The Bumble Bee Costume

The finished bumble bee costume with bag.

        The lady bug and the bumble bee are classic themes in childhood costume design. Year after year you can find these insect themes in many hobby stores... I purchased two costumes shortly after Halloween last year to transform them into something adorable for our American Girl dolls this year.

• See the lady bug version here.
  

       The wings were far too small for the costumes to begin with so they didn't need to be sized down for our dolls. I simply reattached them to the back of the blouses after cutting a sleeveless version for each 18" doll.

       I also gathered left-over tulle for trim to use  about the neck and in the headband. 

       The skirt was made by cutting one long strip of fabric and gathering this about the waist using elastic. 

       And like the lady bug version with the same design, this doll's outfit is finished with a pair of black Mary Jane shoes for her feet.

Craft More Bumble Bee Things:

• See how Sew Adollable makes their versions of the Ladybug and Bumble Bee costumes here
• Doll bibs with bumble bee print
• Bumble bee and lady bug pin cushions here 
• Craft a Shoebox Bed for Barbie

Left, is the profile of our doll wearing a bumble bee antenna made with chenille
stems and pom poms. Center, here you can see the original wings recycled for
 our 18" doll. Right, is the sleeveless blouse cut down to fit the doll as well.