Teddy bears are among the most loved of all childhood toys. Some very famous stitched bears are the Steiff bears – note the trademark Steiff button sewn into their ears and the collectible bears by the former Knickerbocker Toy Co. in New York, which marked their bears with a label in the front seam. Winnie the Pooh, also called Pooh Bear is of course an instantly recognizable bear with his buttercup yellow color and red t-shirt.

Making a soft teddy bear really requires no special equipment. Fabrics chosen for the bear should be machine washable. It is best to avoid fabrics that fray easily. For faux fur or napped fabrics be sure that both sides of any pattern are laid on the fabric for cutting in the same direction. Teddy bear tails, ears arms and legs should be securely sewn to withstand many years of loving wear and tear. Stuffing material should ideally be hypo allergenic. Stuff firmly if the bear it to sit up or softly for a cuddly, squishable bear.

For tender remembrances, sewing a memory bear from a loved one's clothing or fabrics or items of sentimental value can be especially endearing. Memory bears are truly one-of-a-kind keepsakes. Often made from infant clothes long outgrown, a loved one's T-shirt, military clothing worn with pride, silk ties or heirloom fabrics for example. There are many free teddy bear templates available online as well as instructional videos to help with assembling a loving treasure.

Embroidering or sewing on features is important as it gives the bear personality. Features can even be painted on using fabric paints or cut from felt, glued, and then stitched securely. Plastic snap together safety eyes and noses are an alternative choice and are available from a variety of sources.

Bears can be jointed or unjointed. Jointed bears have arms and legs that are poseable. Unjointed bears have the arms and legs sewn to the body using a long needle and strong thread or the arms and legs are included in the printed pattern as one piece with the body.

The bear can be machine sewn with seams zig zag stitched or completely hand sewn using a strong thread and a simple backstitch. Simple clothes for the bear to add character can be easily made from saved fabric treasures. A vest, a tulle skirt, overalls or rompers are often all that are needed to add special character to the bear-y cute bear.

Add a simple cut fleece blanket, a child’s tiny story book, fabric carry bed or backpack for extra happy child’s play. For ideas on how to make a special stitched bear, Pinterest.com - a photo and other media content site, has thousands of images and tutorials for making bears.

Some very famous named bears are Ted, Paddington, and Berenstein. Smokey the Bear is an American icon warning about forest fire prevention. Fozzie bear is an endearing Muppet, the multi-colored Care Bears are still a childhood favorite, the Corduroy bear - a little brown bear wearing green overalls with one button missing, and not to be forgotten Yogi Bear and Boo Boo are just a few bears that have become literary and movie famous. All have become instantly recognizable and endearingly woven into the memories of childhood.

Sew happy, sew inspired.