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Welcome to the 3-D beaded Teddy Bear pattern instructions! If you have any difficulty following this tutorial, please post a comment at the bottom of the page on which you are stuck, and we'll do our best to help!
Before you begin ...
| Materials: 375 brown 4mm round or crystal beads, or size 6/0 seed beads 1 brown 6mm round or crystal bead (for the tail) 2 black 6mm round or crystal beads (for the two eyes) 1 black 4mm round or crystal bead, or size 6/0 seed bead (for the nose) 7 red 4mm round or crystal beads, or size 6/0 seed beads (for the bow tie) 2 to 3 meters of fishing line, fireline, or strong string Time required: About 3 hours Techniques: Beadweaving, right angle weave Difficulty: Challenging |
Step 1:First start by coloring one end of your thread blue and one end red to help keep them straight as we work.
The next thing to note is that I am using two phrases, cross and pass. When I use cross, this is the first time with are crossing through the bead with our other thread.
I will use pass when we have already crossed through the bead at least once and we are just going through it again.
We are starting with the back of the teddy bear's head, right in the center, and we are going to work our way outwards in concentric circular motions, beading rows of beads round and round our beginning bead circle.
Add 3 beads to your blue thread and two beads to your red thread.
Cross through the third bead added on your blue thread. You've just completed your first bead circle, of 5 beads, and all others will surround this one.
Add 5 beads to your red thread and cross through the last bead added, then pass through bead 5 in your original circle. Note that we have just created a circle of 6 beads. All the bead circles in this row are going to contain 6 beads each. Keep beading and following the diagrams and instructions until the next row.
Add beads 11- 14 to your blue thread, crossing your red thread through bead 14.
Pass your blue thread through bead 4.
Add beads 15 through 18 to your red thread.
Cross your blue thread through bead 18.
Add beads 19- 22 to your blue thread.
Pass your red thread through bead 1, then bead 22.
Pass your blue thread through bead 2, 6 add bead 23.
Add beads 24 and 25 to your red thread and cross through bead 25.
Step 2:In this step, we are simply building more bead circles around the previous row, which is faded out in the center of the diagram, for clarity. Those beads are already in your pattern. Note that the bead circles in this row consist of alternating circles of 5 beads and circles of 6 beads. It helps to make this overall survery of the pattern so you don't get lost in the details. Okay, here goes.
Add beads 26-29 to your blue thread.
Cross through bead 29 with your read, add beads 30-32.
Pass your blue thread through beads 23 and 7, cross through 32 then add 33-35.
Pass your red thread through bead 8, cross through 35 then add 36-38.
Pass your blue thread through 9 and 11, cross through 38 then add 39-41.
Pass your red thread through 12, cross through 41, then add 42-44.
Pass your blue thread through 13 and 15, cross througth 44 then add 45-47.
Pass your red thread through 16, cross through 47, then add 48-50.
Pass your blue thread through 17 and 19, coss through 50, add 51-53.
Pass your red thread through 20, cross 53 then add 54 and 55.
Pass your blue thread throu 21, 24 and 26 then cross through bead 55.
Step 3:Not much more to add here except that this is another outer row of beads for the back of the bear's head. Notice that every bead circle in this row contains 6 beads each.
Add 56-59 to your blue thread.
Pass your red thread through 55 and 27, cross through 59 and add beads 60-62.
Pass your blue thread through 28 and 30, cross through 62 then add 63-65.
Pass your red thread through 31 and 33, cross through bead 65 then add beads 66-68.
Pass your blue thread through 34 and 36, cross through bead 68 then add beads 69-71.
pass your red thread through 37 and 39, cross through 71 then add beads 72-74.
Pass your blue thread through 40 and 42, cross through 74, then add 75-77.
Pass your red thread through 43 and 45, cross through 77, then add 78-80.
Pass your blue thread through 46 and 48, cross through 80, then add 81-83.
Pass your red thread through 49 and 51, cross through 83 and add beads 84 and 85.
Pass your blue thread through 52, 54 and 56 then cross through bead 85.
The beads on this diagram that are highlighted in red, 40, 42 and 71-74, are where we will be connecting our bear's head to his body in a few steps. These beads represent the teddy bear's neck, so remember them! The bead numbers will be the same in the body diagram, so cross reference your bead numbers!
Also of note is the black borders around certain beads in this diagram, all around the periphery (border). These beads are the very edge beads of the back of the teddy bear's head. In the following diagram, we are going to flip the bear around to face his front side (face to face with him), and the only beads in common between this step and the next one are those beads with the black borders. So pay careful attention to that.
Step 4:The first thing we need to do in this step is flip our bear's head around, keeping the top and bottom the same, like flipping a page in a book. We are now face to face with our teddy bear. The faded beads in the background of this diagram are the beads from the back of the teddy's head. Again, the same beads with black borders (numbered with the same numbers as the same beads in the previous diagram) are from the previous step, and they join the back to the front, so be careful of where they are. You are only stringing through them in this step, not adding them new. The rest of the beads in this diagram are all new. Also, note that we are starting from bead 85, where we left off in the previous step, even though this bead is now on the opposite side of the diagram in this step. That is because we have flipped the bear around.
We will also be working inward on this step instead of building out from the center. We still going to be making rows of bead circles, but towards the center (towards the bear's nose, which will complete his head).
Pass your red thread through bead 57, add 86-88, pass through bead 84 add 89 92, pass back through 84 creating a loop, pass through bead 82, add 93 and 94 then circle back through 82 again. This creates our first ear.
Pass your blue thread through bead 88 and add 95 and 96 then pass through 81 and 79.
Take your red thread and pass through bead 96, add 97 and 98, pass throgh 78 and 76.
Cross your blue thread through bead 98, add 99-(101)1 (please note we are restarting at 1 on the diagram due to three digits not fitting on some of the beads), cross through beads 75 and 73.
Cross your red thread through bead 1, add 2 and 3, pass through 72 and 70.
Cross your blue thread through bead 3, add 4 and 5, then pass through 69 and 67.
Cross your red thread through bead 5, add 6-8, then pass through beads 66 and 64.
Cross your blue thread through bead 8, add 9 and 10.
Pass your red thread through bead 10.
Now we are going to work on the other ear. Pass through bead 63, add 11-13 and cross through bead 63.
Pass through bead 61, add 14-16, pass through 11 and cross back through bead 61.
Take your red thread and add beads 17 and 18, pass through 60, 58 and 86, then add bead 19.
Cross your blue thread through beads 18 and 19.
Note that at the very bottom of this diagram, two beads are bordered in red. These are two of the beads that will form the bear's neck, the only two visible from the front.
Step 5:In this step, we will be adding the bears eyes and the base for his snout. Don't turn him at all, it's the same orientation as the previous diagram. The beads for the snout base are bordered in black so you will recognize them in the following diagram.
Add beads 20 and 21 and your big eye bead (22) to your blue thread.
Pass your red thread through 17, cross 22 and add beads 23 and 24.
Pass your blue thread through 9 and 7, cross through 24 and add 25 and 26.
Pass your red thread through 6 and 4, cross through 26, then add 27 and 28.
Pass your blue thread through 2 and 100, cross through 28, then add 29 and 30 (your other big eye bead).
Pass your red thread through 99 and 97 cross through bead 30 and add bead 31.
Take your blue thread and pass through 95, 87, 20, 31, 29, 27, 25, 23, 21 and cross through 31. This helps pull secure his eye and pull together the base for his snout.
