Stuffing a bear is not as easy as it looks -- especially if it is as small as SNAPPY. Let's begin with the first problem -- turning out the sewn pieces. There are a few tricks that can help with this.FIRST, make sure all of your pieces are completely sewn and the seam allowance trimmed back to about 1/8 inch. NOTE: one exception to the 1/8 seam allowance is the neck opening of the head. You should cut the fur just below the pattern line as the pattern is designed to allow just enough material in the "neck" for gathering to close.
One easy way to turn out the arms and legs is the grip the tip of the "paw" and the "toe" with a pair of pointed pliers. Then gently ease the piece down over the pliers. DO NOT completely turn out the arm and leg but leave a sort of cuff at the top. This will make stuffing easier. Then turn out the head and body using the pliers when possible. This can be frustrating because the pieces are all so small.
After you have finished turning out the pieces you are ready to stuff your bear. You might notice that when you open a box or bag of Poly-Fil that it seems to explode into double its size. That is because it has had all the air pushed out during packing. When you are stuffing your bear you will be pushing the air out again so that your SNAPPY has a firm feel after being stuffed.
IMPORTANT NOTE: When you stuff it is important to support the piece in the palm of your hand so that you do not push through the seams. Never force the stuffing -- just keep tapping it down as you go -- pushing out the air layer by layer. It is very important that you stuff the head as firmly as possible -- especially the nose because it will make embroidering the nose easier. A good trick to getting the nose harder is to keep pushing in more stuffing along the bottom seam line. Again, do not force anything -- just keep adding bits of stuffing and pushing out the air.
When you have completed stuffing all the arms, legs, and body you can close their openings with the ladder stitch. Use the tan carpet thread included in your kit.
The head is closed using a "running stitch" along the bottom edge of the neck. This will gather the neck closed. Be certain that the head is firmly stuffed and the gathered neck completes the roundness of the head.
TIPS: Many bearmakers use FRAY-CHECK to secure all of their fabric edges to prevent fraying. Some even use glue to secure the edges. I prefer FRAY-CHECK.
I always trim away the fur on the "neck" section of the head (see illustration) which makes it easier to gather and will make it smoother to sewn on the snap.
I use a screw driver to stuff my pieces but I always tape the tip to prevent the hard edges from tearing the fabric.
REMEMBER THIS:
A blog posts everything in a sequence that is LAST to FIRST so it is always important to read the previous post before starting to work on the present one.
DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION? Just write to Ted at SashaStreetNYC@aol.com
(click on images to enlarge)
