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Posts: 16I have bought Tammie Lawrence's 5-51/2" little bears where she uses a 3 piece body pattern. Her bears are really unique because the seams are on the sides and
center back with a dart on the bottom of the front in the middle. I just love her little bears. Audrey
Hi Sue Ann
They are straight
Hugs
Gail
Past Time Bears
Finally got the sketches for making one piece legs and arms! I didn't bother to show the individual leg and arm pieces 'cause I figured you wouldn't need them. Any way -- you can make the arm piece in two different ways, as shown.
TERRIFIC sketches! Thanks, Sue Ann!
Thanks so much Sue Ann I have a customer who wants bears made from her Grandmother's two coloured tiny striped sheared mink coat. I figured it would be easier to match up the stripes with a one piece arm and leg pattern. It will most certainly be a challenge
Hugs
Gail
Kiprie BearsThank you Paula and Sue-Anne for great sketches! ! :clap: 
:clap:
Gail, good luck for your fur bear ! hope we can see the finished bear !! 
Hugs/Marie
Apple Dumpling DesignsHelp....I've finally decided to give this 4 piece body a try but I'm getting a bit confused on the neck part. I normally just leave a small opening big enough for my joint piece to go into the seam. However, I'm not finding any pattern examples with 4 piece bodies that are like that. Do you just gather the opening closed like you do with the head.
Is there an easy answer to this before I go chopping up my mohair? Can someone show me an example. SueAnn or Paula...how do you close up your neck piece on the example you posted earlier in this thread.
HELP!!!
Thanks!!!
Past Time BearsShantell - using my sketch, you would need to gather the neck. Although Paula will need to verify, from the looks of her pattern sketch you would have just a small opening for the joint.
Hi Shantell, there's no opening for the head on my four piece body.
First you sew the two front pieces together, top to bottom, then you sew the two back pieces the same ... leaving a gap halfway for stuffing and turning the body later.
Then pin the front pieces to the back pieces to make a body bag and sew them all together. You get a subtle hump with this particular shaped body.
The head is joined to the body by making a small hole in the fabric with an awl a little way forward (maybe a centimetre or so, depending on how you want your head to sit) from the top of the front body seam.
It's really easy to make and no gathering required.
Hope that helps! Good luck!
ToadBriarI have been making 4 piece bodies just so I have more to play with for
trying different effects & changing the patterns. Once I have more of a connection
between what I am TRYING to do & what I actually END UP with, I will see if I
can adapt my pieces back to 2-piece patterns.
As for the neck hole, I just slip the cotter pin through the seam.
Laurie Lou BearsI have been wanting to try four piece bodies for some time now as even though the two piece bodies are ok they never seem to be the shape that I want.Do you get more better shaped bodies with four pieces?Do you use any more material making four piece bodies and to get the right size do you measure from A to D and use the twice head length method to get correct body length as you would with the two piece method-if I make any sense!
Thanks Laurie
Apple Dumpling DesignsOooooh Thanks Everyone. I'm really wanting to try a four piece body...I was just getting hungup on the neck part. All the examples I could find the neck opening just looked big. I'll give it go...wish me luck!!!
I have been wanting to try four piece bodies for some time now as even though the two piece bodies are ok they never seem to be the shape that I want.Do you get more better shaped bodies with four pieces?Do you use any more material making four piece bodies and to get the right size do you measure from A to D and use the twice head length method to get correct body length as you would with the two piece method-if I make any sense!
Thanks Laurie
Hi Laurie,
I prefer the shape of the four piece bodies and as Lisa says, the arms and legs sit in nicely. When laying out the pieces, I find having four pieces makes a more versatile use of the fabric ... I don't think it necessarily saves fabric, but it makes it nice and easy to set the pieces out when you are trying to make best use of a piece!
I've never measured my body lengths in terms of the heads - I just decide what kind of bear I want, so if I want a longer bodied bear for example, I add the length into the middle of the body pieces. You can easily increase the hump, the bum or the tummy by playing around with the shapes and if you want to get adventurous, why not try inset body parts in alternative fabrics! Just remember to include seam allowances on any pieces you cut into the body and make sure the arm and leg shapings match up.
ToadBriarshantell think of the football-shaped pattern piece you'd use to make a 4 piece ball -
that's how the tops of the 4 piece body comes together. So it comes out rounded with
nothing to gather.
Here's the one I used just now. It has a hump but same idea.
