Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Nose embroidery

Start by drawing a nose template on the back of some self adhesive wool felt



If you're not sure what shape or how big it should be, place the drawn, uncut felt nose template close to the bear's muzzle and try it for size. Once you're happy with it, cut it a little bigger, as there's always time to size it down



Peel the white paper off the template



Clipped the area where the nose template is to be stuck, and then stick the nose template onto it.

Thread a long darner with some perle cotton. Make sure you have 2 strands of equal length, (this will make your embroidery much quicker). Don't make a knot at the end. 



Start by turning your bear's head upside down, and inserting the needle into the muzzle, underneath the nose template, exiting at the left top hand corner of the bear's nose



  Pull the perle cotton through, leaving about 1 inch/2cm of the 2 threads out, where you started.

 

Important Note: keep the strands parallel to each other, that is, they shouldn't twist. Aside from this, you should pull the threads with an even tension. This will ensure a nice and even nose.
While holding the cotton threads between your index and middle fingers on your left hand, insert the needle at the bottom left hand corner of the bear's nose, working towards your right, coming next to the last stitch. See how far below the template I insert the needle



  ... and also where the needle comes out. I do this because if I would stick to the template's edge I would end up with a very squashed and sausage looking nose. Don't worry, your bear's nose will end up the same size as your template if you follow these instructions. Trust me!

 

Half way through the nose embroider, turn the head the right way up and see how it's turning out. This will give you a better perspective of what you have done so far



  Happy with the results, turn head upside down again and continue embroidering till you reach the other end of the nose.

 Once that's accomplished, the last stitch should be done by inserting the needle at the bottom right hand corner of the bear's nose, exiting at the place where you want the mouth to start, along the centre front seam



Separate the 2 strands of cotton and cut one of them off, very close to the muzzle



Pull the reminding thread slightly, as you'll be working with a single thread from now on.



Insert the needle right underneath the nose, where it meets the centre seam, and exit where you want one of the corners of the bear's mouth to end



Insert needle at the end of the stitch you've made over the centre seam, and exit at the end of the other side of the bear's mouth



Pull tight as this will give your bear a bit of a chin. While holding the thread tight with one hand, insert needle back in the same spot, at the bottom of the centre seam stitch, and exit at the top right hand corner of your bear's nose



While holding the thread tight with one hand, insert needle back in the same spot, at the bottom of the centre seam stitch, and exit at the top right hand corner of your bear's nose. Again, pull tight



While holding the thread tight with one hand, insert needle in the other corner of your bear's nose, and exit at the bottom right hand corner of your bear's nose. Again, pull tight. (this will disguise any imperfections your nose might have from any uneven stitches you might have done).



While holding the thread tight with one hand, insert needle as shown on the photo below, and exit at the bottom left hand corner of your bear's nose. Again, pull tight



Pull thread tight, insert needle as shown on the photo below, and exit at the middle right hand corner of your bear's nose. Again, pull tight



Insert needle as shown on the photo below, and exit at the middle left hand corner of your bear's nose



Do the same procedure towards the other side



Cut cotton thread as close as you can to the nose without cutting anything else



  Trim any excess fur around the chin and mouth and you have a finished nose!

19 comments:

  1. Your instructions are very useful and clearly described. Thank you very much! :)

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  2. Gorgeous! Love all the clear info and the many pictures, - thank you!

    Best regards from Eva Mari in Norway :)

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  3. wonderful tutorials! really love this site!

    Lin from South Wales

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  4. Wow Monica, these tutorials have helped me enormously! I've struggled with noses for years and this has simplified the process for me so that whilst it still can be a time consuming process to get the nose right, it's not a frustrating task anymore! Best wishes to you and I hope hubby is on the mend.

    Kim from Yarraville, Victoria

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    1. Thank you Kim... glad these helped.. :0)
      Hubby is doing a lot better these days. Thanks for asking.. :0)
      Love and hugs,
      Mon.

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  5. Thank you so very much for your lovely tutorials. i have been making teddy bears on and off for the last ten years and have been on at least 4 coarses and my noses are always a disaster. All squashed and out of shape. You are the first person that has pointed out that this will happen and give the solution to it by embroidering well above the felt template. Cant wait to try out your tutorial on my next bear.

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    1. Dear Debbie, I'm so glad this tutorial has helped you see the 'light'... :0)
      Much love and bear hugs to you.

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  6. Thank you for the fab tutorial. Do you have a tutorial for the head shown in the photos as I like the 2 part (separate muzzle) if that makes sense.
    Thank you :)

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  7. Hi Monica, thanks for the great tutorial. I used it for two knitted, felted bears and they look splendid. They have been sitting on my kitchen table for about 3 months, awaiting faces and now they will go out into the world, off to new homes in New Zealand. Happy holidays. Judith

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  8. Thanks great tutorial Monica, now I can finish the bear I've had sitting in my craft room for weeks. Sheila

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  9. After the death of my parents in 2012 and 2014, I started making memory bears. The bears are beautiful except for their noses. I can't wait to make another one using your guide. You make them look so perfect. I can't thank you enough for sharing this information.

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  10. merci pour ce tuto il va bien me servir
    bisous

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  11. Thank you very much Monica. Your instructions are wonderful. You are obviously a natural born teacher. Much appreciated. Carmel (Australia)

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  12. I do enjoy your tutorials they give me confidence.
    Could you please do one on trapunto

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  13. Hi there, love these instructions. Can I just ask how the original two strands (without a knot you said) disappeared? Are they hidden under the embroidery? Thank you, Elaine (Australia)

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  14. Mil gracias Mónica, me encanta hacer muñecos de tela. Muy claras las explicaciones. Saludos

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