Some time ago, while mining the Martha Stewart craft site I spotted these. While this week is a jumble for me, I plan to start my new schedules next week. Once the Christmas decorations are down I can take a deep breath, start with an uncluttered clean slate. Enter the Tooth Teddy Bear. I have a few Littles who will be needing these in the near future. The term "Littles" come from a futuristic book I am currently reading, The Passage by Justin Cronin. If you like this genre, wow, this is a good one. Many hours of sleep have been donated to this one! Now, back to the tooth bear.

Tooth Bear

Martha Stewart Living Television

These little hand-stitched felt bears have an important duty: safely guarding teeth awaiting pickup by the Tooth Fairy. As Martha Stewart Living television stylist Cindy Treen demonstrates, you'll need to know several basic embroidery stitches for this project: the backstitch, satin stitch, French knot, and whipstitch.

Tools and Materials

Tooth Bear template
Scissors
Felt
Straight pins
Embroidery thread
Needle
Polyester fiberfill
Chopstick or bone folder

Bear How-To

1. Print and cut out template. Pin to felt, and cut out one bear half; repin to a new piece of felt, and cut out second half.
2. Make the bear's face: Embroider two French knots for the eyes, then make a nose with a satin stitch. Extend the nose one stitch down on each side to create the mouth.
3. Cut the pocket shape from the bear template, pin to a piece of felt, and cut out. Embroider a name and tooth image on the pocket, using a simple double-thread backstitch (this will make the details stand out). Attach the pocket to the bear's front, using a single-thread whipstitch.
4. Starting at the top of one ear, stitch the front and back pieces of your bear together with a whipstitch; stop at the top of the other ear to create a space at the top of the head for stuffing.
5. Stuff the bear with polyester fiberfill, packing the stuffing tightly so that the body is firm. Use a chopstick or bone folder to push stuffing into the legs and arms.
6. Whipstitch the top of the bear's head closed.
7. Embroider claws onto the ends of each arm and leg with a 1/4-inch whipstitch.