FILL YOUR BUNNY WITH BAKING BEANS FOR A DOORSTOP, OR TOY STUFFING FOR A CUDDLY PLUSHIE!
YOU WILL NEED
⬛ Cuddle plush fabric: 26in x 20in
⬛ Pink floral fabric: one (1)
fat quarter
⬛ Carrot fabric: 6in x 5in
⬛ Green felt: 3in square
⬛ Fusible interfacing: ½yd
⬛ Black embroidery thread
⬛ Polyester toy stuffing
⬛ White yarn for tail
⬛ Scrap 13in square or
small plastic bag
⬛ Baking beans 500g
⬛ Thin cardboard: 4in square
⬛ One (1) copy each of the Front, Back, Side, Belly, Front Paw, Back Paw, Front Pawpad, Back Pawpad, Base, Carrot, Stalk and Pompom templates FINISHED SIZE Q 8in x 12in NOTES ⬛ Seam allowances are ¼in throughout.
⬛ Templates include seam allowances where necessary.
⬛ For templates please see p84.
⬛ Backstitch at beginning and end of all seams.
⬛ RST = right sides together.
⬛ WOF = width of fabric.
⬛ Fur pile nap direction to run downwards, except ears which should run upwards.
⬛ Use small appliqué stitches with a short length and width.
⬛ Liberty fabric supplied by Alice Caroline (alicecaroline.co.uk) FABRICS USED ⬛ Cuddle plush in Latte by Shannon Fabrics.
⬛ Floral tana lawn cottons by Liberty, in June’s Meadow Pink X18 and Phoebe X18.
⬛ Yarn and felt are from Lucy's stash. CUTTING OUT From the plush fabric cut:
1
⬛ One (1) piece using the Front Body template.
⬛ One (1) piece using the Back template.
⬛ Two (2) pieces using the Side template (reverse one).
⬛ One (1) piece using the Base template.
⬛ Two (2) pieces using the Ear template.
⬛ Four (4) pieces using the Front
Paw template.
⬛ Four (4) pieces using the Back
Paw template.
2 From the carrot fabric cut:
⬛ Two (2) pieces using the Carrot template.
3 From the green felt cut:
⬛ One (1) piece using the Felt Stalk template.
MAKING THE RABBIT
4 Trace one Belly, two Front Pawpad, two Back Pawpad and two Ear templates onto your interfacing. Cut out each piece roughly and apply to the wrong side of your pink floral fabric, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Cut out each piece along your marked line.
5 Baste and appliqué the belly onto the front body piece. Set a short stitch length and width making sure the needle catches both pieces of fabric around the curved edge of the belly. 6 Pin one front pawpad onto the right side of one front paw. Baste, and then appliqué in place. Fasten the threads off by hand, taking the ends through to the wrong side and knotting off.
7 Place the front paw with pawpad RST with a second front paw piece. Stitch together along the sides and curved edge, leaving the bottom straight edge open. Clip the curves and turn right side out. Stuff firmly, leaving the bottom in unstuffed to make it easier to sew to the body later. Oversew the ends to secure the stuffing (Fig A).
8 Repeat steps 6–7 to make a second front paw, and then two back paws with back pawpads.
9 Pin one pink print and one plush Ear piece RST. Stitch around the curve leaving the short straight end open. Turn right side out. Press using a pressing cloth, to avoid damaging the fur fabric. Fold the sides of each ear into the centre, at the two marks, pin together and secure with a few hand stitches (Fig B).
10 Pin the straight edges of the side pieces RST with the back piece, matching points A and B. Lay one side piece over the top of the other. Pin first at each end, then in the middle, then in small increments, working the fabric with your fingers until the pieces lie flat together. Baste and sew (Fig C).
11 Trim seams and clip notches into the curves on the seam allowances, taking care not to cut into the stitching. Snip from both sides to make sure you have clipped both sides of the plush fabric. Finger press the seams open (Fig D).
12 Place both front paws along the sides of the front, RST, aligning raw edges at the marks. Baste in place. Repeat with the ears at the top.
13 Pin the pieced back to the front, RST (Fig E). The centre mark on the front should align with the top seam of the back. Baste the sides, then check everything is in place. Sew the sides.
14 Turn right side out to check everything is positioned properly, and remove any basting stitches that show through (Fig F). Turn wrong side out again and trim excess fabric from paws and ears. Clip notches in the curved seams.
15 Position the back paws at the bottom of the body front, RST. The outer edges of the paws should align with the side seams of the body front. Pin, and then baste in place.
16 Pin the base to the body, RST, aligning the marks with the side seams and centre front and back. Ease the fabric between these points, pinning in place. Baste, and then sew around the base, leaving a 3in gap at the back for turning and stuffing.
17 Turn right side out and stuff firmly. Fill the plastic bag with beans, or securely knot in your scrap square. Place the bag into the rabbit, leaving it near the bottom to act as a weight. Surround with more stuffing. Tuck in the raw edges of the turning gap and stitch closed.
STITCHING THE FACE
18 Mark out the face features with pins (Fig G) using the front template as your guide. Then mark with a pen and sew using four strands of embroidery thread. Use a backstitch for the nose and mouth and French knots for the eyes. MAKING THE POMPOM TAIL
19 Trace the pompom template onto card and cut out. Repeat to make a second copy.
20 Hold the two cardboard circles together. Wrap the yarn around the discs going all the way around (Fig H). The more yarn you wrap, the fluffier your pompom will become.
21 Using scissors, cut the yarn along the outside edge of the two circles. Gently prise the circles apart without removing them, then wrap a long piece of yarn between them and knot tightly. Repeat a few times to make the pompom secure. Remove the circles by cutting them away, then trim and fluff the pompom into a nice, round shape (Fig I).
22 Fix the tail to the bottom of the rabbit using white thread, catching as near to the centre of the pompom as possible.
SEWING THE CARROTS
23 Layer the felt stalk between the two carrot pieces placed RST. Pin and stitch, leaving an opening along the side for turning. Turn right side out, press, stuff and stitch the opening closed.