Here he is! Baxter Bunny. (And don't miss the new redesign of my hipster found at the end of this post!)
I hear it all the time. You’d love to be able to make something but you can’t sew. Or you don’t have time. Or you are completely creatively and craftily illiterate. This project is FOR YOU!
This could not be easier but everyone will think you spent hours stitching away on this little guy. You CAN do it! I know you can! And it takes very little effort so everyone can do this!
Please note, Baxter Bunny is not designed for small children and he does pose a choking hazard.
Baxter Bunny © Trish Preston,Two Peas in a Pod Homegrown Designs
First, here’s what you will need:
- · Scraps of fabric (you could also use flannel, maybe some old flannel sheets or pillowcase you aren’t using anymore or you could use felt / felt squares that you might have from other kids craft projects) On my project shown here, I used a cotton fabric that I lightly interfaced with fusible fleece to give it a bit more body – the fusible fleece is easy to find at your fabric store – even Walmart has it in their fabric section.
- · Steam a Seam (optional) You only need about 2 square inches of the stuff.
- · Scissors
- · Needle and thread
- · Batting for stuffing
- · Buttons for eyes
I hope this pattern prints ok for you...it should fit on an 8 .5 x 11 sheet of paper. Baxter stands roughly 7 inches tall.
1. To start, you’ll want to gather all of your materials. Using the pattern, cut 2 of each for the body, ear lining and pocket.
1. 2. If you are using the cotton, I fused interfacing on my pieces to give it some oomph! Interfacing is easy to use. You only need a small amount and you can skip this if you want. But just cut your interfacing a little smaller than your bunny body pieces and with the glue side facing the wrong side of the fabric, fuse with your iron.
1. 3. Using the Steam a Seam, again, easy to find in your fabric / craft stores – it’s used for appliqué. Follow the directions and cut out your ear lining and fuse to the ears. If you want to skip the steam a seam, you can just use a running stitch to attach your ear lining.
1. 4. Next, create your bunny face. Find two old buttons and attach for the eyes. I used two that didn’t perfectly match in size to give him some character. Cut a little nose out of your fabric and stitch in place. Then stitch on some whiskers and a little mouth.
1. 5. For the pocket, lay your pocket right sides together with the wrong side of the fabric facing out so you can see it. Stitch across the top of your pocket. Turn right side out and press your seam so it lays nice and flat. This will give you a nice clean edge on top since you’ll want to fill the pocket with a treat!
1. 6. Pin your pocket to your bunny’s belly. You will have raw edges on the sides of your pocket. Next, use a blanket stitch to stitch the pocket on.
7. Blanket stitch. I love this stitch. It’s fun to do and it’s quite easy once you get started. Working from left to right, bring your needle from the right side of the fabric (the top) and point your needle out to the edge. Keep the thread from the previous stitch under your needle and pull through. It’s hard to explain but I hope the photo and the text together show you how. Practice on a separate piece of fabric before doing it on your project if this is the first time you’ve done a blanket stitch.
1. 8. Now pin your bunny together, wrong sides together, your right sides facing out. You will have raw edges. Blanket stitch around your bunny leaving an opening for stuffing.
2. 9. Stuff your bunny and make him good and round!
1. 10. Finish stitching up the opening and you are done!
All together, I think this project took me about an hour to make. Hope you enjoy making it and send me your photos of your Baxter Bunny and I’ll show them off here.
Congrats to our giveaway winner! She will receive the newly redesigned hipster just ripe for Spring! The new pocket panel on the front is angled and has the perfect little pocket down low for your iphone or other device and then the larger side of the pocket could hold a water bottle or other gear. It also has 2 interior pockets and a magnetic snap closure.
The new hipster is available now for custom orders.
And finally - giraffe print "platterpurse" on it's way to Marysville. Love this print!
Happy Easter all!
Ciao, xo Trish