My Favorite Memory Bear Pattern (An Honest Review)

I love making memory bears. There's something about them that feels genuinely special — they're soft and sweet, but they also carry meaning. Whether they're made from a baby blanket, a loved one's shirt, or a piece of fabric chosen just for the occasion, memory bears have a way of turning something ordinary into something someone will treasure.

Over the past year, I've made five bears using the same pattern, and I keep coming back to it. Let me tell you why.

The Pattern: Charlotte Teddy Bear by Planet Appliqué

The pattern I use is the Charlotte In-the-Hoop Teddy Bear from Planet Appliqué. On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, I'd give it a 6. Seriously.

It's an in-the-hoop embroidery design, which means the entire bear stitches out on your embroidery machine. When it's done, you simply attach the arms, legs, and head with doll joints, stuff the bear, and hand-stitch the openings closed. That's it.

The Charlotte comes in three sizes. I've been making the 17" version using my 6"x10" hoop, and it stitches out beautifully every time. There's an option to add padded feet, though I've been sticking with the standard version. From start to finish, the whole project takes about 2–3 hours — a very satisfying afternoon project.

The instructions are clear and easy to follow. The trickiest part is getting the nose to line up perfectly, but I found that using a water-soluble stabilizer (especially on the minky bears) made a big difference.

Recently, I’ve been opting to use safety eyes and noses instead of worrying about stitching them out on my embroidery machine. It speeds up the project and looks great.

Recent Makes

Here's a peek at the bears I've made recently — each one with its own little story.

The White Striped Bears A friend from church asked if I'd make two memory bears from hospital baby blankets. A family friend of hers was adopting a baby and wanted to give the birth mom a meaningful gift. The idea was to make one bear for the birth mom and one for the baby to keep — something that would connect them both to the same moment. I couldn't say no to that. Both bears came out in white with blue and pink stripes, and each one held a little pillow embroidered with the baby's name and birth stats.

The Alice in Onederland Bear This pink bear is probably my personal favorite of the bunch. Another friend at church was looking for a first birthday gift for her granddaughter, whose party had an Alice in Onederland theme. I made a tiny dress for the bear out of Alice in Wonderland fabric, and the whole thing came together perfectly. It's the kind of project that reminds me why I love sewing.

The Orange Bear After watching me make bears for everyone else, my older son decided he needed one too. Fair enough! The orange bear was made just for him — no special occasion required. His favorite color is orange.

What I Love About This Pattern

• It's beginner-friendly. If you have an embroidery machine and basic sewing skills, you can make this bear.

I bought doll joints in bulk on Amazon, which keeps the cost down and means I'm always ready to start a new bear at a moment's notice. I highly recommend doing the same if you plan to make more than one…

You can find the Charlotte Bear pattern on Etsy here. I'm sure I'll be making more. I already have a few in mind.

Have you ever made a memory bear? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!