Cute Felt Bears

In the first half of the book five stylized versions of real bears, including a brown bear and a panda, pal up with five imaginary bear figures that are themed around different occasions and activities around the year—a romantic bear for Valentine’s day, a vampire bear for Halloween, a Christmas Santa, and a vacation surfer. The second half of the book
brings bear motifs to a range of stylish sewing projects—appliqued onto or crafted into pillows, tote bags, jewelry, and other gifts and accessories.
Each project provides detailed step-by-step instructions and templates, and lots of ways to customize the design.

Contemporary designs in fashionable felt, based around one of the world’s most popular animals
Simple-to-sew projects with detailed instructions that are easy enough for beginners and even kids to follow (the writer is a trained educator)
Includes fun stories woven around the imaginary bears and fascinating facts about the real bears featured

Book Contents

Introduction 8 Welcome to TheBigForest.
Chapter 1: Really Beary 10
Five stylized versions of real bears to craft—the introductions that accompany them will include information on everything from habitat to what the bear in question eats.
The bears that you will encounter are: the Grizzly or Brown Bear, the American Black Bear, the Polar Bear, the Giant Panda, and the Sloth Bear. They are presented as pillows, display figures, and a bookmark.
Chapter 2: Plush Pretenders 34
Five glorious imaginary bear figures to make, along with stories about where they live and how they came to be—there’s a bear for every occasion.
Meet Vampire Bear, Birthday Clown Bear, Valentine’s Bear, Surfer Bear, and Santa Bear.
Chapter 3: Fuzzy Crafts 66
Sets the scene with beary tales woven around projects that help bring more bears into your life. Story Pillow—The Gardener bear cub lives in a hut in the forest; create a pillow decorated with a scene that tells his story. Autobearography—Make a bear figure with custom accessories so that you have a bear that looks just like you or one of your friends.
Mini Mascot Bear—Stitch a small mascot bear to keep you safe on your travels.
Chapter 4: Cuddly Clothing 94
Dress up, bear style!
Polar Bear Tippet—Snuggle up toasty warm in this funky bear tippet, with a simple chunky knit body and felt face and paws at either end.
Boot Bears—Superchic boot bears thread through your laces to bring urban cool to your pawcovers!
Chapter 5: Ursine Accessories 106
Take a bit of bear with you everywhere.
You look Grrrreat!—Make funky felt rings and earrings for the glamor bear look.
Bear Brooch Pin—Stitch a felt pin for your purse, coat or hat to show the world you love bears.
Cellphone Cover—Craft a neat felt cellphone cover featuring a business bear.
Head Bear Headbands—Yes, bears just go to your head!
Stuff Bag—Be a hit at little league with your gear in a baseball bear decorated stuff bag.
Chapter 6: Bear Necessities 140
Additional advice on choosing your toolkit and on materials, plus technique tips and stitch steps.
Templates 132
Full-size templates for all the projects.
Index/Acknowledgments 159-160