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Hello all,
Well, I am slowly making my way to making my first teddy bear, I have just been swamped with work, but ought to start making some headway on this over the weekend. :) Just in terms of making phone calls to some nice people in the UK about recommendations, etc. Got to start somewhere. :)
As part of my reading and general interest into teddy bear making, I have read some references which allude to the fact that sewing a teddy bear with a centre seam is really difficult. And as I look at some of the teddy bears in my hug, I note a few of them do indeed have a centre stitch. But what I can't understand is:
- Why it's potentially difficult.
- And how other teddy bears are eventually sew up and where.
It seems in the case of the latter, it depends on the design overall?
I hope this makes sense. I am sure it will to most of you since you create these lovely teddies. :)
-- Thomas Adam
PottersHouse BearsI have made many center seam bears. I really prefer it when I'm going for the "aged" bear look. It is not difficult at all. There are just a couple of extra steps, but nothing complicated. Once the gusset seam is sewn, it is pretty much the same procedure as with other bears.
Emo BearsI have to say, I didn't find it difficult - you just have to line things up really carefully. What I did learn is that personally I don't like the ones I made because the head looks flatter - may just be the way I stuffed them tho 
EJ's CraftsMost of my bears have center seams. Like posted before you just have to line everything up and pin everything together and there won't be a problem.
Thanks all for the replies so far. :)
I feel a little silly now -- since my impression of this is seemingly (no pun intended!) wrong. :) Still really useful information.
Are there then, any instances, where one would choose a particular seam (such as a centre one) over something else -- or does this simply fall down to how a teddy is designed in the first place? Don't ask me why I am so hung up about this -- I just am interested in it, for some reason. :)
Maybe I ought to get out more. :)
-- Thomas Adam
VallierBearsWell, I am assuming you are on about a gusset that has a seam down the middle of it?
You get a centre seam in the gusset, I believe, traditionally, to save on mohair. They would cut the gusset in half to not waste any mohair, well a piece that isn't big enough for a whole gusset. So it is more popular with traditional bear makers. Also you can add the pieces sideways on the fabric to get a centre hair parting for a more modern bear, I think it would look good in a longer fur, pretty funky :)
If you would like to do a centre seam, everyone has basic said it. All you do is cut the gusset in half, add seam allowance on each half and line up VERY carefully before sewing. Not difficult, just takes some preparation to get everything lined up, so the nose is level and they are the same length etc. There is another reason for a centre seam, you can curve each half of the gusset in the middle to make the top of the head rounder, but be careful, you may end up with a cone head shape, so less is more. Would be easier to just add darts in the gusset, in my opinion.
Hope things are a little more clear.... If not, we would be happy to try and explain more :)
Take care,
Richy~
Benson BearsThomas, the old centre seam bears are rare that's why a big deal is made about them. As Richy said, it was done to get the most out of the mohair, and only one in evey so many had the centre seam. Once you have the two halves sewn together you treat it just like a normal head gusset. These days it's a device used by alot of bear makers who want to enhance the "antiqueness" of their oldie bears
BrisbaneAnother type of centre seam bear is one with only 2 head pieces. In this case there is no gusset at all, just two side pieces. Darts in these pieces help to give the head a rounded shape. I recently did a workshop with Monica Spicer - the bear had a two piece head. Here is a link to some others she made with this type of head...
http://www.monicasattictreasures.com.au … sters.html
Its very easy to do. No gusset to sew!
-----
Therese
Fulrfun Bearsi make most of my mini bears with a two piece head - so they all have a centre seam.
Emo BearsAnother type of centre seam bear is one with only 2 head pieces. In this case there is no gusset at all, just two side pieces. Darts in these pieces help to give the head a rounded shape. I recently did a workshop with Monica Spicer - the bear had a two piece head. Here is a link to some others she made with this type of head...
http://www.monicasattictreasures.com.au … sters.html
Its very easy to do. No gusset to sew!
-----
Therese
That is more the sort I was thinking of rather than a center seam gusset. I made one of those and just didn't like it... :crackup: Horses for courses as they say. I'm not sure i'd bother to do a center seam gusset, although I have divided the gusset up to make fringes - I like doing that. But then my style is more modern anyway.
I use a centre seam gusset quite often on my bears. I don't think it's as easy to work with as a standard one piece gusset because you really need to be spot on with your seam allowances when sewing; this style shows up any differences in seam allowances and can lead to an attractive wonky muzzle - the centre seam then really highlights this on the finished head by appearing 'off centre' ... throwing the entire head out of balance and defeating the purpose of the 'centre' seam! It's also really important to consider the way the pile is going to lay on your bear's head - for example, if you position your centre seam gusset pieces carefully, you can achieve a nice centre parting style for your bear!
Another thing to be careful with is the point at which the centre seam is attached to the chin seam ... these must line up perfectly for a good end result - without an exact finish your embroidered nose may appear unbalanced and your mouth stitching will not look centrally placed on the head.
Needless to say, stuffing can also affect how the centre seam sits, so care has to be taken to ensure stuffing is completely even, particularly into the muzzle area.
Finally, the design of the side head panels are very relevant to a successful outcome. A centre seamed gusset will often force the chin area to jut forward (making a quite agressive looking bear!) and this needs to be taken into consideration in the side head pattern design.
LALand BearsHi Thomas ! The center seam gusset makes alot of sense to me to enhance the design of your bear and conserve on mohair. However, my first experience with a two piece head, center seam, no gusset turned in to a disaster. I designed the little guy and in order to get the rounded forehead and puffy cheeks that I like, ( an no flat head ) I stuffed rather firmly. It turned out okay but I found eye placement to be difficult.
About a week later, I was looking at this little guy and noticed something weird right above the nose. I work with recycled mink and the tension of that firm stuffing had simply begun to pull that center seam apart.
Poor little guy! 
So my beginner's opinion is that this center seam, two piece head technique is a bit harder
Lee Ann
Mutz's Tootsz Bears & BudsHi All,
I love doing bears with the center split center gusset & think they are really easy. I pin & the sew each 1/2 of the gusset to the appropriate head piece & then pin & sew the 2 head pieces together. I think it actually proves to be easier than sewing a 1 piece gusset in!
TTFN
Amy
