Hi everyone, and welcome back to Fran’s Friends! Can you believe we are already in the middle of December? This year has been such a journey, and if you’ve been following along, you know my heart has been completely captured by bear making.

As the holidays approached, I thought about making some table decor or other festive bits, but then I realized… I don’t really need more of that! Instead, I wanted to pour all my creative energy into one final, very special project to wrap up the year. I am so excited to introduce you to my Christmas Angel Bear.

✨ A Wintery Twist on Tradition

Usually, Christmas is all about those vibrant reds and greens, but I decided to steer in a different direction this time. I recently finished a Christmas rabbit project using a blue and white theme, and I fell so in love with that palette that I decided to carry it over to this bear. There is something so peaceful and “heavenly” about these cool winter tones!

🧸 The Foundation: Softness and Soul

To start, I used a basic bear pattern—the kind of wonderful free resource you can find on Pinterest or the internet.

• The Fabric: I chose a gorgeous, soft velveteen fabric. To give her the right structure and durability, I used a fusible interfacing.
• The Ears & Feet: I opted for felt for the ears and the soles of her feet. I used a backstab stitch on the feet to give them a lovely, gentle curve that looks so much more natural.
• A Soulful Face: Her eyes are standard insert eyes, but I wanted to give them more depth. I encircled them with some wool roving in a contrasting shade of blue.
• The Sweetest Nose: Rather than a traditional leather or glossy nose, I wanted something subtle. I blanket-stitched a tiny heart-shaped nose and glued it on to match her theme.

👗 Designing the Angelic Outfit

The dress was where I spent the most time, and it truly was a labor of love. I wanted it to look intricate and layered.

• The Base: I started with a simple circle of felt, cut down one side to fit around her waist. For the fabric-to-felt bond, I used heat-and-bond to keep everything secure.
• Luxurious Layers: Underneath, I used silk ribbon fabric for a touch of elegance, while the outer layer features beautiful lace. I even added ruffled sleeves with lace on the undersides!
• Piping & Satin: To pull the look together, I added blue satin trim and delicate piping along the waistband and the sides of the bodice.
• The Beading: This took quite a while! I hand-stitched white pearls and blue beads all the way around the dress, the collar, and even on the little heart on the back of her dress. I even put a single tiny bead on each of her paws!

😇 The Final Heavenly Touches

An angel needs her wings, of course! I went through my old Christmas ornaments and found a plain angel that was just waiting for a makeover. I added a little heart button and a bow to tie it into the bear’s colors.

For the finishing details:

• The Halo: A delicate ring of beads sits perfectly on her head.
• The Charm: I added a tiny silver angel charm to the front of her dress for that extra bit of festive magic.

💖 A Labour of Love

Looking at her now, I am just so thrilled with how she turned out. From her beaded collar to the heart-shaped beads running down the back of her dress, every stitch was made with love. She’s all dressed and ready for the holiday season!

Thank you all so much for joining me on this bear-making adventure this year. I’ll be sharing more videos soon of other projects I’ve tucked away over the years, but for now, I hope you enjoyed meeting the Christmas Angel Bear.

Happy Holidays, and thanks for being part of Fran’s Friends!