If you have any questions, you can contact me at ​plush@teacuplion.

com
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Selling plush made from this pattern ​is​ permitted with credit to “Pattern by TeacupLion” ​on your
marketing photos, online listing or the product tag. Please include credit even if you modify the
pattern. You may not sell or share this pattern. Thank you for helping support me so I can keep
providing sewing patterns :) ​A​ link to my Etsy store​ www.etsy.com/shop/teacuplion​ is greatly
appreciated in your online listing!
Not for use for sewing classes, or mass manufacturing at a factory.
You may not redistribute or sell this pattern or any modified patterns from it.
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Pocket bear finished size: 5.25” tall, 3.25” wide

Materials needed to make 1 bear:
● 5” tall, 18” wide - any fabric will work. I recommend stretch fabric like fleece; the fabric in my photo is
minky / soft-n-comfy
● Scrap fabric for inner ears - I used dot cotton
● 8mm safety eyes, 6mm nose
● Embroidery floss for mouth
● Handsewing needle, thread, scissors, thread conditioner to make handsewing easier, fabric marker or
chalk to transfer eye/nose dots, chopstick for turning small pieces, hemostats/long tweezers for turning
plush & putting in stuffing, quilting pins
● Polyfil stuffing
● Optional: Scrap lace or ribbon, beads, pearls, charms, buttons for necklace
● Optional: 3” doll needle for needlesculpting

Machine sewing stitches used:

Running Stitch

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Hand sewing stitches used:
Running Stitch Sew straight and even lines 2mm away from the raw edge,
alternating sides of the fabric. Pull the needle and thread
through completely through one side of the fabric, then the
other. Repeat, making small even stitches.

Whip Stitch Sew tight and even loops perpendicular around the raw edges of
the fabrics. Bring the needle up through fabric 1/8" away from
the edge. Loop around the edge to the side (one stitch’s width)
and repeat.

Ladder Stitch The ladder stitch is used to attach the head to body. Use a color
that is close to the fabric being sewn closed. Stitch in and out of one
side side, then in and out of the other. Pull the thread to close the
stitch, and the two pieces of fabric will be pulled to each other.

About this pattern

● “Stretch” arrows on the pattern run parallel with the crosswise grain (major horizontal stretch) of the
fabric.
● “Nap” arrows on the pattern run along the way the fur goes. If the arrow points, down, fur should point
down so that when you pet it, it’s smooth downwards (like the back of a cat, the direction goes one
way)
● Seam allowance is included, and is 1/4”.
● RS = Right Side of fabric, WS = Wrong Side of fabric, SA = Seam Allowance

Layout & Cutting Tips:

● Print out the pattern pieces, and cut around the outer edge of the black outlines.
● You can pin your pattern to the fabric, trace it with pen, or hold it in place and carefully cut around.
● For each piece marked as “Cut 2”, cut 1 piece, then flip the pattern, and cut the 2nd piece. You should
have 1 piece each of WS and RS facing up.

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Clipping curved edges:

Dart Sewing Tips

The “v” shaped dart will become a straight line. Sew using 1/4“ SA, starting at one point and finishing at the
other. As you sew, your seam allowance will decrease until you reach the end. Make sure to backstitch at the
start of and end of the dart. When finishing, sew as smoothly as possible, so that the angle of your dart blends
smoothly with the folded fabric. I sew this as a slight curve.
Using small scissors, snip open some of the fold under the seam allowance to allow the fabric to move more
freely in this area. Stop cutting where I’ve indicated with the blue pinhead. (Opening some of folded fabric to
ease)

​-> flipped piece over -> ​

1. Prepare pattern and cut fabric pieces
Cut fabric according to instructions on each pattern piece. For the eyes, poke holes in the paper pattern, and lay
the pattern down on top of the right side of the fabric of Head Front. Use chalk or washable pen to transfer the
dot onto the face fabric.

2. Sew Ears
Pin 1 inner ear piece to 1 outer ear piece RS (right sides) together, and sew around the curved edge with 1/4” SA
(seam allowance). Leave the flat edge open. Repeat for other ear.
Cut away 1/8” of seam allowance. Turn with tweezers/hemostats and push out curved edges with chopsticks.

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 3. Sew around Body
Sewing the body by machine is a little tricky to sew perfectly; you may want to trace the stitching line on using
water soluble pen or chalk first.
Pin body pieces RS together, and sew around body​ B-C​, leaving the neck open.
Clip curved edges and turn RS (right side) out.

4. Sew Head Front dart

Fold the Head Front piece in half RS together, and pin the forehead dart. Sew dart ​A-A1​ with 1/4” SA and clip
curved edges.

5. Sew Head Back center

Align the Head Back pieces RS together, and pin along the center back seam (less curved side). Sew ​A-D​ with
1/4” SA and clip curved edges.

