Old Quilted Bears In Our Home

Our family’s old patchwork bears are so old that they needed patches on their patchwork!

I spent just an hour or so fixing them up before displaying them downstairs in our newly remodeled space.

Even though they are considered ‘unfashionable’ these days, old quilted bears carry many happy

childhood memories with them and those will never go out of style in my opinion.

My oldest girl grabbed this vintage red patchwork bear in a flee market when she was small.

I made the old white patchwork bear from a ripped and discarded quilt. It was formerly a

“wedding ring” pattern quilt. Although there was little of it remaining I hadn’t the heart

just to toss the scraps out without trying to salvage something from them!

More Old Quilted Bears To Look At:

• Quilted pillow animals
• One of my drawings of an old quilted bear
• Bear who resides at 5th St. Antiques
• Recycled quilts into these bears helped preserve family history
• Hand crafted, quilted Teddy bears are always a treasure!
• Many quilted bears here
• Aunt Goldies’ old bear
• Yellow Cutter Quilt Teddy Bear

Quilts of Bears:

• These are potholders but would make an even nicer quilt!
• A child’s teddy bear quilt
• Teddy on a cushion
• Teddy Bear Crib Quilts
• More Teddy Bear Crib Quilts here too!
• The Bears Ears are 3-D
• Pieced bears in a baby quilt
• Costum Teddy Bear Quilt
• Teddy Bear Baby Quilt
• Rainbow Teddy Bear Crib Quilt

Free Teddy Bear Patterns:

• This pattern of a Teddy is Japanese
• Free Bear Patterns from Beary Cheap
• Free Panda Pattern
• Baby Pip Teddy
• Flower Bear Pattern
• Free Teddy Bear Pattern from Make Baby Stuff.com
• Almost Lost Twist and Shout Bear Pattern
• Snow White Teddy from Way Back
• Woodland Wonder by Lynn Berube
• Free Teddy Tutorial
• 63 free Teddy Bear Patterns!

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Sawtooth Star Quilt

This pale yellow, sawtooth star quilt was made by one of my in-laws.

This pattern would be nice in ivory and green. There are dozens of quilted clover in the white areas of the quilt. I’ve included a template for those of you who would like to make a quilt like this one. Read and agree to the Terms Of Use before downloading the template.

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My Grandmother’s Flower Garden

This is my grandmother’s flower garden, actually it is my great grandmother’s flower garden to be exact. This elaborate quilt was made with calico from the 1930s and 40s. Many of these calico fabrics came from old flower sacks.

This is a quilted flower close up. This particular pattern was very popular during the Great Depression Era. Many of the women among my relations quilted but my Great Grandmother Dean was the most articulate of the bunch. This entire quilt was made by hand. There are twelve to fifteen stitches per inch!

Here is a template of her flower garden that I have drawn up. Visitors may download it after agreeing to the Terms of Use.

Make your own walnut pincushion.

A couple of years ago, my daughters and I were searching through a little antique shop for a gift and saw a bunch of tiny walnut pincushions.  These were so miniature and sweet that I decided to make them that year for Christmas. Cracking the walnut in half is the most difficult part of this project, but, If you can manage it, the rest is as easy as can be!

Side view of my walnut pincushion

Brief Description: These tiny walnut pincushions make unique gifts. Trifles like these also are excellent additions to miniature collections and novelty boxes.

Supply List:

   1. one cleaned walnut split in half and hollowed out.

   2. tiny pincushion template

   3. scissors

   4. decorative button

   5. small handful of cotton stuffing

   6. a small swatch of woven check or plaid

   7. tacky white glue

Directions:

• Cut a piece of woven check fabric after drawing around the template provided. (3 inch diameter circle)
• Sew a loose straight stitch around the edge of the fabric circle.
• Gently pull the end of the thread in order to create a pouch for the cotton to be stuffed.
• Stuff the cotton in firmly and sew the edges tightly down around the stuffing.
• Sew on a button for decoration.
• Stuff the walnut half with cotton and then glue the tiny pin cushion on top of the walnut.

Top view of my walnut pincushion.

Circular template may be sized to three inches across in a Word Document. Read the Terms of Use before downloading.

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Age Appropriate Sewing Lessons

      Preschool and Kindergarten sewing activities that will improve eye-hand motor skills are a must. Below, I have listed the most common supplies that even a homeroom teacher may adapt for quiet time use with her small charges. Teachers should only supply large, plastic, round-tipped needles to children this young!

• Lacing Cards
• Stringing Giant Beads
• Sew’n Sew (wooden sewing block)
• Stringing cereal

      Sewing activities for first through third graders may be similar to the above suggestions only slightly more complicated in nature.

• Two-sided felt animals with pre-cut holes. Teachers can also craft projects like these using paper.
• Stringing small beads
• Stringing dried fruit or candy as a gift for a parent
• Sewing decorative threads to pre-printed holiday cards

      Sewing for fourth graders and up! Although there are many children younger than nine or ten who can sew, we suggest that teachers wait until fourth or fifth grade to introduce kids to sewing projects in the classroom. This is because sewing with sharp needles requires some mature accountability on the part of a student. Teachers need to be in charge of any artistic activities that involve this kind of risk taking. A sewing needle can seem harmless enough, but, there are many health risks involved when open wounds are probable, even when the wound is the size of a pin prick. So proceed with caution and write a note home or send an e-mail to your student’s parents explaining that their child will be expected to conduct themselves appropriately with sewing materials in your classroom.

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Quilt Maps

Basic Checkerboard

Circle/Square Design, Quilters often include needlework in the circles

Trellis Pattern, applique designs often go in the larger squares

Narrow Diamonds, include a large applique’ for the center

Add and subtract blocks to size the quilt according to your needs. Jpg. Is copyrighted by Kathy Grimm 2012. For private use, map should not be resold. Shopkeepers and/or teachers may post these for students or recopy for educational purposes or note taking inside of an actual classroom or store, but not online.

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Santa In a Patchwork Coat

This is one of my first attempts at crafting a hand-sewn Santa.
I also sculpted the mask from an oven-bake clay like Sculpey.

I used acrylic paints on his face and then sealed it with a wood varnish.
My Santa’s beard is made from lamb’s wool.

I had a very old quilt that was falling apart in every way possible.
Instead of tossing it, I recycled it into this patchwork coat.
The cotton prints from my grandmother’s old quilt were recycled
from old flour sacks.

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