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!