June 17, 2014

Papa's Teddy Bear

For this Father's Day I wanted to make my Dad something special. His father (my Papa) passed away last summer and this is his first Father's Day without him. His late wife gave me a few of his cotton shirts to make a quilt. For Dad I used a sleeve from one shirt to make a teddy bear for him. (All the plaid is from the shirt).


My Aunt Gina and I got together a couple weekends ago to each make a bear. She made one out of her late father-in-law's flannel pajamas. It's funny that we were following the same pattern and both bears came out very different. We used this tutorial from How Joyful. This pattern comes with a disclaimer that it's not for beginners! I wouldn't say I am a beginner sewer, but this was my first plush animal. Considering the three dimensional learning curve, it wasn't too bad. Sewing around the mouth was most challenging. I made a few "oops" for example on his foot below, not all the linen caught. I added some big stitches to hide some of my mistakes and add a little extra detail. Overall he turned out better than expected :) 




Here is his little butt tattoo, I just left it Dad, as it was to my Dad with material from his Dad. I thought by not being specific it would have more meaning. 





My father is very manly, plaid flannel, work boots, multiple tractors man. I never know what to get him (other than chocolate chip cookies) he has everything! When I asked my Mom if he would even like a bear, before cutting into this sacred material, she said he would like it. He did like his bear!  Not his typical type of gift, but was appreciated. Hopefully Papa is looking down and also appreciates the gesture, he wasn't a man of many words so I will never know.  

Sew long for now, 
Patch & Chels

19 comments:

  1. Chelsea, that is the most adorable bear and wonderful story! How incredibly thoughtful of you!

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  2. That bear is totally fabulous! What an amazing and thoughtful gift for your father. I especially love the big stitch details and the tattoo.... really personal. It's inspiring me to do the same with one of my own father's shirts!

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  3. The bear is lovely Chels, and what a super special gift. Good on you! I'm sure your Dad just be really stoked.

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  4. What a beautiful gift, made with love and thoughtfulness

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  5. What a beautiful gift. I am sure your dad can feel the love when he looks at it. :)

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  6. How sweet! And how sad at the same time, I'm sorry for your loss.
    I love the XXX's you added all over. They add such charm and character, and the butt tattoo is perfect! What a special memento of your grandfather.

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  7. That is a fabulous gift! What a great way to use special material. I think the big stitches you added to cover your mistakes really add to the overall look and I never would have thought this was your first time making a bear. Great job. Oh, and I can't wait to get started on our round robin quilts!

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  8. What a great bear! And a great story! I love the embroidery embellishments, especially the tattoo!

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  9. Absolutely gorgeous - loved your post!

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  10. This is such a thoughtful lovingly made gift!

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  11. Wow, what a great and thoughtful gift. I'm so glad he liked it. I think it's adorable.

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  12. I love this, so cute and great to use his shirt for a memory. Thanks for sharing!

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  13. I thought the big cross-stitches were design features, not boo-boo concealers, so the strategy worked.
    I love how you made you tractor-driving, blokey dad a bear. I am sure the plaid and the tattoo make it more 'manly'. Dads are universally difficult to find presents for. Well done.

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  14. What a super thoughtful beautiful gift! And, it looks great for your first attempt at three dimensional sewing. That throws me for a loop every time.

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  15. What a great bear!
    Years ago I made my daughter a Care Bear. When neighbors told her it wasn't a *real* Care Bear, she told them it had Love in it. Great answer, don't you think? I'm sure your bear has Love in him too.

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  16. It's lovely! He sounds very much like my Dad.

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  17. he is so cute! just about to make a how joyful bear! hope mine turns out as cute as yours!

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  18. No matter what the occasion, large teddy bears are always a welcome gift. Little girls and boys love stuffed animals and the larger they are, the better. The giant plush toys are also a surprising hit with adults for holidays and memorable events. adorable teddy bear names

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