Simplicity 8716 Animals Stuffed Bear, Cat, and Dog Sewing Patterns by Elaine Heigl Designs, One Size Only

I wanted to make bears from my grandpa’s sweaters for his grandkids to have. I was super nervous since once I cut them up, I couldn’t go back. This pattern made it a fairly simple process. Calls for safety eyes but I also used noses. I’m not a complete beginner but I’m certainly not a pro and they turned out pretty cute.*The pattern doesn’t have the patches for the tummy and ear inserts. I added those so each bear had all patterns included. I just cut out their shapes on copy paper and embroidery stitched them to the panels before assembling the bears.

This was my first time using a pattern and it turned out really good for a beginner! Some advice I have for making this: 1. It would have been way easier to make of I hadn't used furry fabric. Furry fabric is hard to use and so messy! But it does hide bad stitching easier so that's something. 2. Look up youtube video tutorials for this exact pattern. 3. Darts were hard to understand but once I understood one the rest were simple. Sew them with the right side of the fabric touching the right side but then sew it from the wrong side. Darts are used to add volume to the project. Without them the plush would be flat. 4. You'll need two of each pattern piece. Cut one with the pattern backwards and one with the pattern forwards. 5. Make sure you have good proper fabric scissors. 6. I bought one yard of fabric but didn't need that much. I had enough to make an extra piece when I messed up cutting with plenty left over for another. 7. This took me about 5-6 hours to make but I hand-sewed it. With a machine this would probably take an hour or less.

This is an easy pattern to use. It makes a very nice size stuffed animal. I use this pattern to make my son who is an adult a teddy bear from his grandpa’s shirt. He absolutely loves it. I’ve also made the cats at a Halloween material for some of the little kids in my subdivision.

Easy instructions. I have used multiple times

I'm an intermediate sewer and found this pattern to be easy enough to work with. It's difficult to get the width of all the limbs consistent, but if you can live without perfection then it's fine. The hardest part was sewing the snout and mouth because my fleece fabric was so tough, like sewing through sheet metal. The finished product is bigger than I realized it would be.

Love these I can make multiples at one time and put the heaviest filling for autistic children

I have never bought or used a sewing pattern in my life. I was able to use this pattern to make a bear that turned out pretty good, even though I have zero experience. I used an old towel for the fabric and hand-sewed the whole thing. I think I ended up using about a square yard of fabric and about 10oz of poly-fil. The face is stitched on with embroidery floss. I also made a little scarf, but that is not part of the pattern. Overall I was very pleased with the pattern, and the fact that it includes multiple animals to choose from (Bear, Cat, or Dog).The thing to keep in mind is the finished size of the project is 14 inches tall, so its not a small animal. Also, if you want the limbs to stay in the sitting position, you may need to add a couple of strategic stitches near the joints. I chose not to do this, so the animal's legs and arms will spread out if it's tossed or dropped.

It's not quite what I expected, but it is adorable. It's a bit smaller than I expected it to be, but again, it still cute. The last pattern I used for making bears was too complicated; this one isn't complicated enough. There has to be middle ground somewhere! This is just my opinion, based on what I actually want, but I will say it works up nicely, hence the 5-star review.