Maxy's Hideout: Funny Bunnies for Easter..Really Simple

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Funny Bunnies for Easter..Really Simple

MATERIALS:
2 - 8½" X 11" pieces white fleece
2 - 3" X 4" pieces patterned fabric for the ears
Small bits of blue or green felt for eyes, pink for muzzle, and red for the nose
Red embroidery thread
Approximately 4 yards of pink yarn
1 - 8½" X 11" sheet of freezer paper
Pencil, pins, scissors, pinking shears, needle, thread
Sewing machine, iron
Stuffing (more about this further down)
Optional but helpful - hemostat
LET'S MAKE A BUNNY:

BUNNY EARS:
Cut out ear shape. Place 3" X 4" fabric pieces right sides together, draw around ear pattern as shown (fig 1), and pin. Using sewing machine, stitch around ears, leaving the end open (fig 2). Trim with pinking shears, and turn right side out (fig 3). Lightly stuff, making sure the ears are not too thick near the base (fig 4).

A bit about the fleece. You can use any shaggy fluffy fleecy stuff that you like, but I use this white fleece from my local Joann's. It appears to have a diagonal grid pattern, but that pretty much disappears eventually. It's the same fleece I use to make my scotties, and it's very soft and fluffy. But that makes it hard to sew because it tends to shift and slide around in the machine. My solution is to use freezer paper for stability, which also gives me a distinct sewing line to follow. And once it is sewn, it is a dream to work with. It turns easily, stuffs smoothly and hides your stitches (and glitches) wonderfully. "It's so fluffy!"

MAKING THE BUNNY
Trace the bunny outline and features onto the unshiny side of an 8½" X 11" piece of freezer paper. Iron the freezer paper onto the back side of an 8½" X 11" piece of fleece (set iron for synthetics and no steam).

Using the dashed lines as a guide, position the ears beneath your fleece and pin in place. You can use your fingers to determine if they are positioned correctly, or hold the fleece up to a bright window and check the shadow.

Place this onto the other 8 1/2" X 11" piece of fleece, right sides together, and pin securely all around. Avoid placing any pins on or near the outline. I also make sure all the sharp pin ends are secured under the surface, to keep from sticking myself and bleeding all over my nice white fleece (been there done that).

Are you ready to stitch? Okay, slide your papery/fleecy sandwich into your sewing machine. Starting and stopping as indicated in the photo above, stitch along your pencil outline. This is why we use a large piece of fleece, because it gives you something to hold onto to guide it through the machine.

I use a slightly shorter than usual stitch length, and set my needle to stop in the downward position. That way I can pause, raise the presser foot and pivot the fabric under it to keep my stitching accurate.

Once you've finished stitching, remove all the pins and slide your fingers under the paper to release it from the fleece. Tear the paper by pulling sideways away from the stitches, as if you were tearing a check out of a checkbook. Tear away the paper from the outside of the stitching and the inside paper should then remove easily.

Using your pinking shears, trim fairly close to the stitch line, leaving long tabs at the opening in the head. With small sharp scissors, clip the curves at the neck, under the arms and between the legs. Be careful not to clip the stitches!

Insert two fingers into the opening and turn right side out, using your fingers to poke the arms and legs out.

Tuck the long tabs into the head.

Yay! Now for the stuffing! Here is my super-great extra-special secret source for the most wonderful stuffing. I get my stuffing at Ikea! Their Gosa Vadd pillow is full of the mega-squishiest "fiberball" stuffing, and for only $6.99 you get a huge amount. It doesn't clump or lump, and is the most cooperative stuffing I've ever worked with. I cut open one end of the pillow and then tie it with a pretty ribbon, and it is much nicer to look at than a plastic bag.

And here is another tip... get yourself a hemostat! It makes stuffing so much easier. I got this one, as well as a smaller one, from Widget Supply. With the hemostat, you grab a blob of stuffing and just insert them into the opening, occasionally using your fingers to smoosh and adjust it.

Once you've got your bunny all nicely stuffed, close the opening with a few stitches of white thread. These can be very unfussy, because the fleece will hide everything. See?

Now for the face. Using the printed pattern as a guide, cut two felt dots for eyes ( or two tiny buttons would work), a pink felt oval muzzle, and a red felt heart-shaped nose. Attach the nose to the muzzle with small stitches of red thread, and embroider the mouth with red floss.

Then attach the muzzle and eyes with small stitches of thread in the appropriate color.

Still with me? It's time to give this bunny a tail! You're going to make a simple yarn pom pom. Wrap the yarn around two fingers about 30 times (fig 1). Slip a 12" length of yarn between your fingers (fig 2) and tie around the coil, slipping it off your fingers to tighten securely (fig 3). Using small scissors, clip the loops (fig 4) until you have a loose shaggy pom (fig 5). Hold the long tails and give it a haircut to about 1¼" diameter (fig 6).