Skip to Content (Press Enter) Skip to Footer (Press Enter)

How to Make a Paddington Bear Costume

Level
Intermediate
Time
1 hour
Budget
10 - 30

Loveable Paddington Bear is a classic character to dress up as on World Book Day. Our simple tutorial will show you how to make his iconic P.B. suitcase, red hat and luggage label to hang around his neck. To complete Paddington's look pair with a duffel coat, yellow wellies and a marmalade sandwich or two!

Project by Little Button Diaries

Discover more World Book Day costume ideas andgt;

You will need

Is $ 14.00

Quantity: 1

Subtotal

Is $ 14.00

Is $ 1.49

Quantity: 1

Subtotal

Is $ 1.49

Is $ 6.49

Quantity: 1

Subtotal

Is $ 6.49

Is $ 6.49

Buy 2 Tubes of Graduate Acrylic for £5 - Mix & Match Black or Titanium White
Quantity: 1

Subtotal

Is $ 6.49

Is N/A

Quantity: 1

Subtotal

Is N/A

Is $ 3.49

Quantity: 1

Subtotal

Is $ 3.49

You’ve viewed 2 of 6 products

You’ve viewed 4 of 6 products

Total:

How to Make

Step 1

Begin by painting the inside and outside of the shoe box brown and leave to dry.

paddington-bear-costume-step1.jpg?sw=680&q=85
Step 2

Cut open two corners on one of the long sides of the lid to create a hinged flap. Glue this onto the box to make the opening for the suitcase.

paddington-bear-costume-step2.jpg?sw=680&q=85
Step 3

Mark in pencil the initials P.B. on the front of the box and use black paint to fill in the letters.

paddington-bear-costume-step3.jpg?sw=680&q=85
Step 4

Draw a semi-circle handle shape onto corrugated card and cut this out. A small bowl makes a good template. Repeat so you have two and glue these together.

paddington-bear-costume-step4.jpg?sw=680&q=85
Step 5

Cover the sides, front and back of the handle in black Duck Tape and trim off any excess with scissors.

paddington-bear-costume-step5.jpg?sw=680&q=85
Step 6

To make the gilded edges of the suitcase, take a strip of gold Duck Tape and place it over a corner on the box. Fold the two sides down so that they meet, then press together. Trim the excess tape off, then repeat for the remaining corners on the suitcase.

paddington-bear-costume-step6.jpg?sw=680&q=85
Step 7

Place the handle centrally on top of the suitcase and attach with small pieces of Duck Tape.

paddington-bear-costume-step7.jpg?sw=680&q=85
Step 8

Trim a luggage label so that it is a bit smaller and write 'Wanted On Voyage' on it in black pen. Use tiny bits of black Duck Tape to stick down each corner of the label onto the suitcase. Finish by adding travel stickers.

Step 9

Write 'please look after this bear. Thank you' in black pen on another luggage label. Thread on a long piece of string so that it can hang loosely around the neck.

paddington-bear-costume-step9.jpg?sw=680&q=85
Step 10

For the hat, glue a piece of felt over half of the hat and press down. Press the folds of the felt in and repeat for the other half. Leave the glue to dry – you can use masking tape if you need to.

paddington-bear-costume-step10.jpg?sw=680&q=85
Step 11

Trim off the folded sections of felt to create a nice smooth finish. Trim the felt all the way around the base and glue down any loose ends.

paddington-bear-costume-step11.jpg?sw=680&q=85
Step 12

For the rim, place a piece of felt under the hat, draw around it and cut out. Measure the rim of the hat and add an extra 2cm. Use a ruler to mark this measurement at points around the curve on the felt, then cut out. Glue it onto the hat. Repeat to make another piece to fill in the gap.

paddington-bear-costume-step12a.jpg?sw=680&q=85
Step 13

Repeat for underneath the rim of the hat. If the felt starts to feel taught you can cut little snips into it to form tabs. Glue these down.

Finished Costume!

Related Products

Rated 5 out of 5 by from Simple and cost effective My daughter looked so cute and we and she loved her Padding outfit for World Book Day. This was such a fun thing to do. I really like the use of existing things I had like an old show box, and an old Easter bonnet. Also like how not many materials needed. Very simple to follow. Like the video to help explain.
Date published: 2023-03-05
  • y_2024, m_4, d_25, h_8
  • bvseo_bulk, prod_bvrr, vn_bulk_3.0.42
  • cp_1, bvpage1
  • co_hasreviews, tv_0, tr_1
  • loc_en_GB, sid_how-to-make-a-paddington-bear-costume, prod, sort_[SortEntry(order=RELEVANCE, direction=DESCENDING)]
  • clientName_hobbycraft
  • bvseo_sdk, dw_cartridge, 18.2.0, p_sdk_3.2.0
  • CLOUD, getReviews, 17ms
  • reviews, product
Top