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 6. Sew head front to back
Pin Head Back to Face front RS together. Match sides ​B to B,​ ​C to C, ​and​ ​center top​ A to A. ​Sew Head Front to
Head Back ​B-A-C,​ leaving neck open.​ C
​ lip curved edges and turn right side out.
OPTIONAL: If you don’t want to handsew the ears on, you can include them in the seam allowance, although the
ears will be shorter. You can lengthen the ears if you want to do this.

7. Stuff head and body

Insert stuffing into the head and body. The body stuffing will stay there, but you will be removing the head
stuffing again after you confirm the eye placement in the next steps.

8. Check eye positioning, insert eyes

The face of your plush will be the most important and adorable part, so make sure your placements are as
symmetrical as possible! If you transferred markings for safety eyes, check if the pen lines are still symmetrical
and accurate.
Place pins where you would like the eyes to go. Check alignment with a mirror, or measure the distance from
the markings or pins to various edges of the fabric.
Make a small hole on this dot for each eye using an awl or small sharp scissors. Insert the eyes to test; if one is
crooked, you can​ ​adjust the eye hole position or size only very slightly (a few mm) as necessary with scissors. To
do this, make a small cut in the direction that the eye should move more towards.
Make sure they’re totally symmetrical and done, and then remove stuffing from the head just enough to press
the backings on firmly. Then add stuffing to the head again.

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(Step 8 cont.)

Make a hole for the nose as well, but do not attach the backing yet!!

9. Embroider mouth
You can use water soluble pen to draw where you want the mouth to be, or place pins where you want the
mouth to be. Test with your embroidery thread by wrapping around the pins to make sure the smile is cute and
symmetrical.
Use at least 12 inches of embroidery thread thread a needle and knot one long end of the thread, and leave one
short end loose. (For double strand embroidery, knot both thread ends

Insert the doll needle through the nose hole, and stitch out to the top center of the mouth in the muzzle seam,
about 2mm below the nose hole.
Stitch into the bottom center mouth. Stitch out to the left mouth corner, and back into the center.

When tightening your thread, ease the last bit of thread down gently by holding a pin underneath, easing both
threads down evenly.
Stitch out at the right mouth corner, and back into the middle of the mouth. Pull needle out at the nose hole.
Clip threads and knot once. Slowly tighten and ease the knots to the base of the fabric. Pull on the mouth
embroidery a bit to make sure the knot is tight and against the back of the fabric. Then double-knot.

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(Step 9 cont.)

10. Attach back of nose

When your embroidery knots are done, push the backing of the nose on inside the head.

11. Ladder stitch head to body

Pin the head to the neck of the body at the center chin, the head’s neck hole should line up with the body neck
Thread and knot your needle with thread that matches the fabric, use thread conditioner, and starting at the
back center of the head, ladder-stitch the head to the body.
Insert your needle into the body near the closed neck, then up to the head at the neck. Then sew back down
into the body, and back up into the head. Continue making small stitches going back and forth between the
body and head. As you sew, you will pull the two pieces together with tension on the thread as you sew. Secure
your knots extra well and clip extra thread.

How to Ladder Stitch:

Shown top view in the diagram, horizontal pink stitches are on the wrong side of fabric, inside the plush.
Use some thread conditioner to make hand sewing easier.
Watch my video tutorial on ladder stitching: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq0COEpMyGI

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 12. Sew Ears to Head
Pin the ears to the head at your favorite location - the ears further up on the head and facing forwards is more
happy/alert. Ears facing downwards or lower on the head is more sad/sweet.
Whipstitch the flat edge to the head.

13. (Optional) Needlesculpt face

To add more dimension to the face and sink the eyes back into the head for a natural look, needlesculpting is a
great technique that is my favorite. It can add character to flat faces, and even fix mistakes.
Use 24” of upholstery thread that matches the face fabric color, and a 5” doll needle.
Stitch out to an inner eye corner, as close as possible to the eye, or even underneath it as possible. Then stitch
back into the same inner eye corner, about 2-4mm from the original stitch. Bring the needle out to the center
back of the neck. You will apply a little bit of tension on the thread, not much. The more you pull, the more the
eye will sink into the head.
Repeat for other eye. When done, double-knot threads at the center back of the head.

(my stitch locations shown in red)

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 14. (Optional) Make a lace collar necklace
Wrap a ribbon or lace around the neck, and tie a bow to the side. I make several loops and sewed them down.
Use a few handsewing stitches to sew the ribbon necklace to the plush.
You can stitch accessories to the necklace as well, such as pearls, beads, bells, charms, etc.

Clean up your plush with a lint roller to remove extra fabric bits or stuffing.

And voila! Your adorable little Pocket Bear is done! You can make a whole wee little army of them in different
colors, and give them to your friends and loved ones.

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