Jare Hares & BearsMost of my bodies are 2 pieces with darts.
I found when designing though I like the shape that 4 pieces bodies give.
So I just added a few more darts to my 2 piece bodies and got the effect that I wanted.
When designing 4 piece bodies I also find that I think of the 2 piece design and remember to include the dart in the 4 piece pattern.
Does that make sense???? 
Tami Eveslage Original Teddy BearsI have been wanting to try four piece bodies for some time now as even though the two piece bodies are ok they never seem to be the shape that I want.Do you get more better shaped bodies with four pieces?Do you use any more material making four piece bodies and to get the right size do you measure from A to D and use the twice head length method to get correct body length as you would with the two piece method-if I make any sense!
Thanks Laurie
Laurie, as a person who designs mostly two piece bodies that I'm very happy with, but uses four piece bodies when the design requires it, I wouldn't say that you get "better" shaped bodies with four pieces. But I do think that the extra seams of the four piece allow for greater shaping possibilities.
For example, many of my bigger bears get their "shoulder" shape from the bulky top of the arm. Their bodies are two piece patterns. I recently designed a small bear with little floppy jointed arms and legs. Since the arms were smaller, I wanted to use a four piece pattern to create some shoulders. That seam on the side of the bear allowed me to create a (roughly) "square shouldered" front view which would have bee more difficult to achieve with darts.
These are my little floppy guys. The four piece pattern, in this case also made it easier to make a neck without gathers as they would have shown in this wobble jointed design.
So really, neither way is better or worse. Like so many aspects of bear making (and art in general) it's just a matter of doing what works for you! 
Laurie Lou BearsYou must be reading my mind at the minute Tami as I am having trouble doing a four piece body.I usually stick to the two pieces and these seem alright for smaller bears but I done about a 23 inch bear and the two piece I done didn't seem to support the weight of the bear and as I had no more material I am left with a lovely head and no more material to put it right 
I am now doing a 20 inch and tried a four piece body but it has ended up with a football for a body-I think it is a bit too round.I am now trying to slim it down a bit.I don't know where I am going wrong with the two piece bodies but I am trying to make them wider across the front so that they are a boxy shape but they just seem to be too narrow and not broad enough to support the size of the bear. :doh: Hopefully I will get there in the end
Laurie :hug:
Jare Hares & BearsIsn't that the fun of making bears? Just trying out all of the new ideas... 
Oh guys!! Bodies, bodies!! I designed one that is narrow on the top and wider down to the hips. I like it 
( sorry is not a good picture ) but, it was too hard to close her back! Not enough fabric in there!! Any suggestions?
Bear hugs and Golly smiles.
Gladys
As I see it, it all depends on what your are trying to do with your design?
Frequently, I am trying for a realistic design where the teddy bear or other animal has a chest, shoulders, belly, a waist and, excuse the reference, a butt. I usually do a four piece body, but if it is a large guy, over 15", I use a 5 piece body. Not as hard as it sounds. You just add a shaped piece down the back where you would normally have a center back seam. In other words; two side pieces, two belly pieces with a curve for the belly, and a waisted back piece to create a very sculptural body.
Karen
KJ Lyons Design
Tami Eveslage Original Teddy BearsI don't know where I am going wrong with the two piece bodies but I am trying to make them wider across the front so that they are a boxy shape but they just seem to be too narrow and not broad enough to support the size of the bear. Hopefully I will get there in the end
Laurie, I don't have a scanner to scan my actual pattern so hopefully this photo is clear. This is the body pattern for the floppy guys above. It did come out sort of football shaped at the bottom, but that is what I was going for. If you look at the top, however you will see (I hope) how I got the somewhat boxy shoulders.
Back Road BearsOnce you all get the 4 piece body down you can start doing a similar disection with the head side pieces. Divide them vertically and you can get more definition in the cheeks... just like with a 4 piece body you get more shoulder/waist/hip definition.
Oooo... it's so much fun experimenting!!! :dance:
I started out making only 4 piece bodies. Jennifer Laing uses 4 piece bodies in one of her books which was my bible back then. Then I got to feeling lazy so turned them into 2 pieces as Sue Ann demonstrates. Those darts make all the difference!
Jare Hares & BearsNow I have ideas... Daphne, thanks... :hug:
Laurie Lou BearsThanks for the tips girls.I am now doing a traditional bear so I will have a go at putting the body right and hopefully I will get there in the end. :pray:
Laurie :hug:
Jare Hares & Bears 
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