Pattern Description:
This pom pom teddy bear pattern guides you through creating a soft, woolly bear using a Pom Maker.
With detailed wrapping counts, layered yarn colors, and simple felting, you’ll shape the nose, muzzle, eyes, and ears into a lifelike face. Perfect for beginners or crafters, the pattern works for both mama and baby bears.
Materials Needed:
- Pom Maker (PM): A DM (medium size) for a mama bear, or an MM (small size) for a baby bear.
- Waxed Thread (WY): Highly recommended for strong ties, though any strong, non-slip thread or dental floss can be used.
- Wool Yarn (YY):
- Aran, Brown (brn)
- Aran, Pebble
- A few shades of brn YY: a main face (fce) color, a lighter shade for the muzzle (ml) area, and a very small amount of YY that is a shade darker (dkr) than the ml color for the mouth (mth). For a simpler design like the baby bear, the same color YY can be used for both the main fce and the ml.
- A little bit of black (blk) YY for the nose (nse) and eyes.
- Pink YY (optnl): For adding a tongue, using a method similar to the pompom dog tutorial.
- Fabric Scissors (SC): Ideally, one large and strong pair for cutting the pompom and one small and sharp pair for precise trimming (trmmg) (optnl).
- Felting Needle (FN): Used to shape the ml and make the ears (ers).
Measurements:
- Mama Bear (Donut Pom Maker – medium)
- Black Nose: Wrap 18-20 times in the middle, slightly off to one side (about fingertip width).
- Mouth: Wrap 1 layer of dark brown yarn (darker than muzzle color), right next to the nose, extending halfway towards the end.
- Muzzle: Wrap muzzle yarn 5 layers, covering from above the nose to the other end. Covers ≈ 2/3 of the Pom Maker.
- Head (Main Face Yarn): Wrap main face yarn 3-4 layers on the exposed area, overlapping the muzzle yarn slightly.
- Eyes: Wrap black yarn 12 tight wraps in a tiny spot where the two wrapped parts meet (this side = top of head).
- Rest of Face: Build up many layers of brown yarn until Pom Maker is full (use 2–3 strands together to speed up).
- Ears: Place finger over the head end (eye side), then wrap brown yarn 18-20 times over finger.
- Back: Wrap the other half of Pom Maker fully in brown yarn.
- Tying: After closing Pom Maker and applying frosting, cut middle. Tie tightly with waxed thread, knot, pull hard, and repeat several times.
- Baby Bear (Macaron Pom Maker – small)
- Black Nose: Wrap ≈15 times in a smaller spot.
- Mouth: Same process as mama, but slightly fewer wraps.
- Muzzle: Wrap ≈4 layers, covering about half the Pom Maker.
- Head (Main Face Yarn): Wrap 2-3 layers.
- Eyes: Wrap black yarn ≈10 tight wraps in a small spot.
- Rest of Face: Fill with brown yarn, fewer layers than mama.
- Ears: Wrap ≈15–16 times over finger.
- Back: Cover the other half in solid brown yarn.
- Tying: Same as mama, strong knots with waxed thread.
Abbreviations Used:
- Materials & Colors
- PM = Pom Maker
- DM = Donut Pom Maker (medium)
- MM = Macaron Pom Maker (small)
- WY = Waxed Thread
- YY = Wool Yarn
- brn = Brown
- fce = Face
- ml = Muzzle
- dkr = Darker
- mth = Mouth
- blk = Black
- nse = Nose
- optnl = Optional
- SC = Scissors
- trmmg / trm = Trimming / Trim
- FN = Felting Needle
- ers / er = Ears
- Measurements & Steps
- cnts = Counts (number of wraps)
- tms = Times (number of wraps)
- Lyr / Lyrs = Layer / Layers
- hd = Head
- Rst of Fce = Rest of Face
- Bk = Back
- Assmbl = Assemble
- Ct = Cut
- Tie = Tie
- Trm arnd Eyes = Trim around Eyes
- Fltg = Felting
- Cnt Fltg Mth = Continue Felting Mouth
Instructions for Making the Pom Poms Teddy Bear Pattern:
Black Nose (Blk Nse)
Wrap approx. 18-20 counts (cnts) of blk YY in the middle of your PM, positioned slightly off to one side. This should cover approx. a fingertip width.
For a baby bear, wrap slightly less YY, approx. 15 times (tms), in a smaller spot. The shorter side from the nse will be the chin, and the other side the top of the head (hd).
Mouth (Mth)
Wrap one layer (Lyr) of dk brn YY (dkr than your chosen ml color) right next to the nse, extending about halfway towards the end of the PM.
Muzzle (Ml)
Wrap your ml YY all over the nse and mth. Start from above the nse and wrap all the way to the other end, covering approx. 2/3 of the PM. Build up about 5 Lyrs.
The area above the nse will naturally be fatter. For a simpler design, as shown with the baby bear, you can use the same fce color YY for the ml.
The Head (Hd)
Wrap some of your main fce YY on the exposed area of the PM, overlapping the ml YY slightly. Build up about 3-4 Lyrs.
Eyes
Wrap blk YY very tightly where the two wrapped parts meet. Wrap about 12 tms in a very small spot. The side with the eyes will be the top of the hd; consider marking this side.
The Rest of The Face (Rst of Fce)
Continue building many Lyrs of brn YY all over the PM until it is full. To speed up wrapping, you can hold two or three strands of YY together.
Ears (Ers)
Lightly place your finger over the hd end (the side with the eyes). Wrap more brn YY over your finger approx. 18-20 tms.
The Back (Bk)
Wrap the other half of your PM in solid brn YY to form the bk of the bear’s hd.
Assemble (Assmbl)
Bring the two halves of the PM together and attach your frostings. (If new to PM use, refer to specific instructions on how to use it).
Cut (Ct)
Ct through the middle of the wrapped PM. A bear’s fce will emerge.
Tie (Tie)
Run WY around the PM, make a knot, and pull hard. Repeat this a few tms to create a very strong tie. WY is highly recommended for superior results, but any strong thread can be used.
Trim around the Eyes (Trm arnd Eyes)
Begin by cutting around the eyes, following an area resembling a sleeping mask (marked with a pink dashed line in source imagery). Trim YY in this area, being careful not to trim the ml YY.
The Nose (Nse – Felting)
Gather the ml YY and the nse together with your fingers. Poke with a FN through this, from the outside towards the center.
Repeat until the nse and ml are nicely held together and shaped. You may also trim the ml YY slightly and carefully around the nse to a shape you like.
Felting the Mouth (Fltg Mth)
Split apart the dk YY under the nse into two. Felt each side until both sides are neatly divided.
Continue Felting the Mouth (Cnt Fltg Mth)
Hold part of the ml just below the nse with your fingers. Push up the ml YY below the mth (on the chin) towards the mth/nse. This will help form an upside-down ‘Y’ shape, with the ml YY separated by the dkr YY.
Poke your FN through the entire assembly towards the center until the mth shape stays fixed. Trim along the mth line and tidy up nicely.
Felting the Ears (Fltg Ers)
Hold each er YY neatly and felt. Move your FN through the YY from the sides to bond each thread next to one another.
Exercise extreme caution as FN are very sharp. Wearing a thimble and using a foam block to felt against is recommended. Continue felting until all the YY is bonded. Finally, ct them into round er shapes.
By following these instructions, you can create unique pom pom bears by experimenting with different colors, fce marks, and features.
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