
This is the trendy teddy bear jacket pattern. I thought it would be great to end the year with fashionable comfort wear which is perfect for cold weather and fun family nights.
2020 has been a year of a great many changes in our life as a family. We have started a couple of new projects both on and off the site, moved from an apartment to a house, moved continents, and climbed the highest mountain in Africa.
We just finished a bitterly cold winter and yet there was no snow on the ground. The house we live in is not prepared for temperatures below 50 degrees (10 C), in fact, many days it was colder in the house than it was outside. Winter in the southern hemisphere usually does not last as long as the north and there is often no snow in the ground (at least in this latitude) hence the houses are not built for long, cold winters. Dressing in layers indoors becomes a must both to keep warm and also to save some money in heating a large house.
I wrote about how we climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania but I have not shared with you the clothes that I wore during that trip. Every piece of clothing I carried needed to be thought out carefully. I was able to make a couple of lightweight yet warm clothing items with this teddy bear jacket pattern that I took on the climb. I wore this jacket for sleeping and early in the morning at breakfast before the climb. It became my third layer and I don't know if I would have survived without it.
The jacket has two pockets included with the pattern (although I did not add them to mine). The pockets are large enough for a big phone. This jacket has snaps on the front but you can add buttons to it if you want.

There is an added hood to keep the head protected from the wind.

It has a high low hem in case you want to hide your behind or wear the jacket with winter leggings.

This project is for confident beginners who are familiar with basic garment construction such as facing, snap direction and sewing techniques like topstitching.
Materials
- 1 3/4 yards of teddy bear fabric or any self-lined pile fabric
- 8 metal snaps
- 2 grommets
- thread to match
- 1 yard of cord for the hood
- a piece of knitted fusible interfacing the length/width of your facing.
Tools
- Kam tool
- Jersey needle or universal needle size 80
- Overlocker ideal but not essential
Fabric Suggestions from Fabric.com
How To Download And Print Your Teddy Bear Jacket Pattern
Please use the latest version of Adobe Reader. It is free and the only program you will need to print this pattern. Use Landscape mode and Actual Size. Do not scale the pattern. Notice there are two blank pages at the right lower hand corner to keep the pattern square. These pages will come out blank.
Pattern Layout

Pattern Download

You can download the pattern for this Teddy Bear Jacket from our account at Craftsy.
For help downloading and printing PDF patterns, please CLICK HERE.
How To Sew Your Teddy Bear Jacket
The first thing you need to do is to retrace the front facing. You will need this piece when it is time to attach the snaps. Cut a bias strip of 1 3/8″ X the size of the opening of the hood. These measurements will depend on the size you have chosen. The sleeve's ribbing is also not included and you will need to cut that according to your size.
We will start sewing the sleeves to the back and the front pieces, attaching the hood and the sleeves. Finally, we will hem, attaching the snaps and sewing the ribbing to the sleeves. We will not be attaching the pockets in this tutorial, I will cover that in a separate tutorial. I will be teaching you a new kind of pocket making there.
Sewing The Front To The Back
Attach both front pieces to the back. Use the overlocker stitch of your sewing machine if you have one otherwise a large 3 step zigzag will also work.
Sewing The Dart In The Sleeve
If you have been following this blog for a while you will notice that I often use a dart on this type of sleeve. This sleeve is known as a raglan sleeve. Most of the time it is drafted in two pieces with a seam at the top of the arm. To avoid having to sew two pieces together that can be confusing to a beginner sewer, I draft the pattern with a dart on the top of the sleeve at the shoulder.

Sew the dart, tapering it by extending the seam around 3/8″ to 1/2″ longer than the pattern. This is to avoid a bubble forming at the shoulder.

Sewing The Sleeve To The Back And The Front Of The Jacket
You will notice when you open your sleeve after sewing the dart that one side is higher than the other at the top of the sleeve. The higher side will correspond to back side of your teddy bear jacket pattern while the lower side will be the front.
Sew the higher side to the back of your teddy jacket at the seam allowance that you have chosen, in my

Attach the front side of the jacket to the other side of the sleeves.
Attaching The Hood
Place the hood sides together and sew at your chosen seam allowance. Finish the seam using your overlocker with a zigzag stitch or turning the seam allowance to the side and top stitching which is what I have done in mine. The facing of the hood will have a raw edge resembling fur.
Attach the grommet. If you need help on how to attach a grommet refer to this tutorial.
The next step will be to trace the facing of the hood. You can either trace this facing in two pieces or if you have enough fabric you can trace it in one piece. I have traced and cut two pieces and sewn them together. Zigzag or overlock the raw edge.

