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Nose Stitching & Mouth Stitching
Nose Stitching & Mouth Stitching
By: Gerry's Teddy & Craft Design
NOSE STITCHING
All bear makers soon become aware that the way in which they complete the facial features of each bear will have a distinct bearing on teddy’s character. When we first start creating bears the finished expression on your bear’s face is more a matter of pot luck but practice and your increased ability to master techniques such as stuffing, needle sculpture and nose stitching will enable you to take more control over how teddy looks, although, to a certain extent he will always have a mind of his own. I have found it almost impossible to make two absolutely identical faces. The nose area of your bear should be packed firmly and the rest of the head also firm but not necessarily like a brick or you may find it difficult to pull in the eyes or needle sculpt the head if you so desire. As you stuff the head it is important that you watch the nose and chin seams, trying to keep them running true. It is possible to push these seams to one side by stuffing and pushing unevenly. Neck jointing is best completed before putting in glass eyes or needle sculpture. Some bear makers like to work on the facial features before jointing the head to the body, this is a matter of personal preference and you must choose a jointing method to suit your needs.
STITCHING NOSES
To master the art of stitching noses on teddy bears it is important to practice, practice, and practice. It is all about making your stitches conform to a particular shape and developing an eye for detail and shape. Study various bears and books so that you can identify various styles. Though there are several schools of thought as to how noses can be stitched and I am sure that they all have merit, in this article I can only endeavour to illustrate and explain techniques which have worked for me. Don’t be afraid to experiment with practice you will develop a technique which suits you. Before starting you may wish to trim away a little of the fur in the nose area. I am often rather reluctant to trim heavily until the nose is well on its way and I am sure that gusset seams are symmetrical and the chin seam is centred. A little fur pile left on the snout will help to disguise seam imperfections. Noses can be stitched with a variety of threads.
Perle Thread is the most common thread used for nose stitching, it comes in various thicknesses.
Waxed Thread in black or brown has a light wax coating, it is thinner than perle threads and is often used for an aged/ antique look.
Broder Thread is an even finer thread which is great for small and mini bears. A single thread is possibly the simplest when starting, though after a time you may wish to progress to using a double thread. If using a double thread you must then be sure that both strands are pulled down snugly. Your choice of needles will also be a personal one, I have found that the 9cm doll needle is easy to handle when stitching the nose on a medium to large bear though a shorter needle will be needed for a smaller bear. Some bear makers have had success with a curved needle. When stitching a bear’s nose I also need to have on hand, a small wire brush to pull back pile that gets pulled in with the thread, small pointed scissors to trim pile away as needed and small pointed pliers may be needed to help pull the needle through the layers of fabric. To help you decide on the shape of the nose to suit your bear you may wish to try different shapes by placing a piece of cut-out black or brown felt against the nose. When you have decided on the shape, trim away the pile on the nose area. You may wish to draw around the shape with a soft lead pencil or disappearing marker. Your bear’s nose can be made up of a series of stitches gradually built up or to assist you to create the desired shape alternatively a piece of soft leather can be cut out and glued to the area and then stitched over. We will first look at two, more simple nose techniques which are built up with a series of stitches and not using any other padding. With practice, either of these noses can give your bear a professional finish. Remember it is better for your bear to have a small neat nose than a large untidy one.
SIMPLE ‘EAST WEST NOSE’
The first technique which I call an ‘East West Nose’ is worked from left to right or vice versa. With a length of perle thread on a needle, pass the needle from under the chin up to the gusset just behind the seam at the front of the nose. Pull on thread until the end disappears into the head. Proceed by taking small straight stitches across the front of the muzzle. See illustration. Continue taking stitches, with the needle entering and leaving the head in the same two positions each time. As the stitches build up pull them down snugly and you may direct them to sit either above, below or on top of the previous stitches. Do not move the needle entry or exit points up or down. It is the positions which you direct the stitches to lay, as you pull them down which will give your nose shape. This will broaden the nose in the centre while being concave on the top and bottom. Continue building up the nose slowly moving a little wider until the desired size is achieved. This nose can be used for either small miniature bears or large bears. Just vary the thickness of the thread accordingly. It is a surprisingly simple technique and I have seen it used on some of the most collectable bears.
