Miniatures are a
great way to get into bear making.
The cost is minimal, you don't have to have a machine (although many
miniature artists use one) and you can pack everything you need into a small
bag or sewing kit and take it with you anywhere. Anyone with fairly good eye-sight and a bit of patience can
make a miniature.
The pile of the
fabric you choose for your miniature should reflect the size of the bear. I'll speak in general about miniatures
ranging from 4 inch to under 1 inch. If you want to use mohair, choose a short pile
(Edinburgh's K0, I03, I50, N03, N04) for a 3 inch or 4 inch bear.
Mohair can be used for smaller bears, but turning the pieces to the
right side can be more difficult.
The sparse pile mohair is easier to work with when turning your pieces
to the right side. For the smaller
bears, upholstery fabric works wonderfully. The pile is the perfect length for
mini bears and the woven grid backing makes the fabric very easy to work
with. It comes in a wide range of
colors, pile types and finishes allowing an endless variety of little bears.
Ultrasuede® works
very well for the paw and foot pads.
It is very pliable and easy to stitch and turn. We also carry Lite Ultrasuede® which is
a bit thinner than regular weight Ultrasuede® and is ideal for miniatures. Some miniature artists make their
entire tiny bear (many under 1 inch) out of Ultrasuede®.
There are many
miniature patterns on the market, but any bear can be made into a miniature by
reducing the pattern pieces on the copy machine. Just remember that a copy machine is not always
proportionately accurate, so your
little bear may be slightly different than itıs big brother. We carry a large variety of miniature kits that include everything
you need to make the bear, including fabric, eyes, jointing hardware, nose
floss and pattern.
Trace your pattern
onto the fabric with a fine tipped permanent marker, just like you would a larger
bear. Using very sharp small
scissors, carefully cut out the pattern pieces, remembering that any
imperfection will seem largely magnified on a mini bear.
For tiny bears,
pinning is not always necessary.
For these bears, you may just want to put one or two pins to hold the
pieces steady so the fabric will not shift. I recommend using pins on bears 3 inches and up. Pins shouldn't get in your way and should
not buckle and distort the fabric.
Look for our mini pins.
Regular weight, good
quality sewing thread matched to your fabric is great to sew the pieces
together. Some artists prefer
clear monofilament thread. For
these small bears, the same thread you used to sew the bear is fine for closing
the seams after stuffing. If you
prefer, you can close your seams with upholstery thread for the 3 inch to 4
inch bears.
For stitching the
pieces together, use the smallest, thinnest needle you are comfortable
with. I recommend using our mini
needles (quilting/between size 10).
Generally miniatures use about 1/16 inch seam allowance (or less for
very tiny bears). Always check
your pattern instructions for recommended seam allowance. There are two stitches that I find work
best when hand stitching.
The
running stitch stitch in and out of the fabric in small even stitches,
and when you reach the end of the seam, come back the same way, filling in the
gaps.
The
back stitch stitch forward one stitch length and back half a stitch length, forward one
stitch length and back half a stitch length etc. It is extremely important that when stitching miniature
bears that your stitches are small, even and tight.
Because the pieces
are so small, you'll need the help of either forceps (hemostats) or tweezers to
help turn them to the right side.
I highly recommend using forceps.
For example, forceps allow you to reach inside the arm, gently push the
tip of the paw pad into the teeth of the forceps and clamp them shut. Gently pull on the forceps working the
arm right side out by pulling the paw pad out the opening. (Be sure to grab enough of the fabric
on the inside to get a good grip and insure you donıt just pull out stitches or
threads when you try to turn your piece.)
There are a few
options for jointing miniatures.
The simplest method is string jointing or thread jointing. This simply means that the arms (or
legs) are sewn together with a thread that runs straight through the body. The other method is cotter pin
jointing. This method is the same
that is used for larger bears, only the parts are a lot smaller. Mini cotter pins and washers are made
for these tiny creations. A mini cotter key or very small needle nose pliers can be
used to turn down the legs of the cotter pin. Some artists use the string jointing method for the
arms and legs and cotter pin method for the head joint. For bears that are even smaller, you
can trim the cotter pin legs down with wire cutters and make your own thinner
discs. Using a plastic lid from a
margarine or Cool Whip container, punch out holes with a paper hole punch. Use an awl or large needle to push a
hole in the center of each little plastic circle and you have tiny thin
miniature joint discs.
Most of the
miniature bear is stuffed firmly with polyester fiberfill. I use my forceps or my cotter key to
help get the stuffing into the tiny parts. Because these tiny bears are so light, many artists use
weighted filling in the belly, bottom and/or feet of the bear. A miniature bear with some weight gives
it a more realistic and substantial feel when you hold it in your hand. Weight in the feet of your bear will
help him stand firmly on his own.
Glass pellets work wonderfully for this subtle effect.
EYES
Black glass
beads are generally used for bears 2 inches and under. Glass beads are made in all different
qualities. Uniformity and
roundness are hard to find.
Edinburgh carries high quality 1mm glass beads that are more round and
uniform than any I have found.
Bears that are a bit larger, 2mm perfectly round black onyx beads are
recommended. These shiny stone
beads are beautiful eyes for bears from about 3 inches to 4 inches.
If you would
like to use standard glass eyes (with the wire loop on the back) like you use
on the regular size bears, I would recommend starting with 3mm eyes on bears
about 4 inches to 5 inches. We
carry glass eyes as small as 1mm, a beginner may run into problems inserting
glass eyes smaller than 3mm by pulling the eye too tight and sinking the eye
right through the fabric into the head.
EMBROIDERY
Pearl cotton
embroidery thread sizes 8 (thicker)
or 12 (thinner) are great for miniature faces. Be sure to make your nose
stitches straight, parallel and even.
Remember that every mistake or inconsistency on a miniature bear is
magnified!