Handmade Gifts for Boys day 4 – Teddy Bear Dress-up Clothes (and FREE pattern!)
We’re in the home stretch of our Handmade Gifts for Boys series, and Stacey and I are having so much fun! My boys don’t play with dolls too much, but they do love to play with their stuffed animals. A couple years ago, the three older boys were gifted some Build-a-Bears, so I thought it would be great to give them some new clothes for dressing their beloved bears! And for those of you who might want to make one for your own littles, I have a free jacket pattern for you, designed to fit 16″ teddy bears.
Supplies
- Non-stretchy fabric for jacket (less than 1/4 yard)
- Buttons or snaps
- Typical sewing supplies
Click here to download the free Buddy Bear Jacket pattern in my shop
1. Cut out the pattern pieces. Lay the front pieces onto the back piece, right sides together. Your front pieces will overlap. Sew the shoulders and the sides together. *I prefer to sew my sleeves set-in, but if you prefer to do them flat, skip sewing the sides together until you have attached your sleeves.
2. Fold the sleeve, right sides together. Sew along the bottom edge. Repeat with the second sleeve.
3. Pin the sleeve into the armhole and sew.
4. Fold the edges of the front pieces over 1/4in. and press.
5. Fold the pressed edge over 1/2in. and topstitch.
6. Place the two collar pieces right sides together. Sew along the curved edge.
7. Turn right side out and press.
8. Sew one edge onto the neckline of the jacket.
9. Fold the other side of the collar down, fold the raw edge over 1/4 in. Press and pin in place.
10. Hem the sleeves and the jacket bottom by folding the raw edge under 1/4in (press) and then folding over 1/2in. and topstitching. Attach snaps or buttons and buttonholes.
And how cute does this little guy look?!
The snaps make for easy dressing for little ones, but if you chose to use buttons, make sure they’re sewed securely onto the jacket, for safety reasons.
For the pants, I used my Bottoms Up Pants pattern in the newborn size, taking 2.5in off the length.
My boys are going to love having another outfit for their bears … and I’ll probably have to sew up a couple more outfits before Christmas, though, so everyone is happy.
And the baby approves. And luckily, he’s a guaranteed secret keeper for now. ;)
Don’t forget to download your FREE Buddy Bear Jacket pattern!
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Thanks so much. I found your link on Pinterest, and will share on my board for Build-a-Bear since the link sent me directly to your site, and I was able to get your cute and info without any fuss or excessive clicking! MUCH appreciated!
THANK YOU!! We had to say goodbye to our furry sibling today, so I took the kids to B-A-B to pick a lovey to console them during this time of grieving. I hate spending the money on the clothes, so I was ecstatic to find this pattern tonight to make a jacket. For reference (in case anyone wonders), I used a 1/4 yard remnant I already had in my stash, and total time from cut-out to dressing the new stuffie (minus buttons/snaps, because I didn’t want to), was about an hour.
Thank you for your pattern and tutorial. I tweaked it a bit to make a fleece PJ shirt for my son’s bday party. We’re taking two friends to BBW to buy bears but I’m clothing them at home. Thank you for sharing your creativity!
I can’t wait to make this! We lost my brother in November and I’m going to make this for a bear for my Mom for her birthday out of one of his shirts. I’m needing a pattern for pants/shorts, too, so I can make them from his jeans. Did you happen to make the ones on this bear or know where I can get a pattern for some?
Thank you.
I’m so sorry to hear of the loss of your brother, Regina. I’ll keep you and your family in my prayers. The pants I made in this post are my Bottoms Up Pants pattern, with the length shortened. Super simple!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR FREE PATTERN FOR A TEDDY BEAR JACKET!
Hi I’m new to using sewing patterns and I was wondering what the squares are for on the print out.x
Hi Naticha! The squares are to make sure your pattern printed correctly. If the square isn’t the right size, your pattern isn’t the right size either. Hope that helps!