Spring-time Eggstravaganza: Bunny Pal Sewing Pattern and Tutorial.





It is time to kick off the Spring-Time Eggstravaganza! In case you missed my post yesterday, I am holding my very own Spring-Time Eggstravaganza here on this blog just for you.  I have a bunch of free patterns and tutorials lined up, so I hope you will stop by to join in the fun .. and while you are at it, why not become a blog follower so you don't miss out on the fun (just check the sidebar).

The first project I am sharing with you is called, "Bunny Pal".  This pattern is inspired by the marshmallow bunnies you see at the store this time of year.  I know the bunnies at the store do not have arms or feet, but I wanted my Bunny Pal to.  But, to keep with the look of the marshmallow bunnies at the store, I used felt that was the same color as my fleece ... just in a more muted shade.  Feel free to make your bunny really colorful though.

So, a few notes before we begin ....

• If you are making this for anyone under 3, I suggest that you machine sew the bunny rather than hand sew.  The directions are the same, just instead of using a running stitch by hand, use your machine. 
• Next, if you do not know how to embroider, or don't want to spend the time hand embroidering the face, that is okay.  A great alternative would be safety eyes, felt applique or buttons in lieu of the hand embroidery.  But once again, if you are making this for someone under 3, I would not put anything on the bunny that could potentially fall off and be choked on.
• Lastly, I listed a squeaker as optional.  Some of you are saying to yourself, "okay, cool  ... let me run to my stash of squeakers and get one out", but some of you might be scratching your head going, "what the heck is a squeaker?"  ... or "where do I get one?".  Okay, a squeaker is a little round thing that makes a squeaky noise when you squish it.  The best place to find them is at your pet store or on eBay .... you see, I use squeakers that are described as being replacements for pet toys, but they work perfectly in human toys too!

Let's get started!!

x-x-x Bunny Pal Sewing Pattern and Tutorial x-x-x

(Finished Size: 11.5" tall)

Materials Needed:


Printed Bunny Pal Pattern HERE

¼ yard fleece (should make 2 bunnies depending on WOF)

Wool-blend felt scraps

Embroidery floss for the eyes

Coordinating embroidery floss for the body

Embroidery Needle

Marker

Fiberfill

Scissors

Optional: Squeaker

A note to my international friends: 1" = 2.54 cm, 1 yard = 0.91 m
Abbreviation key: WOF= Width of Fabric, RS = Right side, WS = Wrong Side



Gather up your supplies.



Instructions

1. Print the Bunny Pal pattern pieces (be sure to set the page scaling to “none” – if not that is okay too, but your bunny will be a bit smaller).

2. Cut out all of the pattern pieces and tape the head piece to the body piece overlapping slightly.

3. Fold your piece of fleece in half, pin the taped bunny head/body piece to the fleece and cut around the pattern piece. (Note: it is hard to cut fleece perfectly the first time around, if you have some wonky edges, just ignore them for now, we will clean up these edges later).

Pin the pattern piece to your fleece that has been folded in half (so you will cut 2 body pieces).  I did not bother pinning the smaller pieces to the felt ... but that is entirely up to you.

Cut out all of your pieces.

4. Cut from your felt scraps the following:  2 inner ears, 1 tail,  2 arms and 2 feet.


5. Using the photo as a guide, determine where you will be attaching the felt pieces onto the body pieces.

6. Stitch on the felt pieces using: your embroidery needle & coordinating floss, and a running stitch. Use all 6 strands of the floss.

1. Using a running stitch to attach the tail.  2. What the completed, attached tail looks like.  Attach all felt pieces in this manner.

7. Using the pattern as a guide, and your marker, mark the eyes and nose on the face.


8. Embroider the eyes and nose using a satin stitch, your embroidery needle and embroidery floss (use the entire strand-all 6 ply).

1. Use a marker (or any other tool), and mark where you will stitch the eyes and nose.  If you are using a marking tool that does not come off, I suggest making your marks a bit smaller than you actually intend the finished eyes and nose to be.   2. A completed, stitched Bunny pal face.  Satin stitch was used.

9. Place the body pieces wrong sides together.




10. Starting on the lower left portion of the bunny (by the left foot), stitch the two pieces together using a running stitch and your coordinating embroidery floss (use the entire strand-all 6 ply). Go through both layers of fleece, about 1/4 “ to 3/8” from the edge.

11. Continue stitching around the entire bunny until you get to the lower right portion by the right foot. Leave the bottom open (do not tie or cut off your thread).

12. Trim any "wonky" edges.

13. Begin filling the bunny with your fiberfill. Stuff the ears first.


14. Continue stuffing the body, once you are done stuffing, insert your squeaker (if you are using one) underneath the tail to make his bottom squeaky.

15. Stitch the opening closed in the same manner in which the body has been stitched.

Closed, squeaky, bunny bottoms.

16.  Your bunny is complete, share a picture of your finished pal in the split stitch flickr pool .

Note:  This tutorial/pattern is for personal use only.  Please do not sell items made from this free tutorial.  If you would like to sell bunnies (or would simply like a pdf copy of this tutorial/pattern), please purchase a copy of this tutorial/pattern with the right to sell,  for $3.00 from my shop tab at the top of the page.

Enjoy!

Hugs, Sara :)