How to Make Clothes for Stuffed Animals

Children love to dress up their stuffed animals. Clothes for stuffed animals are easy to make, and often they're one-of-a-kind. With stuffed animals in so many different sizes, sometimes it's impossible to find store-bought clothes to fit. This project will give your child hours of fun as she dresses up her favorite animals. The smaller the animal, the less material you'll need. Whether the outfits are fancy or just for play, your child's stuffed animals will have a wardrobe of their own that will delight her.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Fake fur
• Woolen fabric to match
• One long shoelace in a color to match the fur
• Eyelet ruffle
• Cotton fabric in a colorful print
• Mini straw hat
• Narrow ribbon
• Tiny flowers
• Small piece of elastic
• Scissors
• Needle and thread

Making Clothes for Stuffed Animals

1. Make a sleeveless jumper for a stuffed animal. Take a rectangular piece of cotton fabric in a pretty print. Hem the fabric all around. Cut a hole in the center for the animal's head to fit through. Hem the hole. Decorate the front with bows, flowers or pockets.

2. Design a ballet outfit. Cut the eyelet ruffle long enough to wrap around the animal's waist. Sew elastic inside the top, attaching the ends together so it stretches enough to take it on and off. Sew two narrow ribbons to the eyelet, attaching them on both sides so they serve as straps. Sew on some tiny flowers and a ribbon bow as decorations.

3. Create a cape for winter. Cut a wide rectangle from the woolen cloth large enough to fit the animal who will wear it, rounding the bottom edges with scissors. Attach a small rectangle of fur to the top to form a collar. Measure and cut enough fur to sew along the edges of the cape where it opens. Sew the shoelace to the cape underneath the collar so the child can tie it around her stuffed animal's neck.

4. Create a matching pillbox hat. Cut a rectangular piece of fur big enough to fit the stuffed animal's head. Sew the ends together so it forms a ring. Cut a circle large enough to serve as the top of the hat. Sew it onto the sides.

5. Make a sun hat for a stuffed animal. Measuring the animal's head, buy a straw hat from a craft store in a size to fit. Tie narrow ribbon around the part that fits the crown. Add tiny silk flowers and a ribbon bow.

Tips & Warnings

• If you've made clothing for your children, use the leftover fabric to create matching outfits for their stuffed animals. Let your child use her imagination to design her own clothes for her animals.