Baby Lovey Pattern – Sewing Template for a Furry Bear Lovey
I created this baby lovey pattern for Baby Y who loves cozy things! If you prefer paper toys, you can find a list of paper toy templates, or scroll down for this sewing template for a furry bear lovey. This post contains affiliate links.
Y – age 2.5 – has a thing for cozy stuff. If you have a fuzzy pillow or throw on your couch, he’ll bury his face in it and say “cozy, cozy!” He’s a little obsessed and it’s the cutest thing.
So I decided to take some of the faux fur that I had left over from a few projects (such as these furry stools) and turn it into a cozy lovey for him.
With one yard I made the following:
- Recovered two stools
- A throw pillow (tutorial coming when the weather cools)
- A fake beard for a costume
- This baby lovey pattern
A little warning before I start: this was made for a toddler to relax with. It was NOT designed for sleeping and it was definitely not designed for a small baby. The big issue with DIY toys is that they’re not regulated so you need to use common sense. This has small beads which are a choking hazard. You can embroider features if this gets you nervous, but regardless, I only let Y use it supervised, and I regularly check for fraying. I also know that he doesn’t tend to take apart things like this. Never give a baby anything soft to sleep with.
Now back to the baby lovey pattern.
Since this was being made for a toddler, I filled the bear head with pellets instead of polyfill stuffing. This makes it heavy – like a beany baby attached to a fuzzy bottom.
The top part is felt because that’s cozy too. If you’re not sure about where to get your fabrics from, you can check out my list of the best place to buy fabrics online.
This is a very basic sewing tutorial and requires minimal sewing – you don’t even need a machine! I just sewed the bottom furry part with a machine, but even that doesn’t need extensive finishing and is sewed on only ten inches of fabric so you can do it by hand too.
Download the baby lovey pattern:
Click on the image below to download your template. You’ll be signed up for regular craft updates but you can unsubscribe at any time.
What you need to assemble this furry bear lovey:
- Faux fur fabric (10×20 inches)
- Soft charcoal felt (or other color) plus a contrasting color
- Needle and thread and/or sewing machine
- Polypropylene plastic pellets or polyfill stuffing
- A plastic/flexible cup or scoop
- Beads or embroidery floss
- Thread snips
- Straight pins
- (Optional) Fabric glue
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How to sew a toddler bear lovey:
Note: this tutorial was photographed using a prototype for the baby lovey pattern that I eventually converted into a more usable template as pictured above.
1. Cut a piece of fur 10×20 inches. When cutting faux fur, make sure to smooth back the fur and cut at the base without any fur in the way.
2. Fold it in half, fur side in. Sew along one side that’s perpendicular to the fold. Trim the seam as small as you can.
Flip your fur portion right-side-out. The opening will be at the bottom.
3. Fold a piece of felt in half and place your bear head template with the straight edge along the fold. Tip: pin the template in place on the felt while cutting.
Cut out two heads like this.
4. Cut out the snout and ear centers from a contrasting color.
5. Pin them in place on the front of your bear head and start sewing.
I experimented with different stitches and at first attempted something decorative, but then I found that a simple running stitch looked best and was easiest. If you feel like that’s not strong enough (which it was for me) you can glue it in place first. Y has been playing with this for a few months and it’s been holding up – it doesn’t get much wear in that spot.
6. When you get to the top of your snout, you can sew on a black bead as a nose. Alternatively, embroider a nose after you sew on the snout.
7. Sew on your ear inserts as well. When placing these, keep in mind a bit of seam allowance for the ears.
8. Sew on two beads for eyes, or embroider them.
9. Pin the front and back of your bear head together. Place the closed corner of the furry portion in between the two head layers, tucked in just enough to be secure. Pin that in place as well.
10. Sew around your head. Once again, I did a running stitch – making sure to keep it small enough to be secure and hold the pellets. Again, if you’re not sure this will be strong enough for your child, use a blanket stitch or glue the edges to reinforce. Start sewing from one ear, and sew all the way through the other, leaving the top of the head open. Don’t trim your thread.
11. Use a scoop or a plastic cup to fill your head with pellets or use your fingers for polyfill. Fill as much as you’d like – making sure you can sew it shut without losing your fill.
12. Hold the opening closed and finish sewing it shut.
Your baby lovey pattern is complete!
Make sure to give a few tugs to test the strength, squish the top to make sure the pellets are secure, etc.
Your little one will love it!
Who did you download this baby lovey pattern for? Comment below!