,
      Eleanor Morris

      • Hi Michelle, how wonderful to hear that!
        If you have some pictures to share, I would LOVE to see them.
        have a wonderful day.

        • Hi Maja, I’m having trouble receiving this pattern, I have checked my download file folder and still did not receive it, can you help

          • Hi Shirley, you should get an e-mail with the download link, I had some problems with the provider before, so I changed this and it should work now. Please check your e-mail and if the e-mail is not there, please contact me through the contact form and I’ll find another solution for you.

      • I love the bear ! I sew for a charity and I know a lot o fsmall kids that really need to love something and take comfort from something as a bear would give them. I am having trouble downloading th pattern, Can you tell me what I am doing wrong?

        • Hi Cathy. Thank you for your kind words. Once you enter the email and subscribe to the newsletter the download should start automatically. Please send me an e-mail if it still doesn’t work and I will find another solution for you. All the best, Maja

        • Hi, Nadine. Did you get the pattern and you just couldn’t print it? The pattern download happens automatically – check the downloaded files folder on your computer, it should be there. If you can’t find it, please send me an e-mail via the contact form on my page and I’ll send you the pattern directly. If you just can’t print the problem must be with the printer, because this is just an ordinary PDF file. Have a lovely day, Maja

  1. Aww how cute! Have just subscribed. Always wanted to learn how to ‘sew’ and this will be a good start for me once I find the time ?
    Thank you

  2. Thank you for the pattern and tutorial! I will be using this with some kids and i think it will be perfect!

  3. Thank you for this inspiration! I am making about 24 small ones for a valentines day party. We will fill them with love and dress them with care. My prayer is that this activity will bring people together and couples closer together.

  4. Im thinking of using this pattern to make memory bears out of my son Justin’s shirts who passed away ..for my grandsons..his nephews..I hope it works out! Thank you

  5. Thank you for this lovely tutorial. I lost my little angel ten days ago. She was born to soon at 5 1/2 months. I wanted to get her a little teddy bear and one that I could keep and wasn’t able to find anything small enough, but also cuddly. I’m making one for her and one for me from the same cloth. This is a comfort to me and something I wouldn’t have managed to do at this time without such a helpful tutorial. The teddies will be about 6cm each.

  6. Thank you so much for this easy and affordable (ie free) tutorial! I have to come up with some easy craft ideas for our church’s vacation bible school. I don’t know how I ended up in charge of crafts but this has given me some inspiration for some of the older campers! Thank you SO much!

  7. Thank you for this Teddy pattern. I was looking for a little stuffie that would be good for boys AND girls (not a doll), for charity and personal gifts (there are more boy babies than girls in my life these days), and this is perfect.

  8. Hi! I’m going to be sewing this bear (my first time trying this) for my SO by hand, and I was wondering why the cuts are made at those markings. Do they stop the bear from stiffening?

  9. Hello Maya, I was wondering if this bear can be hand sewn? I’m completely new at this and trying to make one for my son as part of a special school project. I appreciate any advice and assistance. The pattern is cute and I’m so thankful for your posting of the free pattern.

  10. I made this little bear with my 5 year old daughter, she had so much fun and was so proud of herself. It took us about an hour, great project for a rainy day! I can’t figure out how to attach a picture but if you’d like one just email me and I’ll send!

      • Hi, Mary, the download happens automatically – check the downloaded files folder on your computer, it should be there. If you can’t find it, please send me an e-mail via the contact form on my page and I’ll send you the pattern directly. Have a lovely day, Maja

  11. STEP 6: “Use a trick pen to draw the position of eyes, nose and mouth. Topstitch them. Always start by stabbing the needle from the other side of the head to the front side, so that the end of the thread will be hidden inside the head….”

    That is difficult to do since STEP 5 has you closing the opening in the side. At that point there’s no way to “start by stabbing the needle from the other side of the head to the front side” unless you are stitching THROUGH the whole head.

    I think that stuffing the bear and closing the opening shouldn’t happen until the stitching on the front is complete.

  12. Hi Maya!
    I made two of these cuties.. they are just so adorable!!
    I made one with the stitches on the outside (I’m not good enough for that one, yet) and I followed this tutorial. My daughter and I both love them so much! Thanks for the great instructions – they were very easy to follow (for a beginner like me!).
    I’m hoping to make more for gifts :).
    Thanks again!

