Sewing Seeds: Underwear for Bear Bottoms ~ Build-a-Bear Bloomers

Sew So, how did the Build-a-Bear dresses turn out? Did you save the bottoms of the onesies?

Build-a-Bear sells bear underwear for several dollars each pair. Why buy when you already have the bottom of a onesie? Make your own bear bloomers to match the dresses. (This truly was an experiment. If you have a better way to make these, please leave your suggestions in the comments!)

This is what I did ~~

Cut off the snaps on the flap – not the snaps on the torso. If you can figure out how to cut off the snaps on the torso, have at it. I just didn’t think it was worth it. They will be hidden from the front.

Fold the flap over. You can stitch here if you want.

Stitch the fold to the bottom edge of the torso, where the other halves of the snaps still are. Working with knits can be tricky. Just take it slow and hold your fabric together. Pin it first if that helps.

Put in the casing for the elastic at the waist. I used 3/8 inch elastic, so I folded over 5/8 inch. In most circumstances, measuring and pressing are needed before stitching in a casing (just like a hem). But since this was a short seam and cotton knit, I just measured as I went. Don’t forget to leave an opening for the elastic, like I did with the first pair! *sigh* Always keep a good seam ripper in your sewing supplies.

Measure the elastic needed to fit around the bear’s waist. Be sure to leave an extra ½ inch to stitch the ends together. I found that the elastic didn’t cinch in the waist at all but it was necessary to keep the underwear on the bear.

Using a bodkin, thread the elastic through the casing. (I love-love-love the word bodkin. Say it a few times and savor the foreign feel on your tongue. And it looks cool, too. I know, I’m a word nerd.) If you don’t have a bodkin, you can use a safety pin.

Stitch the elastic ends together.

Stitch the casing closed. Stitch in the ditch if you want to keep the elastic from rolling inside the casing.

Since the bears aren’t in need of modesty, the girls used the fabric paint left over from the dresses to decorate the backsides of the undies. 

Total time for one pair: about 15 minutes (not including fabric painting)

Total cost for one pair: $0 (using bottoms left from tee-shirt dresses, thread I already had, and leftover fabric paint)

Happy sewing!

What sewing or crafty projects are you working on? Are you making anything out of leftovers?

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