Over the past few years I have made over 50 memory bears, but last month I was given a preemie size sleeper and a few mismatch receiving blankets and had no idea what to do. The sleeper was super small (only 12 inches long!) and I had to figure out how to get the most use out of it for an 18 inch tall bear.

I spent an entire month trying to decide how to get the most material from the sleeper – but I was thinking within the same parameters I use for the rest of my bears. I finally realized I needed to go about making this bear in an entire different way. Instead of cutting into the outfit I would use it in its entirety and only add the bear’s head and arms to complete it.

I’ll be honest, this way of making a bear is not as straight forward and fool proof as making a regular memory bear. For a regular bear as long as you prep the right pieces and sew them in the correct order it will work out great. You can find my original bear tutorial HERE! The preemie bear I’m showing today is a little more fussy and fiddly to make, but DEFINITELY worth it if you have a very special preemie outfit.

Check out the entire video HERE to see exactly how the preemie bear is made!

I would love to know if you will be giving this type of memory bear a try! If you make this, or any other memory bear, I would love to see a picture. Please share one on the Whitney Sews Facebook page or tag me on Instagram!

Until next time, Happy Sewing!

-Whitney