DIY Diaper Bear

Create an adorable teddy bear who does not look like the rest of them.

Add that extra bit of personalization to a dear friend's baby shower by creating a one-of-a-kind centerpiece from rolls of disposable or cloth diapers stacked and decorated to look like an adorable teddy bear. If you are attending a baby shower, make the bear for the mother-to-be in place of a plain gift of a box of diapers and a useful gift that will earn everyone's admiration.

Things You'll Need

• Size 1 diapers (about 80)
• Elastic bands
• 2-inch-wide ribbon
• Straight pins
• Sewing needle
• Thread
• Baby sunglasses
• Pacifier
• Baby bib

Instructions

1. Lay out the size 1 diapers on your work surface. You can use newborn size diapers if you prefer, but some babies are born already too large for these diapers. Size 1 or 2 ensures the mother can make use of the adorable gift.

2. Lay one diaper face up and roll it up like a jellyroll with any pictures on the inside. Lay the roll on top of another diaper and roll the bottom diaper around the roll. Continue to add more diapers to the growing roll until the entire roll reaches a diameter of about 8 inches. This is the roll for the main body of the bear. You can add more or less diapers to change the size of the bear.

3. Wrap an elastic band around the completed roll, then wrap a piece of 2-inch-wide ribbon around. Sew the ends of the ribbon together.

4. Repeat the above steps to make seven more rolls. Make one with a finished diameter of about 5 inches for the bear's head. Make the remaining six rolls a diameter of about 2 inches each, for the bear's arms, legs and ears.

5. Stand the largest roll on your work surface on the ribbon-covered side. Place one 2-inch roll on either side. Insert pins through the ribbons to hold the rolls together or sew a few stitches through the ribbons instead. Do not puncture the diapers.

6. Pin the outer ribbon of two more rolls to the left and right of the large center roll, near the top. This makes the bear's arms. Sew stitches through the ribbons for strength.

7. Place the 5-inch roll on top of the largest roll and pin or sew the two together to add the head.

8. Arrange the two remaining rolls on the top, left and right side of the 5-inch roll to make the ears and sew or pin them in place.

9. Slide the arms of a pair of baby sunglasses through some of the diapers on the outer left and right side of the head roll, about 1 1/2 inches below the top. Insert a pacifier into the diapers in the center of the roll, about 1 inch from the bottom. This gives the bear eyes and a mouth without having to glue or pin anything to the diapers.

10. Tie a bib around the bear's neck for extra embellishment.

References

• "Themed Baby Showers: Mother Goose to Noah's Ark: Hundreds of Creative Shower Ideas"; Becky Long, et al.; 2003