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AlmostBearson minis, so that there nice and neat with no knots showing....i've got a few patterns organised and am hopeing to sell some bears soon but im having trouble with how visable the stuffing holes are after ive sewn them up...im doing ladder stitch, i think correctly - and ive heard people talking about burying the knot - how?? what i do atm is ladder stitch just past where the opening starts then sew from one side to the other(little stitch) and then back through the loop of cotton and pull tight....i do that a few times in the same place roughly, but i can feel and see the knots, i think that its this last thing thats stopping my bears from looking/being good enough for sale...plus its just plain bugging me 
so i guess my question is...whats the correct way to finish off closing seams and how do i bury a knot?
thank you muchly :hug:
Natasha
ps. can you tell im not very good at explaining what im on about 
Sunshine Coast, QLDI have the same problem on minis with short short fur. I know you're supposed to poke the needle back through and give it a little tug to sink the knot, but it never goes in for me! I suppose I'm making it too big, but I'm worried it will just slip out otherwise.
I'm no help, but at least you know it's not just you! Perhaps someone else will have a suggestion for the both of us!
Anavy teddy bearsI close the opening the way you do, but my last stitch is in the place of the old stitches - that I sewn from the wrong side when sewing the body piece. Then I find a thread from the first sewing, more correctly - a stitch. I slip the needle under it and tie a knot (it's a loop and then you go through it with the needle) very close to the fabric (it's easy to do it very very close) and once again. Then I bury the needle -- insert the needle in the same point it came out (before tying the two knots) and I go through the body piece. I pull the needle so that the knot is nearly inside the fabric (or completely inside) and trim it when it is still stretched so that the end of the thread slips back to the fabric.
Uff, hope this makes sense as both my English and ability for explaining something are quite poor. 
Chaska, MinnesotaI use a ladder stitch too. But when I get to the end, poke the needle through an area near the closing ladder stitch. I go back and forth through (let's say a leg) the same hole several times to burry the thread. If your mini is stuffed firm the back and forth a few times is good and a last snip of the thread close to the body part should pop the thread back inside if close enough. If a little piece of thread is sticking out, insert your needle close to where your thread is coming out and hook it back inside. I don't do knots anymore on my mini's. I hope this is clear. If not, I can try rewording it...
AlmostBearshi all, thanks so much for the ideas
Uff, hope this makes sense as both my English and ability for explaining something are quite poor.
Last edited by ivuska.h (Today 12:03:11 AM)
you speak better english than i do, and i dont know any other language :hug:
michelle.....if you dont use knots, whats keeping the bears seams shut?? im a tad confused(sadly, it doesn't take much ) the stuffing holes have a bit of force behind them, the stuffings always trying to come out...id be worried about it popping open again....but then again....if it works it means no more annoying knots
i'll have a think about it and see if i can figure it out 
thanks again for all your helps,
Natasha
Hi Natty , I don't actually finish off sewn up stuffing openings with knots either ; as I ladder stitch I make the stitches really tiny ,
pulling together snugly as I go . When the "opening" is now closed I overstitch at the end quite a few times , with stitches parallel to the closed edge I was ladder-stitching ,
and cut the thread very closeto the bear piece , being careful not to trim the pile . I always use invisible nylon thread for closing . Honestly I've never had any stuffing
pop through , or the closing stitches fail - but I think because everyone sews differently you need to feel confident with a method that
suits you and your way of working . 
( also I often take a few ladder stitches back up the other way again , before finishing ,with the oversewing ,
to ensure strength 
)
Mini Hugs , Ruth 
AlmostBearsthanks ruth :hug: i'll give it a shot next time and see if i can make it work
Chaska, MinnesotaNatasha: Ruth has a good point. Maybe you need to make the ladder stitches smaller. Really small...once you get to the end of the closing of the opening, I insert the needle at the base of the end of the closing and come out on the side of the leg (we'll use the leg as an example). Now, you need good eyes for this but you insert the needle back into the hole the thread is coming out of and go to the other side of the leg. this will avoid a dimple and will catch on the stuffing. Repeat the back and forth motion about three or four times. This will be enough to keep the ladder stitch from loosening and you avoid a knot.
AlmostBearsohhh thanks...thats much easier on my slow brain...it makes sense now...thank you thank you thank you :hug: you have all been a huge help and it really is appreciated
I haven't ever made a mini so not sure if this will work or not, but I ladder stitch my openings and then go through to the inside and tie a knot near the joint on the inside, so that way it is still knotted but not visible, on the inside of the limb not the outside....for backs since I use longer fur I just knot at the top of really small ladder stitches, up close to the neck where you would put a bow, collar or something to hide it.
Hugs,
Krista
Lexsomnia BearsI do the same as Krista...I finish the ladder stitch and the bring the needls close to one of the joints. I mke a knot right next to the joint. Even if you move the arms/legs you wont see it. Hth!
I've never made a mini but I also don't use knots. I start off by using a loop of (double) thread..with the ends through the eye of the needle..to anchor the thread I take the needle through leaving a loop and then go back through the fabric and then through the loop this anchors it invisibly. When I finish my ladder stitch I take stitches in different directions through the limb or the body till I feel it's snug..again it's hard to see where I closed it up. I don't think you need to pull too tight on your stitches because that's what makes them show..
VallierBearsI've never made a mini but I also don't use knots. I start off by using a loop of (double) thread..with the ends through the eye of the needle..to anchor the thread I take the needle through leaving a loop and then go back through the fabric and then through the loop this anchors it invisibly. When I finish my ladder stitch I take stitches in different directions through the limb or the body till I feel it's snug..again it's hard to see where I closed it up. I don't think you need to pull too tight on your stitches because that's what makes them show..
Hi Jenny,
Is there anyway you could do a quick diagram of this methord. I just can't understand :doh:
Richy~
Sorry Richy..I don't have a scanner. All you do is take a long piece of thread, fold it so two ends are togther, thread the ends through the needle. Then take the needle through the fabric leaving a loop, then you go back through, this time take the needle through the loop. This anchors the thread with no knot. It's easy. The other bit about finishing off is just a matter of doing a few stitches in and out till the thread is secured by the fact that you have several stitches in place, and,with the thread going in different directions through the stuffing, it won't pull out.
