This bear started as a small watercolor sketch: a teddy in a green Muslim skullcap and an embroidered waistcoat, with a little pointed beard and big worried eyebrows. We sewed him by hand as the first prototype for a future production run, a custom teddy bear made to order from one drawing and nothing else.
No shop sells him. Every toy we make is sewn for one customer and their idea, and a prototype even more so: it's the sample everything after it gets measured against.
What we kept from the sketch
A drawing can get away with a lot. A toy has to hold its shape from every side. So we picked out what makes this bear this bear and made sure each one survived the move into fabric:
- the skullcap, green with gold embroidery and a red band
- the waistcoat, dark green with red trim and gold ornaments on the front and back
- the small beard, a cream muzzle that ends in a pointed goatee
- the eyebrows, thick, black and a little sad, which give him most of his face
The dark brown belly patch and the round ears come straight from the drawing too.
One sketch, two bears
We made him twice. The first bear is sewn from fluffy faux fur, soft to the touch, with plain black eyes. The second is in smooth short-pile plush, lighter and rounder, with a velvet belly, white-rimmed eyes, dark paw pads and a small tail at the back.
Put side by side, they show why a prototype is worth making. Same drawing, same cap, same brows, and still two different characters: the fur one looks older and gentler, the plush one brighter and rounder. That's the kind of choice you want to make with a real sample in your hands, before a factory sews hundreds.
The last picture in the gallery is the sketch itself, so you can compare.
Your character, as a first sample
Maybe you have a bear, a cat or a whole cast drawn for a brand, a shop or a book. Send us the sketch, even a rough one, and tell us what matters most in it. We'll sew the first sample and tell you honestly what works in fabric and what needs to change.
How prototypes and sewing patterns for factories work, and what they cost: Patterns & Prototypes. More first samples we've made are in Plush Prototypes, like the curly sheep sewn for a customer's own brand, and toys sewn from people's drawings are in Plush From Drawings.
This bear was made from faux fur, plush, velvet, embroidery and stuffing. Which fabric goes where changes the whole character, and that's why he exists in two versions.
- Faux fur for the first bear: a fluffier pile and a softer look, closer to a classic teddy.
- Plush for the second: short, smooth and bright, easier to keep neat on a shelf or in a store.
- Velvet for the waistcoat and the plush bear's belly, with a slight sheen that sets them apart from the body.
- Embroidery for the gold ornaments on the skullcap and the waistcoat.
The eyebrows, the goatee and the belly patch are separate pieces in contrasting colors, so they read from across a room, the same way they do in the sketch.
For your own prototype we pick materials with the production run in mind. If your design needs embroidery, the embroidery files come with the patterns.
A prototype like this bear usually takes 4–6 weeks. Some of that is a safety reserve, because handmade work always brings a surprise or two.
Most of the time goes into the pattern. We build it from scratch from your drawing, then sew, check the shape and adjust until the toy looks like the sketch from the front, the side and the back. Small details like an embroidered cap take their own time.
If your brief is clear and the image is finished, one change is included. A rough idea or a very complex design may need a few rounds of refinements; in our experience 2–3 rounds get a result the client is happy with. The full terms are on the Patterns & Prototypes page.
We ship prototypes worldwide. Once the sample leaves us, delivery usually takes 7 to 20 business days, depending on your country, the carrier and customs.
Around big holidays couriers get busy and parcels can run late. If you need the sample by a set date, for a factory meeting, a trade show or a product launch, tell us that date when you ask for a quote and we'll say straight away if it fits.
The prototype stays with you. Your factory can use it as the sample to match. And if you'd rather skip the factory for a first run, we can sew small batches ourselves, usually up to 200 pieces.
We've been sewing toys to order since 2009, and prototypes for brands, writers and game studios are part of that work.
Prototype orders run under their own business terms. Before we start, we agree on what "close to the sketch" means for your character. You see photos of the finished sample, and with a clear brief and a finished image one change is included. Extra rounds of refinements are priced separately and cost less than the first sample.
Your design stays yours. The patterns belong to you fully, you can take them to any factory, and we sign an NDA so your character stays private until you're ready to show it. Details: Patterns & Prototypes.
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