Hellobee

When I was a little girl I had a soft, stuffed doll that came with clothes. The clothes attached with a sort of buttoning system that was easy to use, but also great for practicing fine-motor skills. Inspired by that doll, I’ve created an easy DIY bear that you can stitch up for your kids.

It makes a great gift, but I have a feeling your kids will also enjoy helping to design clothes for their new friend. The simple shapes make it easy to customize a whole teddy bear wardrobe!

You will need:

Felt in tan, dark brown or black, plus colors for clothing (I recommend wool blend felt)
4 Buttons (about 3/4-inch)
Embroidery floss
Stuffing
Scissors
Needle
Pins or clips

Dress-Up Bear Templates

Using the templates, cut out two bear shapes from tan felt. Cut the eyes and nose from dark brown or black and stitch them onto one of the bear shapes. You can use a simple whip stitch around the eyes and nose, then embroider the mouth with back stitch.

Sew the buttons onto the same bear shape, placing them as marked on the template.

A quick note…

I’m showing this bear with clothing only on the front. This makes it more about the activity of dressing the bear. If your bear is a bit more modest, you can add buttons to the back piece as well, and cut two sets of clothing. Stitch the extra set of buttons on at this point.

Use pins or clips to hold the front and back of the bear together. Stitch around the bear with running stitch and three strands of embroidery floss. Leave an opening at the top of the head.

Fill the bear with stuffing. Use small pieces, working from the legs up. It shouldn’t be too firm, but you also don’t want the bear to be too floppy. Oh, and don’t forget to get stuffing in the ears!

Stitch the opening closed, and your bear is ready for some clothes!

Use the templates to cut out the clothing. Fold the felt in half to cut buttonhole slits. Check every buttonhole with a button (this also helps stretch the felt a bit to make them easier to use).

You may need to enlarge the openings slightly depending on the size of the buttons you’re using. Also, if you find your child is having a hard time buttoning the clothes, making the buttonholes larger will help.

The clothing can be as simple as the basic shapes with the buttonholes.

Or you can add some extra embellishment! This is where your little ones can get involved too. Let them choose colors or extras to add. You could even let them decorate the clothes by gluing on felt pieces or painting with fabric paint.

Now, get some clothes on this bear!

Some pieces are separates, while others make use of all four buttons. You can also layer some of the pieces, like the shirt and overalls.

Slip the cape on from the back and transform your bear into a super hero!

Even with only a few clothing pieces, this dress-up bear will keep little ones busy. At first, they may need your help with the buttons, but show them how to get their bear dressed, and they’ll soon have a skill for life.

Happy crafting!