Sew the facing around the opening of the hood. This facing is 1 3/8″ wide and as long as the hood opening according to the size you have chosen.

Sew the facing at your chosen seam allowance, turn and sew the raw edge doan making a channel for the cord.



Pin the center seam of the hood to the center of the back piece of the jacket. Sew.
Tracing And Sewing The Facing
Trace the facing using your pattern.

Cut two facings of fabric and knitted interfacing. Fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the facing. Pin them right sides together to each front piece of the jacket. Topstitch the facing so it lays flat when you turn it inside out.

I

Clip the corners to make a 90 degree corner but do not cut too close to the seam. Add the cotton tape to the seam allowance.

Notice that the cotton tape is pinned under the seam allowance, this is going to allow you to hide the raw seam allowance. To avoid this step, all you have to do is to use your overlocker and finish the seam this way. But the main purpose of sewing a tape is to help the jacket keep its shape and not over stretch at the shoulder seams. Your garment will last longer and look professionally made.
Turn the facing right side out and turn the tape down to top stitch.

We are going to leave it here for now because we need to sew the sides of the jacket before we can proceed.
Sewing The Sides Of The Jacket
Sew the sides of the jacket starting from the hem all the way to the wrist. Finish the seam by using a zigzag, or an overlocker

Hemming The Jacket
Use your overlocker or zigzag to finish the hem, then turn the hem 1 3/8″. I suggest using an invisible stitch at this point. See the linked post if you need help with this.
Unfortunately, I didn't use an invisible stitch so I am showing you in my photos how it looks with a normal stitch.

Adding The cuffs To The Sleeves
You can purchase ribbing to add to the sleeves instead of making the cuffs if you have access to it. I do not, so I have to make my own using the same fabric. If your fabric has a
In this step you will need to do a bit of pattern making. Try the hood on and decide how much more length you want and need on your sleeves and multiply this measurement times two plus the seam allowance.
Measure the width of the sleeve at the wrist level add seam allowance to that measurement. Make sure you are working with the jacket wrong side out.

Fold the cuff right side out and insert it to the sleeve. Sew and finish the edge. In case you are wondering yes the seam allowance will be visible but you will fold the cuff up and the seam will not show anymore.


Adding The Snap And Cord
On this last step you have the choice to either make button holes, sew in snaps or press snaps. I am going for what I have in my stash which are press snaps. If you need reminder on how to attach press snaps here is a tutorial to guide through the process. https://so-sew-easy.com/how-to-apply-snap-fasteners-quick-guide/
I have to say this jacket has been my absolute favorite for the cold months in the south, I practically lived in it for nearly 5 months!
After using the jacket for so long I recommend using a button hole instead of a press snap. I found that one of the press snap with time fell off. The hole around the snap became looser and the snap fell leaving a large hole. The problem is that the fabric is a pile fabric and there is no way to add an interfacing to it. If you insist on adding a press snap my suggestion would be to use a no-fray liquid or fabric glue to the hole before you place the snap.
Do you agree with this solution? Do you have any other suggestions? Kindly leave them on the comments below. In the meantime keep warm and happy sewing!
P.S. Do add the cord to the hood using a safety pin, a bodkin, or a small paper clip.


