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Do y'all hand-stitch the body or machine?
Is there a certain size bear that you stop all machine stitching and do all hand?
I am doing about a 3 inch bear and its hard work doing those thousands of back stitches.
I want to go bigger, like 5 inches and wondered if that was still considered an "entirely hand-stitched" bear or would you actually do the bigger parts on the machine?
(can you tell I am new at this?)
ToadBriarmy biggest bear so far has been 15" tall - I'm usually working around the ~8-10" range.
I stitch them entirely by hand though, because the machine goes too fast for me for the
amount of precision I feel that I need. I make enough mistakes going hand-slow, ya know?
Plus then I can say "entirely hand sewn" 
lol
I've been making bears since Sept 2005.
Hi Jennifer ( love the name as it is also the name of my daughter )
I can sew anything larger than 8 inches and above on the sewing machine, anything smaller I do by hand but it really depends on how comfortable you are with the sewing machine. Some artists will also machine sew some parts of the bear and hand sew other parts- eg foot pads and gusset in head are hand sewn but rest is sewn by machine. Do whatever you are most comfortable with. Certainly using a machine makes the process that much quicker but there is no hard and fast rule
Hugs
Gail
Tuppies TeddiesThe only time I use the sewing machine is if my bears are going to be clothed. All my bears are completely hand sewn..
I have never sewn by hand, right from the start I used a machine. I have done the odd 6" bear and done everything on the machine. I just can't stand hand sewing and can't wait to get the the 'best bit' so the faster I can get the body and head stitched together , the better!!!
Sunnie BearsMe too Jenny! I don't like hand sewing, and my bears are mostly larger, but even the tiniest ones I have done. I do as much as possible by machine
Sonya
Pumpkin & Pickle BearsMy bears up to 6" are hand-sewn and anything bigger is mainly machine sewn. I always hand-sew the gusset and foot pads though.
Flying Fur StudiosI also use the machine for everything. I know there is something to be said about a hand sewn bear, but I just can't deny the 30 mins it takes for me to sew a bear together. Although I do save the foot pads and gussets by hand. I have never learned to sew those parts properly yet! LOL
Tami Eveslage Original Teddy BearsI can't machine stitch anything smaller than an 8 inch bear. But I really don't mind hand stitching because you can sit in front of the TV with it.
Back Road BearsI started out hand sewing my bears and stopped because a)my handsewing skills weren't meeting my standards and b)I developed tendonitis in my hands which I've since had to have surgery for.
The smallest bear I make it 5" and the biggest 22".......... I sew them all on the sewing machine. On bears under 10" I handsew (tack) the gussett and foot pads in place before machine sewing.
If you use the right foot on your machine as well as tension and stitch length you'll likely have no problem machine sewing.
Posts: 1,836It guess it all really depends on you and your comfort level with your machine. I machine stitched 6-8 inch bears and after doing decided I would continue to hand stitch...only because of the accuracy I get with hand stitching. I find hand stitching very relaxing. I don't mind it at all and, like Tami, I do it in front of the tv. I even throw my mini/smaller bears in a ziploc and take them out and about if I know I'll be waiting anywhere. I'd rather get some stitches in than read a back issue of People Magazine in a waiting room.
I hand stitch all of the gusset "snout/nose" areas and the footpads no matter the bear size. I have a real thing for footpads being even and without "edges". I guess my eye catches footpads only because they're exposed as much as the face as a "hi here I am, look at me"!! But that's just my "nutty detail thing" with bears!! 
:hug:
~Chrissi
Little Bear GuyFor the longest time we hand stiched all of our bears. Then when we started getting so many orders it was difficult to keep up with them. We bought an industrial sewing machine which is fantastic for sewing bears as it will sew through anything you can throw at it. We still do the heads and the gusset by hand along with the foot pads, like Chrissi I find it relaxing and I have more control over it and can make sure everything goes in just right.
It's really a personal preference, I love to hand stich and will do so as often as possible.
hugs
Shane
I machine stitch everything I can manage and hand-stitch what I can't. That often means the footpads but not always (although I do like the results better when I handstitch, I admit, even on the big ones.) I have already had tendinitis surgery on my right hand -- long before bearmaking came into my life -- so for that reason I try to take it easy with the repetitive motion stuff. Not a fun problem to have, tendinitis.
My bears are big enough that I can do the gusset on the machine but I do it in about ten weird little steps so that I can keep things even and symmetrical.
I ALWAYS baste my footpads before sewing whether I handstitch or machine stitch the final stitching lines.
I do a combo of machine stitching with hand stitching also. I hand sew the footpads and the nose area of the gussets.
I also MACHINE sew my minis... they are about 3 1/2" or a tad larger. I do the nose of the gusset and footpads by hand like my larger ones. My hands get sore if I do too much hand sewing so I decided to give it a shot. I use a clear presser foot and go very slowly... sometimes I take my foot off the pedal and run the machine by using my hand to turn the wheel. More precise that way.
As a collector, it doesn't matter to me if they are hand sewn or machine sewn... as long as the quality is there!
Country BearsI machine my bigger bears, but hand sew my miniatures - I love to do both - and have had to do LOTS of practicing to get the hang of machining properly - my machine (s) and I still have a love/hate relationship sometimes!!! 
I also always hans swe gussets and footpads - I'd never get them how I wanted them otherwise. I'm 99% sure Dilu once said she sewed a tiny winy bear (may have been a golly) on her machine - blimey, wish I could - it would just end up a tangled mess thrown across the room, so I won't attempt it.....!! 
:crackup: :crackup:
Matilda Huggington-beareI have made a bear that stood a metre tall and hand stitched every last b@#%$& stitch.
I'm a lead foot. Machining bears is not a good idea for me.
Straight seams on curtains is more my thing.
NebraskaI always hand sew mine because I'm not very experienced with the sewing machine. And I like to be able to watch TV while I sew. I did my first three bears on the sewing machine, but they all turned out bad, so I stopped. Someday if I get some practice on the sewing machine I might do more on it.
Kim-Bee BearsI sew all of my bears by hand... I don't think machine sewing (for me) is accurate enough... maybe I need a new machine...
I hand sew anything smaller than 10" and for anything bigger I machine all except the head gusset, body gusset if they have one, and the foot pads....I have tried doing the gussets by machine, but then I end up with a lopsided head!!!
Hugs,
Krista
