Here is the 4th free applique in our Santa’s Workshop Applique Collection. All perfect toys to find under the tree Christmas morning!

santasworkshopappliques-bear740

When my son Adam was a wee lad, he had a Teddy Bear that he loved. He called it Pot Belly Bear because it had a pot belly. Children can be so literal! Anyway, he didn’t need to take Pot Belly with him everywhere he went, but PB was always waiting for his return. Every night Pot Belly snuggled with him, helping to keep Adam safe through the night. It is safe to say they were great pals. As a matter of fact, when Pot Belly needed a couple repairs, instead of asking me to fix him, my son wanted me to teach him how to hand-sew so he could fix him by himself. Like I said, they were tight.

Eventually, Pot Belly quit sleeping with Adam, but was given a place of honor in his room where PB could keep his eye on Adam. Then the inevitable happened… Adam went off to college. That’s always a bitter sweet time for parents. You spend your life preparing your child for just this moment, but when it happens you find yourself wondering where the time went.

I remember on the day he left, I wandered up to his room. If you didn’t open the drawers and closet it hardly looked like he left. I decided I was going to have a quick 5 minute cry then get on with my day. I went to grab Pot Belly. I knew he would commiserate with me, but I couldn’t find him. He wasn’t on his normal perch, he wasn’t tucked in a drawer or stashed in the closet. Pot Belly was gone, too!

First I smiled, then I giggled, then I laughed. My big, grown-up boy took a stow-away with him to college! To be very honest, I’m not sure where Pot Belly hung out. When you walked into Adam’s dorm room you didn’t see him sitting on his desk or a shelf above his bed, but Adam knew where he was. Tucked away somewhere safe in his room his beloved friend was yet on another adventure with his best friend. Somehow, it gave me a great deal of solace knowing my boy wasn’t in the big scary world all by himself. I knew Pot Belly had his back!

Today we are sharing the final applique in our Santa’s Workshop Collection. As always it was made to fit on a 6″ x 6″ block but it can be enlarged or reduced to meet your needs. You might notice he has a nice, round stomach… you might even say he has a Pot Belly! Enjoy!

The Pattern for the Santa’s Workshop Teddy Bear Applique can be found HERE.

The Santa’s Workshop Applique Collection can be found HERE.

The tutorial on How to Enlarge and Reduce Patterns can be found HERE.

The Stitching Glossary can be found HERE.

Our Gallery of all our Appliques can be found HERE.

The tutorial on How to Cut Out Felt can be found HERE.

DIRECTIONS – Refer to pattern and photo for applique placements and cutting instructions.

Make a copy of the pattern.

Cut out felt using the photo and pattern. Transfer any embroidery markings.

Baste applique pieces to block. Refer to pattern for overlapping lines.

Using 2 strands of floss stitch running stitches.

Using 3 strands of floss stitch blanket stitches.

Using 6 strands of floss and a stem stitch add the mouth and leg folds.

Using 6 strands of floss and a straight stitch add the detail on the pads of his feet.

Using 6 strands of floss add buttons using a woven spider wheel stitch.

Using 6 strands of floss add a French Knot to the center of the eyes