Hi
Can’t find a size chart for this beautiful pattern – help please
Hello.
Is there a pocket tutorial now? I did not see it. I have the pattern and am ready to sew but am worried about snaps and pockets… and… even the size I chose after reading through comments. I am considering doing a woven facing to reinforce the minky that way (and lining the hood with it). I was already to go and got cold feet. Thank you! (I am considering different options like a zipper front or frog closures… I am not sure I am confident enough to change it too much)
Hello,
Pattern is cut… I have 2 questions:
Is the seam allowance included in the pattern? (there is a reference … maybe it’s the facing… to the “seam allowance of your choice”).
2. Is there a pocket tutorial?
Thank you
Alison
Hi Myra, Rita here again. I can’t seem to find a sizing guide this time for the Teddybear Jacket. Could you please share the location? Thank you!
Sorry, also, you mentioned using a seam ripper to help the seam lie flat. How are you using it? I couldn’t tell in the picture. Are you actually ripping out some of the stitches? Thanks,
Rita
Hi Rita, forgot to share a sizing guide as soon as I can will post the sizing guide. Thanks for pointing it out. Kind Regards,
What tutorial will you be teaching us for the pocket?
Hi, Phyllis, I have not published it yet, thanks for the reminder.
do you have the finished measurements of this garment so we know what size to print out in the pattern!? It looks so cozy id love to make one!
Hi, Kelley, I do not just use the size you normally wear, this garment is supposed to be used over a layer.
We used to lived in Southern Africa (Zimbabwe). We lived in the lounge with a log fire in winter. Buttons sound like a great alternative to snaps, as does the zip option above. I am sat here in the Northern hemisphere with intermittent heating! Enjoy the rest of your summer.
Thank you so much for this cosy jacket.
My pleasure!
There is no information on what size in the pattern fits what measurements. Can you include this
I did not see a sizing chart for what sized the small thru the larger size would fit a person.
The link for the Kam tool goes to fusible interfacing…I need a kam tool…great pattern!
Hi Lucy, thanks for letting me know. I’ve updated the link. Try this one. It has a nice design: https://amzn.to/3hY1W9I
Where can I find the size chart for this jacket?
Happy New Year! Oh my gosh! With all you had going in your life this year, how did you find time to post all the fabulous patterns?? I have followed for a very long time, and always find great ideas, new techniques, and a long “to do” list. I’m super impressed with your climb! Thank you for all you do! I appreciate you! Stay safe
what are the measurements for the sizes?
what are the measurements for each size? how do i know what size to make?
Dear Mayra,
I really enjoy your posts and download many of your patterns. I have found your work to be accurate , and your directions are great.
Keep up the great work.
Any chance of a pattern for a Men’s Pullover Sweater. My pandemic sewing has included learning to sew with sweater knits. Patterns for men seem to be in short supply.
I have been sewing for at least 59 years. I taught sewing as part of my teaching career, but like to look at what others are making and your blog is one of my favorites. I find you seem to try what I want to make next at just the right time!
Hi Laura, thank you for reading the blog and giving me your feedback. I do not have a pattern at the moment but that is not a problem. I am including men’s wear this year, the basics, pants, Bermudas, casual jacket, shirt etc. Kind Regards,
I totally agree with Linda’s comments and intend to use a zipper in my jacket when I make it. This looks to be exactly what I have been looking for an I am excited to make it. Thank you for this pattern.
I would make the facing out of a knit that was interfaced instead of using the minky as a facing. That way the snaps or buttons are supported. This is a great pattern! Thank you for sharing it.
When I downloaded the pattern, it was The Hoodie pattern, does not look like The Teddy Bear jacket. Can you help me?
Thanks for letting me know.
Hi Mayra!
This jacket looks so adorable and I really want to make it but I’m getting a little lost at the facing for the front part of the jacket. Do you have more detailed photos or a tutorial on how to do this kind of facing?
Hi Mika, will look in my drive for better picture, hang tight!as soon as I can I will load them.
Hi Mayra,
I’m looking forward to making this warm & cozy jacket. Thank you so much for the pattern! I just have a couple of questions.
1) Is there a sizing chart for your patterns somewhere on your website? (i.e. Body measurements to pattern size)
2) Would the quantity of fabric vary depending on the size chosen?
Thanks!
