A Handmade Build-A-Bear Outfit Inspired by Paddington

by Tonya Staab
Published: Last Updated on

Kids will love this handmade outfit for their favorite Build-A-Bear inspired by the movie Paddington. It’s perfect to cuddle up to during movie night.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by The Weinstein Company

I grew up with the stories of Paddington Bear. We even have the storybooks by Michael Bond that I’ve shared with the kids over the years. So when I was asked to come up with something fun to celebrate the upcoming release of the movie PADDINGTON on January 16, I couldn’t wait to start. Watch the trailer here.

Marisol wanted something made for her and seeing as she loves dressing up her dolls and soft toys I decided to make an outfit for one of her Build-A-Bear’s.

a build a bear wearing a blue duffle coat and red hat just like paddington

Want to make your own PADDINGTON inspired outfit for a Build-A-Bear? Here’s how:

Note: I chose one of her larger bears to make this, but it fits nicely on her smaller bears too.

What you need

  • Felt – red and blue
  • Wood buttons/toggles
  • Rope
  • Elastic
  • Sewing machine with blue and red thread
  • Gift tag (optional)

Instructions

a teddy bear lying on blue felt to take measurements for making a coat

Measure your bear. You need the coat length and width, along with the arm length and width.

Using those measurements, sketch a basic coat pattern onto paper. Add around 2 inches on the sides and top to allow for seams and for the coat to wrap around the bear.

a pattern being made for a teddy bear coat

You will need to cut out three pieces for the main section of the coat; 2 front pieces that mirror each other and a back piece.

Cut half of the front from your sketch (see photo below). Pin it to the fold of the felt and cut around it to make the back piece. Pin it again but NOT on the fold this time and cut it out, this will make the mirror-image for the two front pieces.

pinning a pattern to blue felt to make a jacket

Sew the shoulders of the coat together.

Cut two pieces of felt to make the arms, adding a little extra to each side for the seams.

Open up your coat and pin the arms into place (see image below).

sewing steps for making a coat for a bear using blue felt
pieces of blue felt being pinned and sewn to make a coat

Make a hem for each wrist, and then sew the inside seam for each of the arms.

Next, sew the side seams of the coat, the hem around the neck, and the hem at bottom of the coat

Cut two 2 inch panels of felt, fold over, and sew to the front (left and right) of the coat to give it a finished look.

a blue felt coat sewn for a bear

Now you are going to add the closures for the coat.

Loop a short piece of rope through the holes in each wood toggle and then stitch the rope into place onto the left front side of the coat. Cut off any excess strands.

a wood toggle with rope through it sew onto blue felt to close a coat

Make loops of rope on the right side of the jacket and stitch those into place too.

rope loops on a jacket for closing with toggles
a blue felt coat handmade with rope and wood toggle closures

The final step is to make the hat.

I tried a variety of bowls to get the correct brim size. Trace around the bowl, and cut it out allowing extra for a seam. Cut out a center hole as well (I used a drinking glass as a guide for this).

red felt circles cut out to make the brim of a hat

Measure the inside circle and cut a piece of red felt approximately 3 inches wide to fit. Pin it to the inside of the circle and then sew the two pieces together.

a red felt hat being made for a teddy bear

With your hands make the opening at the top of the hat a slight oval shape. Measure it (approximate width and length are fine) and cut an oval from the red felt. Pin it, and sew that into place too. The reason I chose felt for this project is it can be bent and creased for the perfect floppy hat look.

a red floppy hat made out of felt for a teddy bear

Tie a piece of rope around the base of the hat.

Cut two small pieces of elastic (about 3-4 inches long) and sew those in place on either side inside the hat. This is to attach the hat to the bear’s ears.

elastic loop sewn inside a teddy bears hat to attach it to the ears

Use a small gift tag and rope to make a little tag that reads ‘please look after this bear, thank you’.

a tag hung around a bears neck that reads please look after this bear just like paddington
a build-a-bear dressed up like Paddington in a handmade outfit

About Paddington

From the beloved novels by Michael Bond and producer David Heyman (HARRY POTTER), PADDINGTON tells the story of the comic misadventures of a young Peruvian bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) who travels to the city in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone, he begins to realize that city life is not all he had imagined – until he meets the kindly Brown family who read the label around his neck that says “Please look after this bear. Thank you.” and offer him a temporary haven. It looks as though his luck has changed until this rarest of bears catches the eye of a museum taxidermist.

PADDINGTON stars Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, and Nicole Kidman.

paddington movie

More Paddington activities

Before you go, grab these fun Paddington items too:

Please pin this post for later:

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1 comment

Virginia Luther June 8, 2017 - 3:18 am

Thanks
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