Note: as an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Today’s blog post is a re-post of an older pattern, which I’ve converted into a PDF. And yes, if my “Firefighter Bear” looks vaguely familiar to you, as a child, I had a “Smokey Bear” plush toy that was a particular favorite of mine. He was, of course, the inspiration for my own “firefighter bear” plush toy.
Here’s a picture of my well-loved Smokey:
:
And yes, that’s me, as a little girl, dressed up in old-timey clothes (it was a fad in the 1970’s). My brother is standing right behind me, also dressed in antique clothes. I’ll be giving him a mention in this week’s video!
Please be aware that Smokey Bear is a copyrighted and trademarked name. As such, if you’re not planning to make a bear to give someone this Christmas, but instead you would like to buy one, please make sure you buy your Smokey Bear from the US Forest Service, so our firefighters and public lands funds will benefit from your purchase.
My childhood plush toy was quite large — about 18 inches tall — but my own firefighter bear plush toy (the one I designed) is only about 8 inches tall. Here’s a caramel-colored version of my bear, next to a 12 inch Ken doll, so you can see what I mean:
My own bear can be made to look like any bear character you wish. It’s up to you, as to how much creativity you use. Yesterday’s blog post showed how to use my pattern to create a Paddington-like bear. Same pattern, different character. Click here to go back to see that bear project from yesterday.
I once used pink polka dot fabric and gave my bear a tutu!
My niece, Emily, received that pink polka dot bear for Christmas one year. So a plush bear can be a blessing to both boys and girls.
I made my firefighter bear out of brown flannel, tan and black felt, and embroidery floss. Here’s another image of him, to help inspire you:
In the first bullet below, you’ll find the free, printable PDF sewing pattern for making my firefighter bear. Come back tomorrow, and I’ll show you how to make him an adorable Hawaiian shirt. As you may have heard, Hawaii is beginning to rebuild after their horrendous fires last summer, and we all wish them well as they try to recover from their terrible losses. God bless!
You may need a refresher on how to do certain embroidery stitches for this firefighter bear, so here are some links you may find helpful:
- Here’s my “How to Thread an Embroidery Needle” video.
- My “How to Hem a Garment by Hand Using the Whipstitch” tutorial shows you the basic stitch we’ll be using to attach all of the felt pieces to the bear.
- The “Basic Sewing Stitch Tutorial” video will show you how to do the straight stitch, which I will mention in my DIY video for the bear project.
- I also mention the backstitch in my bear project video, and here’s my “Backstitch Tutorial.”
- Here’s a link to my satin stitch tutorial, which is used to make the bear’s mouth.
Remember that my patterns and tutorial videos are free to the public, using the Creative Commons Attribution mark. So to do your part, here are some helpful ways to tell the world about my patterns:
- You can pin them on Pinterest.
- You can share them on Facebook.
- You can tweet about them.
- Use any other form of social media that appeals to you!
Credit and Disclaimer:
Smokey Bear is a trademarked name, owned by the US Forest Service. ChellyWood.com and ChellyWood LLC are not affiliated with Smokey Bear or the US Forest Service. Learn about the original Smokey Bear on the SmokeyBear.com website. Please support our US Forest Service and the firefighters who keep our forests and public lands safe by visiting their website, https://smokeybear.com/ and consider purchasing a product from their official stores.