Patchwork bear

I started this bear some time ago, then came to grief and put the pieces aside for a while. She was on the list of things-to-do-when-I'm-not-feeling-particularly-creative. Anyway, I finally finished her last night.

I do think she is incredibly sweet, and I like the mix of colours and patterns. However, unfortunately I had the same problem I always have in sewing bears out of cotton - it frays easily, and even when it doesn't fray, the weave 'loosens' so the stitching becomes visible. I think also, because it's not so stiff and solid as mohair, it can be difficult to tuck the raw edges in evenly when you're sewing up the openings.

This is what the rear of her arm - where the opening was - looks like now:

Not very smart. I would love to be able to make more bears like this - but I really need to sort out the seam-thing before I do. One option is to put a patch over the seam. This would be alright on the body, but on the limbs, the openings are so close to the body, it would be difficult. And moving the openings further from the body would make it difficult to joint - particularly since the limbs tend to taper.

The other option is larger seam allowances and fray check. I haven't had much luck with using fray check in the past, but I guess I should try it again.