6 Free Crochet Teddy Bear Patterns (Linked to Each Designer)

Each of these free crochet teddy bear patterns is a real published pattern with written round-by-round instructions, linked to the designer who wrote it. They run from a three-inch pocket bear to a 13.5-inch one that stands on its own, and two of them avoid most of the sewing entirely.

With teddy bears the difficulty is almost never the stitches — it is the assembly. Where the arms, ears and muzzle end up is what decides whether the bear looks endearing or slightly wrong, which is why the no-sew and marker-guided patterns below are worth paying attention to.

What you will need

Every pattern here uses a hook smaller than the yarn label recommends, so the fabric stays tight and the stuffing cannot show through. You will also need polyester stuffing, a yarn needle, and safety eyes — or black yarn if the bear is for a baby.

Yarn	Hook here	Finished bear
Cotton 8/8	4.0 mm	23 cm — crisp stitch definition
Worsted	2.75–5.0 mm	7.5–33 cm depending on hook
Bulky velvet	5.5 mm	Soft and squashy, least stitch definition

1. Tiny Teddy

Three inches tall and rated one star out of five — the gentlest introduction to amigurumi on this list. Jade at Sweet Softies uses only magic rings, single crochet, increases and decreases, with no joining methods at all: every piece is worked separately and sewn together at the end. Medium weight yarn on a 2.75 mm hook, which is a tight gauge and exactly why the finished bear holds its shape. Free pattern: Tiny Teddy.

2. Flip Flop Teddy Bear

Sara at Darling Maple Designs offers a no-sew option: the arms and legs are crocheted directly onto the body as you go, so the assembly that puts most people off amigurumi largely disappears. Worked in bulky velvet yarn — Bernat Velvet or Premier Parfait Chunky — on a 5.5 mm hook, which gives a soft, squashy bear rather than a firm one. Rated beginner, with photo and video tutorials. Free pattern: Flip Flop Teddy Bear.

3. How to Crochet a Teddy Bear

A palm-sized bear designed to fit inside a 2.7-inch advent calendar box, which tells you the scale. Ashley Parker crochets the legs separately, joins them, then works the body and head upward as one continuous piece — so the only sewing is arms, ears and muzzle. Brava worsted on a 3.5 mm hook. Rated easy, with a step-by-step video alongside the written pattern. Free pattern: The Loopy Lamb Teddy Bear.

4. Amigurumi Bear by Bella Coco

Natasha Savel’s bear is 23 cm tall, worked in Hobbii Rainbow Cotton 8/8 on a 4 mm hook. Everything is made separately — head, two arms, two ears, and a body with the legs built in — then assembled. The finishing is where it differs from the others: embroidered facial details plus a touch of makeup brushed onto the cheeks, which is a common doll-making trick and rarely explained in free crochet patterns. Free pattern: Amigurumi Bear.

5. Teddy Bear with a Coat

Sharon at Ami Amour adds a detachable red coat with a removable hood, button straps and working pockets. The coat is worked into the front loops of a particular round on the bear’s body rather than made as a separate garment, which is what keeps it sitting properly instead of sliding around. Red Heart Super Saver worsted on a 5 mm hook, about 13 inches tall. Rated easy intermediate. Free pattern: Teddy Bear Amigurumi Pattern.

6. Benedict the Bear

The big one: 13.5 inches standing, worked in weight 4 acrylic on a 3.5 mm hook — a deliberately tight gauge for that yarn. Jess Huff works it in continuous spiral rounds and has you place stitch markers early to fix where the ears and eyes will go, which is the step that decides whether a large bear ends up with a face that looks right. The nose is a separate piece sewn onto the snout. Rated intermediate to advanced. Free pattern: Benedict the Bear.

The six patterns compared

Pattern	Designer	Hook	Size	Yarn	Level
Tiny Teddy	Jade, Sweet Softies	2.75 mm	3″ / 7.5 cm	Worsted	Beginner
Flip Flop Teddy Bear	Sara, Darling Maple	5.5 mm	Not stated	Bulky velvet	Beginner
The Loopy Lamb Teddy Bear	Ashley Parker	3.5 mm	Palm-sized	Worsted	Easy
Amigurumi Bear	Natasha Savel	4.0 mm	23 cm	Cotton 8/8	Not stated
Teddy Bear with Coat	Sharon, Ami Amour	5.0 mm	13″ / 33 cm	Worsted	Easy intermediate
Benedict the Bear	Jess Huff	3.5 mm	13.5″ standing	Worsted	Intermediate+

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get the face to look right?

Pin everything before you sew anything. Eyes slightly lower and wider apart than feels correct usually reads as friendlier; a muzzle sitting too high makes a bear look startled. Benedict the Bear has you place stitch markers for the ears and eyes early in the pattern for exactly this reason — it is worth copying that habit onto any bear you make.

Which of these needs the least sewing?

The Flip Flop Teddy Bear, which crochets the arms and legs straight onto the body. The Loopy Lamb bear is next: the legs join into a single piece that continues up through body and head, leaving only arms, ears and muzzle to attach.

Is velvet yarn harder to crochet with?

Yes, in one specific way: you cannot see your stitches. The pile hides the stitch tops, so counting by eye is unreliable and it is easy to lose a round. Use a stitch marker every round rather than every few, and expect to count by feel. In exchange you get a much softer bear, and the pile hides uneven tension.

Can I make these safe for a baby?

Replace safety eyes with embroidered ones and skip anything detachable — which rules out the removable coat and hood on the Ami Amour bear for a child under three. Otherwise the acrylic and cotton yarns used here are all machine washable and fine for a baby’s toy.

Choose by size and by how much sewing you want to do. For a first bear, the Tiny Teddy teaches the shaping in an hour or two; for a gift that stands on a shelf, Benedict is the one — just budget an evening for the face alone.