SIMPLE ‘NORTH SOUTH NOSE’
To stitch one of the more simple ‘North South Noses’ start with a long perle thread and a needle with which you are comfortable depending on the bear size. Pass the needle up from the chin area to the front of the gusset, pulling on the thread until the end disappears into the head. First take a few padding stitches across the nose left to right then bring needle up above these stitches in the centre. Proceed by taking a stitch down, passing needle into the head directly below the padding stitches and in the centre. The needle should then emerge again at the top beside the previous stitch. Continue to take stitches down working each stitch left to right alternately, emerging at the top beside the previous stitch and each time coming back to almost the same point at the bottom. Very gradually you may slowly move down with your bottom entry point as it becomes congested. See illustration. I have found that I have much more control over the shape if I work this nose by alternating stitches to the left and right rather than building up one side and then trying to match the other. The length of the stitches will depend on the size of the bear, but I recommend not making the stitches too long initially as you may wish to add a second or third layer. To create an interesting finish to this type of nose, when making the last few stitches on either side, move the entry spot for the needle ever so slightly down each time and you will develop a interlocking effect resembling a small nostril.
STITCHING A NOSE WITH A TEMPLATE
1. Cut out your desired nose shape from a piece of soft leather.
2. Trim fur off under template position and using craft glue, attach leather shape into position, making sure that the edges are glued down.
3. Thread a long piece of nose thread onto your needle, and pass the needle from the chin area up to the side edge of the template, pull on the thread until the end disappears. To continue follow illustration. To secure the thread pass the needle back into the same hole from which it emerged, across under the template to the opposite edge. Do this two or three times then finally direct the needle down to the base of the template on the centre seam.
4. From this point, take your first stitch directly up, the needle entering at centre of the top edge of the template and emerging alongside the first stitch at the base of the template.
5. Continue this process making sure that each successive stitch is lying parallel to the previous stitch and slowly working your way out to one side of the template while following the out line of the template top and bottom.
6. When you reach the outside edge insert the needle at the top edge of the template for the final stitch on that side and emerge at the centre bottom on the other side of your very first stitch.
7. Continue to stitch the other side keeping the stitches snug and close together.
STITCHING MOUTH
1. When you reach the outside edge of the second side you are ready to start the mouth. Decide on the shape of the mouth which you would like. I have found an upside down ‘Fly’ or ‘Y’ stitch is simple and neat way to stitch for the mouth. See illustration for some shape options.Take your last stitch with the needle entering at the top edge and emerging down below on the side of the face. This is the bottom side point of the mouth.
2. Insert the needle in again at a point directly opposite and equal distance from the centre seam. The needle should then emerge from the centre seam approximately half way up to the base of the nose.
3. Pass the needle under the cross thread pulling it up with the next stitch. That stitch is made as the needle enters at the centre base of the nose and exits on the side of the face. Make sure that the mouth threads are sitting down firmly.
4. To finish off, pass the needle into exactly the same hole and across the face to emerge on the opposite side. Repeat this a few times so that the thread entangles in stuffing within the head. Pull on the thread firmly and cut off close to the backing so that the end slips back into the head.
HINTS:
* Always use a sharp needle with a large eye.
* Fur pile which tends to get in the way while stitching the nose can be held back with sticky tape.
* I find it necessary to have a pair of spring loaded pliers handy to pull the needle through.
* It is rare that a nice nose can be stitched with only one layer.
* A second layer and even more may be needed to fill in the gaps and build up the nose to give it body.
* If the finished nose is a little uneven across the top or around the sides, outline the nose with large stitches, pulling the thread down firmly.
* Noses do not have to be black. Many of the old antique bear had amber eyes and black noses or vice versa but there is no reason why a nose should not be stitched with coloured perle or silk threads for a special effect. Be daring! A particular style of nose may become your trademark.
* For a medium to larger bear I have found that the thinner 5 ply perle thread gives me greater control when shaping the nose. It does mean a little extra stitching but the build up is more gradual.
* To make a smiling bear simply add an additional small stitch up on each side of your normal mouth.
* When embroidering the nose and mouth, it often helps to identify the possible placement of your stitches if at intervals you pause and place pins at the outer edges of your work and then wind the cotton around the pins to help you decide if you need extra stitching or shaping. This will help you to avoid making unwanted stitches and it is easier than trying to pull stitches out.
GERRY’S SECRET FOR SUCCESSFUL NOSES:-
Take a thick white sports sock and stuff the foot area firmly with polyfil. Tie off securely under stuffed area. Now you have ideal head on which to practice lots of noses. You will be surprised how your nose stitching will improve with this practice.
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