Stitch a teddy

1. Trace the templates located at www.sewmag.co.uk onto card and draw around them onto the back of fur fabric, leaving a minimum of 1cm gap between pieces. Ensure the pile of the fur runs in the correct direction. Cut around the pieces with a 5mm seam using a pair of small, sharp scissors. Keep the lower blade of the scissors as close to the base fabric as possible to avoid cutting through the fur itself.

2. Take a body piece and pin the top points A together, right sides facing. Stitch down from A to B to form a dart. Do the same at the bottom of the piece, pinning points C together and stitching from C to D. Repeat for the second body piece. Pin both darted body pieces right sides together, matching the darts. Sew around the shape using the drawn line as a guide and leaving a gap on the spine for turning.

3. Pin pairs of arms and legs right sides together. Sew around each pair leaving a gap at the back of each limb for turning. Clip all curves and turn out the limbs. Stuff each one firmly before folding in the raw edges of the gaps and over sewing closed. Use a blunt needle to pick out the fur fabric from the seams so the fluffiness hides the stitching.

4. Turn out the body pieces, stuff and sew up the back seam. Fluff out the fur along the seams as before. Pin the limbs to the shoulders and hips of the body. Use a double thickness of strong thread and a long needle to button joint the limbs to the body (see diagrams below).

5. Pair up the ears, right sides together and sew around the curved edge. Clip the curve and turn out through the gap at the bottom. Gather up the straight edge with running stitch. Pin