About 10 years ago I volunteered my sewing skills to make memory bears for a local Hospice organization. Over several years I made over 100 bears for families who had lost loved ones. I learned a lot about how to make a stuffed bear from almost any kind of fabric.
All of my work was arranged through a volunteer coordinator and a Chaplain with the Hospice organization. It was very rewarding work. Over the years, the volunteer coordinator’s position changed and memory bears have not been requested for a long time. I miss making those bears…and I think they meant a lot to the families.
I’d like to share pictures of a few of those first bears. Then I’d like to show you how you could make one too, or at least what kind of fabric makes the best bears. You might want to save something from a loved one in the future.
The very first bears I made were for a family who had just lost a young mother. They gave me a while fluffy bathrobe that she wore in her last days. It seemed pretty morbid at the time, but I found it very healing to be able to offer a way to remember her.
Since it was a full-length bathrobe, I couldn’t make just one bear and throw away the rest of the robe. So, I kept going and made three large bears and then was able to make 5 little ones too. They were shared with the extended family. This first project was the most meaningful for me!
While I was waiting to get more requests from the Hospice volunteer coordinator I went to Goodwill and picked up a flannel shirt to make a sample for the Chaplain to show families.
I also went to the Army/Navy surplus store and found a camouflage shirt. I thought I might get requests from a military family and wanted a sample to share. The military shirt was a major challenge…very little fabric available that didn’t have pockets all over it! (Incidently, I did not have a single request from a military family. I guess around this area we don’t have a huge military presence.)
This was the first pattern I used. I have since tweaked the pattern so I liked the shape better. I found the tiny bear pattern on another stuffed animal pattern…like a toy for the stuffed animal!
Almost any stuffed bear pattern would work, but the simpler patterns were the easiest to work with. If I were making just one bear, a complex one would make a nicer bear but would take longer to make and need more fabric. Since this was a volunteer project and I was making multiple bears, the most important part was the actual fabric of the loved one…that’s where the memory resided. When I start with a loved ones’ clothing, I feel compelled to make as many bears as I can with it. The little bears even make good Christmas ornaments!
Of course, by now the only bears I have around the house are a few I made out of soft fabric for my grandkids (along with a few stuffed dogs!).
Steps to make a memory bear
I managed to persuade a friend to let go of a soft fleece shirt that she didn’t wear anymore so I could take pictures as I made a bear. I prefer to work with flannel…it doesn’t stretch as much and is more colorful.
First, I laid the pattern pieces on the shirt to make sure there was enough fabric to make the bear.
Sometimes a logo can be appliqued to the finished bear. I’ll make the bear first and then see if the picture/logo will fit.
The next step is to cut the shirt apart along the seams. I removed the zipper and discarded the collar. (My mother would be proud of me…I saved the zipper!) The front is folded to cut two of the front pieces; the back is folded to cut two backs. The sleeves when opened up work well for the smaller bears.
I baste pieces together by hand first because the fabric is so stretchy that sewing around the curves makes it hard to keep the two pieces aligned.
My finishing touches include tacking the ears, adding button eyes and nose, a ribbon and a small red heart button on the foot. If I know a bear will be loved by a child, I’ll use the eyes that are fastened through the fabric…see the dogs above…but I really prefer buttons. The tiny bears have only the heart button, so it can be cut off if necessary.
I still haven’t decided whether to add the logo from the shirt. I will have to make it smaller by using just the picture and not the words. It just feels too big, but I’ll ask the recipient first. What do you think?
Making memory bears for Hospice families was one of the most rewarding volunteer activities I’ve ever done. It was more than just making stuffed bears…it was preserving memories of a loved one. Enjoy!
Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.