HI Beverly, This is a loose fitted jacket, to be worn as a third layer,(thermal underwear, long sleeve top then the jacket), as such you need to leave at least 2″ for ease. Sizing will depend on what you wear on a ready to wear garment, if you are a medium print a medium however if you are large or above I suggest you print two sizes to compare with your body measurements. We all put on weight differently if you put on weight around your arms you need to make the appropriate adjustments. Sizing in all So-Sew-Easy pattern are based on a balanced and proportionate hourglass figure, meaning there is a very defined waist, bust and hip ratio. I will publish the finished measurements so you can have an idea how loose this jacket is . Thanks for the reminder. Kind Regards,
What a cozy-looking jacket.
Not sure if this would help, especially if your fabric has a lot of stretch or if the pile is very thick, but you could interface the front facing with sew-in interfacing to give it more stability. The interfacing would be hidden under the facing once it was sewn down and the snaps would be inserted through all 3 layers. A small amount of additional interfacing could be fused to the sew-in interfacing at the snap positions for additional reinforcement. If the interfacing is stable enough, it should help to counteract the problems with the snaps wiggling free, since the interfacing, rather than the fashion fabric, will be supporting the snaps and the fabric will be less likely to stretch when the snaps are pulled apart.
Buttonholes, too, will have a tendency to stretch out and become too loose without the addition of a sewn-in stabilizer to support them.
A separating zipper is an easy substitute for snaps and easy to sew into the seam between the facing and the jacket front. Inserting a stabilizing twill tape into the seam first will make it easier to attach the zipper and help to control stretch. If a zipper closure is used, it may be helpful to change the width of the center front of the jacket, since the pattern allows for the overlap required for snaps or buttons. The zipper won’t need the overlap, so the jacket may seem too loose across the front if the overlap amount isn’t removed.
I want to make this and i think i will use a zipper. To avoid bulk, I plan on sewing it on flat into the zipper. With all the fur, the stitches will not show. Trying to work out a way so the cuffs will be less floppy. Not sure yet. Your jacket is beautiful.. and thanks.
Bonjour
Merci pour le partage de cette jolie veste .
J’ai traduis votre page avec google mais je n’ai rien lu qui indiqué que les coutures étaient comprises.
Pourriez-vous me dire si c’est le cas ,merci .
Thank you for sharing! I hadn’t thought of this for the fabric I have a bundance of left over!
I have been looking for a pattern for my self-lined corduroy. The self lining is a short curly fur. Would this fabric work for this pattern? I would also use a zipper closure. Thank you for your free patterns. They are really great to work with.
This jacket is perfect. Only I don’t know what’s a Kay Tool is. Would you please explain. Thank you for the free pattern
Addie, Kam tool is used to attach the grommets. There is a box showing grommets and a link to their tutorial about them.
Thanks for the pattern. I’d like to suggest adding squares of non-pile, non-fraying woven fabric such as suede (or fake suede, that’s not a woven fabric, but you get the idea) along the center front where the snaps will be placed, like an applique, if you will. With topstitching, they function as design elements, but they also provide stability (like an interfacing) to the snaps.
I love it! Could a person just line the hood?
Hi, yes, you could certainly do that if the fabric you’re using isn’t self-lined. Let me know how you go.
I very much appreciate the free patterns and tutorials; so generous with your time an talent. I do have a suggestion as I find I spend so much time searching your web page and Craftsy trying to find the size range for your patterns. On this one I finally found the sizes on the pattern itself after downloading it. This one goes to 3X but I’ve seen patterns where 3X is 40″ hip!
Looks very comfy. Thank you for the free pattern. Early Christmas gift!
Thanks so much, looks cozy. Now I will just have to go the fabric store. Ahhh darn lol.
Thanks for the free pattern. When looking to purchase a teddy jacket, I found short oversized ones that were not to my liking. Your jacket is perfect! It is long with a fair amount of ease. I can’t wait to make one! Thanks again…
Thank you for this pattern, it looks like it will be very snuggly and warm. I live in South Carolna, we had 7″ of snow last year. Winters are gettng much colder!
Hi Mayra
What a wonderful jacket. Would make a lovely gift as well as a cosy layer for myself. Fluffy coats seem very fashionable at the moment. Wondering if it would work in a thick wool coating or a fleece? Thank you and a Merry Christmas!
Why not add a zipper instead of snaps or button
You can, if you read at the end of the post you will see why that is a better choice.
2018/12/09
Bonjour,
Would it make a difference if the pattern for the hood, was placed on the folded material, this way it would not have a seam in the middle of it.?
It is a very good project and Merci for the free pattern.
No it is not possible since there is a curve there, you can try and avoid the curve but it make for a very pointy hood. If you don’t mind that look then yes you can do that.
Looks so cozy and your directions seem thorough.
Yes it is and very warm. Enjoy the jacket.