Do you have a passion for collecting teddy bears or porcelain dolls? Are you crafty? Do you want to earn money today? If you answered yes to these questions than learning to make teddy bears with porcelain faces, that will appeal to both teddy bear and porcelain doll collectors, is a very simple money making opportunity for you.
How Can I Make Money Making Teddy Bears with Porcelain Faces?
An avid porcelain doll collector will spend hundreds of dollars for a beautiful and unique doll to add to their existing collection. There is a huge market for collectible dolls and collectible teddy bears.
Bearington bears and Boyd’s teddy bears are two very well known collectible teddy bear brands and many of their bears sell for over $100 each. Madam Alexander, Lee Middleton and even Marie Osmond make and sell exquisite porcelain dolls, to doll collectors and enthusiasts, for hundreds of dollars each.
A teddy bear with a quality porcelain face will appeal to both teddy bear and porcelain doll collectors, which gives you a much wider market to sell too.
Simple Step-by-Step Directions for Making a Teddy Bear with a Porcelain Face
Materials Needed:
- Sharp pointed scissors
- Hot melt glue gun
- 1 bag of poly-fil
- Pair of wire cutters
- A butter knife
- Heavy duty white thread and a 2” needle with a regular sized eye
- 1 yard of white or off white lace 3 to 4 inches wide
- Satin or organza ribbon, matching artificial flowers in assorted sizes
- 1 medium sized teddy bear (your choice of color)
- 1 medium sized porcelain head (just the head no breast plate). Do a Google search for porcelain doll supplies to find a place to purchase the needed doll head.
- Doll hair, wig strip, or recycled wig you may have on hand
Directions:
- Cut the nose off the bears face with a pair of sharp scissors.
- Cut the nose opening wider by cutting down to the neck and up to each eye
- From the inside of the bears head, use the wire cutters and cut off the back of each eye. Remove the plastic eyes from fabric.
- Extend the cut up into each eye hole
- Work the existing stuffing inside the bears head down into the neck
- Fold exposed rough edges of material inside the bears head cavity
- Add poly-fil to the bears head cavity, working it around the top, sides and if necessary down into the neck. You are essentially making a soft poly-fil nest for your porcelain head to rest on, so be sure and leave enough room for the doll head
- Cut a strip of hair and hot glue it over the top of the doll head from ear-to-ear, to make bangs. Allow a few moments for glue to set and cool.
- Trim hair to right above the eyebrows (do not cut it too short)
- Grip the doll head firmly and work it into the head of the teddy bear. Keep the palm of your hand over the hair to avoid mangling it when inserting the doll head
- Once the doll head has been inserted to your satisfaction, add additional poly-fil where needed around the face to give it a natural rounded look.
- Use the butter knife, inserted between the doll head and the bear’s fur, and smooth any poly-fil lumps you may feel. At this point, you should not see any rough edges of fabric around the doll head.
- If the doll head appears to be too heavy for your bear you may need to add additional poly-fil to the bear’s neck for added strength
- Take several hand stitches, back-and-forth across the opening, at the bear’s neck. Get up under the chin of the doll head and be sure and pull your stitches tight so the head will not be able to fall out.
- Hand-gather the lace and tie it around the bears neck, securing it in the back.
- Decorate your bear with a ribbon under its chin, bows on each ear, and small color coordinated artificial flowers.
Congratulations! You have just completed your very first teddy bear with a porcelain face. There are many different ways you can decorate your bear. Listed below are a few examples.
- Dress your bear in a vest and hat, have it hold a toy train or a smaller bear in its arms, to make it look like a little boy bear
- Use pastel colored ribbons and bows and brightly colored flowers. Have the bear hold plastic eggs for an Easter themed design
- Add a big floppy hat, lots of gaudy beads, buttons, and organza ribbons to give your bear a Victorian theme.
- Where Can I Sell a Teddy Bear with a Porcelain Face?
Now that you have the hang of creating one of these beautiful teddy bear dolls, you are ready to find a market. Online auction sites like E-bay offer a great avenue for selling your projects, or you might consider selling them direct from a website. Other options for making money selling teddy bear dolls are listed below.
- Enter a local craft show or bazaar.
- Talk to the manager of a local restaurant that has an on-site gift store, like, Cracker Barrel. Many times they will consider taking hand-made items on consignment.
- Set up a flea market booth
- Individually owned toy stores will occassionally showcase a local crafters work
- Sell from home as a work at home business (this takes a bit more work to get established)
- Send out pictures or flyers, showcasing your finished bears, to gift stores and novelty shops.
Making Teddy Bear Dolls for Fun and Profit
It is easy and fun to create teddy bears with porcelain faces. Be creative. There is no wrong way to decorate one of these bears. Search online for places that sell lace and other supplies at discounted prices to keep manufacturing costs down, and profits up.
Kelly Dupree - My love of animals, especially cats, and my interest in science has led to a serious passion to write well researched articles.