  13. February 26, 2019
    Hi Maya,
    I lead a sewing group at Canyon Lake Presbyterian Church in Texas, U.S.A. Recently our pastor asked me if we could make something that he could take on an upcoming mission trip to the Texas/Mexican border. You may have heard of the humanitarian crisis that is happening. There are so many refugees, mostly from Honduras, who are seeking asylum. I chose your pattern for the baby bear and our ladies made 185 bears. This past week , a group of us went down to a respite center from the Catholic church (San Juan Basilica). After the asylum seekers have been processed, they go there to receive a hot meal, shower hygiene products and clean clothes before they leave by bus for different destinations in the U.S.
    We gave the bears to the children (they have nothing!). I wish that you could have seen their faces. They clutched those little bears right to their hearts and carried them around with them all day. Thank you so much for sharing the pattern! Other church ladies were interested, so I will share the pattern and hopefully we can make many more bears and touch the hearts of many more little children.
    God Bless you!
    Sincerely, Eleanor Morris

  14. Thank you for sharing this pattern for free! So generous of you! Cannot seem to post a picture of what I made. I changed the heart for an oval belly, used a little blush for the cheeks, and inserted black safety eyes. It came out great and made a perfect addition to a nursery gift basket.

  15. Just saw this and it’s perfect since I’m inexperienced at sewing. I wanted to hand-make something from my late dad’s western shirts for my sis, my nieces and grandnieces, and this little bear is perfect. Thank you for making this easy, free! and something we can cherish.

    • Hi Teena, really glad you like it, and what beautiful memory gifts you will be creating for your loved ones! Thank you for sharing it with me, means a lot.

  16. Perfect timing for this post! Appreciating the time and effort you put into your website and the in-depth information you offer. Great tutorial! Please do continue sharing updates! Thanks!

    • Dear Cara, thank you so much for taking the time to write these kind words! Really appreciate it, it gives me the energy to prepare more cut and easy to make soft friends for you. Wish you all the best.

    • Hi Vicki, sign in for the newsletter on this page and the download of the pattern will happen automatically (it helps if you have the ad blocker turned off). Please let me know if this helped, otherwise we will find another solution for you. Wish you a fabulously creative day, Maja

  17. I love your teddy bear and I would really like to make one. I’ve tried to sign up for your newsletter so I can get the pattern, but nothing happens. Can you help me in any way?
    Sincerly,
    Silje

    • Hi, sorry, I had some technical troubles, hopefully, solved now. Can you please try once more to Sign up on this page under Step 1? Please let me know if you managed to download the pattern.

  18. I have received this pattern before a year or two ago but cannot find it. I have requested it again but have not received an email with the pattern. Any suggestions? Thanks so much.

  19. I have not received the bear pattern after signing up a couple of times for the email. Could you please help me? I have a charity to use it for. I just love the bear!

  20. Hi, I just found your newsletter & this beautiful little bear… I volunteer for a charity here in Australia & we make items for families in need and children in hospital!!! If it’s ok, I’d love to make some for our charity, I have embroidery eyes and face files I’ve digitised to use ( I own a home business embroidery machine) …

    • Dear Eileen, as I’ve just replied to your email, I’ve checked why you did not receive the teddy bear pattern – as I can see from your history, you subscribed a year and a half ago on and this is when the pattern was sent to you. If you subscribed again now, as you already are subscribed, the pattern was not and will not be automatically sent again. Please, check your email for the date I sent it to you or search for my email. Kind regards, Maja

      Wish you a lovely Sunday and lots of magic creating with this pattern.

      Kind regards, 

      Maja

    • Dear Nancy, I’ve checked why you did not receive the teddy bear pattern – as I can see from your history, you subscribed in February 2021 and this is when the pattern was sent to you. If you subscribed again now, as you already are subscribed, the pattern was not and will not be automatically sent again. Please, check your email for that date or search for my email. If you still can’t find it please send an email to me and I’ll send it to you again. Kind regards, Maja

  21. Bonsoir, je suis intéressée par ce modèle. J aimerai en faire pour des associations d enfants hospitalisés et autres. Comment puis je faire ?

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