Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Catch my Flat Bunnies on Sew Mama Sew!



So, this is how long it takes me to make something.

Long, long ago, in the year 2011, we made a cardboard hutch. 

And I started to make a baby bunny for the hutch, roughly based on an old softie we had in the house.


And gave up.


Years passed.

Kate, once devoted to all things snow leopard and puppies, inexplicably developed a deep and abiding love of bunnies. Which she divided into two species: Flat Bunnies (which lay on their bellies like bearskin rugs) and Puffy Bunnies (which sat on their bottoms like teddy bears). And for her birthday last year, she requested a Puffy Bunny. Which she got. And the world was at peace. 

Then, recently, we read this book,

and Squish, the rabbit, reminded me so much of that forgotten bunny muslin from eons past that I decided to resurrect and finish him.

I found the softest microfleece scarves on clearance (50 cents!) and cut them up.

And stitched faces on all kinds of fabric (left column, top to bottom: corduroy, stretch terry, velour; right column, top to bottom: terry cloth, microfleece, interlock knit):

and made a bunny that was both Flat

and Puffy.

I'm sharing the tutorial for this little critter on Sew Mama Sew today!

But, wait - the story's nowhere near over.


These are children, remember. And a stuffed animal is never just a stuffed animal to a kid.

The first thing that happened was food. 



The baby bunnies, having been "just born", were starving, the children said.

So I had to make small carrots. 


Then the bunnies needed a place to sleep, the kids continued. Could I please make a bed? 

Okay. Not like there's anything really important to do in the wintertime, anyway.

What about the other seven bunnies, Mom? They need beds, too. Can you make seven more beds?

Scream. No. Let's cheat and make a large, community bed instead.

Awww. Look at those teeny paws. Bunnies are so sweet when they're asleep. Not unlike kids.

And they're somewhat crazy when they're awake. Again, not unlike kids.


Then, Kate decided that the bunnies needed to move house. And they needed bags to carry all their important stuff. So one afternoon, we made bunny totes.

"Also clothes, Mom". 

And the new house they're moving into.

So exhausting, isn't it? 

But just as I was about to collapse, I found this:


A bunny with her bunny.
Only a kid would think of it.

Suddenly I remembered all the things I would miss 
when these kids are all grown up. 

And it put all that exhaustion into context.
And made it worth it.

Tutorials for the various manic bunny accessories coming up next.
In the meantime, go make some bunnies at Sew Mama Sew!

Update 2021: Unfortunately, the Sew Mama Sew (SMS) website is no longer active. However, you can still access this free tutorial, as well as my other tutorials which had been featured on the SMS site - visit this more recent post for details and links. Happy sewing!


37 comments:

  1. Soooo cute! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. That is an amazing effort. Those bunny beds are totally adorable.

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  3. How I laughed when I was reading that! It's just the usual madhouse with kids! Very good idea and very good Story! Thanks for sharing! Best regards from Germany, Julia

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  4. This is ADORABLE. I know what my little granddaughters are getting for Easter. Thank you so much!

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  5. These bunnies are so cute! But the best part is the bunny's bunny, kids are indeed marvelous.
    Thank you for sharing this, I am going to make a couple of these (when I'm done with my apron mass-production, that is).
    I look forward for the following tutorials (one cannot let his/her baby bunnies starve, right?).
    Love, Chiara

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  6. Love love love your bunnies. Ah well, kids will be kids! She has lovely imagination play ideas!

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  7. wow! some major bunny love!
    I am glad to see I am not the only one that goes all the way on a theme (even if your way is larger and wider than mine!)
    as usual your work is beautiful. I am sure we will be making bunnies and carrots and more this week end.
    thanks for some great inspiration and tutorial

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  8. All the bunnies are so sweet and beautifull! I can't let my children see them..:)

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  9. [sigh]... Coming out of lurkdom to let you know that you are my hero. I may never get around to making all the things from your blog that you've inspired, but I enjoy reading about it. Thank you for writing, sharing and being so creative. You are awesome!

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  10. Oh, they are so cute! Especially that picture from the back, with the little front paws extended.

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  11. These are so super duper awesome! Thanks for sharing your tutorial -- I know my kids are going to love these bunnies! :)

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  12. I just love these bunnies!! I am going to run to the store so I can get supplies and get started!!

    Wooooosh (that's the sound of me grabbing my keys and running for the car!)

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  13. I love those snuggly, cuddly bunnies! And everything else that goes along with them! You're just the best mom... I hope your girls realize and appreciate the fact that not all moms do this for their kids. :)

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    1. GG: Maybe because not all kids are as manic as mine?

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    2. "Creative thinkers" is a better term, I believe. :)

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  14. Those bunnies are ridiculously adorable. I love that you actually made all the accessories too... my daughters' animals have to make do with legos for food and boxes or bowls for beds. =)

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  15. Hi! I love your bunny story and these bunnies are Super cute! I need a bunny family, too! Thank you for the tutorial! x Teje

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  16. Thank you for the tutorial for these charming bunnies. As you know ,I was hoping that you would. I have been eagerly reading your blog in the interim and seen some amazing projects. You are an inspirational sewer. I am so eager to start these but they will have to wait until I return home from Hong Kong. I am visiting one granddaughter now and she will have to get her bunny in the mail. Thank you so very much!

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  17. Love these bunnies. I want to make some for my children for easter.

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  18. Sweet! I want one for myself never mind my kids. You are such a good mommy.

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  19. These are wonderful... thank you so much for sharing your hard work... my girls thank you too!

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  20. I absolutely love your bunnies and thank you so much for your tutorial. I knew I wanted to make a bunny for my daughter who will be born April 7th to put in her little Easter basket and as soon as my 9 yr old son saw it, he immediately wanted a bunny for his own! And not just a bunny, he wants a bunch of carrots and a bed for it to sleep in, as well as a very long list of accessories for both his bunny and his sissy's bunny. So it's not just your girls who keep adding on to their bunnies. Mine do to =)

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  21. So darling; I love that they are two kinds of bunnies in one!

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  22. good grief you are so creative and talented. And you're making wonderful memories for your children. A great Mom indeed.

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  23. My heart just melted reading this post. I have a bunny lover in my home too.

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  24. Thanks for this great tutorial… I've been looking for the perfect Easter bunny to make for my two year old and I think this is it! Which fabric was the easiest to sew on and which was the hardest? (knit fabrics intimidate me!)

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    1. Ann: Ack. Sorry I haven't replied till now. We were all busy getting over jet lag after our trip home. Hardest fabric to sew = the corduroy. Very stiff, even though I used baby wale (the softest, thinnest corduroy). Easiest = microfleece. Soft like fleece, but thinner, doesn't need a special knit needle (although if you used one, it wouldn't hurt) and easy to manipulate. The jersey knit and stretch terry were easy, too. Just use a ball-point needle and it will feel like sewing regular cotton.

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  25. so this project looks amazing! but sadly, sewmamasaw won't work for me :( So I was wondering if you could post a link to the cutouts so I can trace the various body parts. I was going to try on my own, but I couldn't figure out what shapes to use. Thanks!

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  26. Good morning! Is there any chance that you could actually Send me the cut outs also? My daughter has had a Bunny quite like this Terry cloth and we have never been able to find another one. She's had it since birth. She is now 4. I do not own a sewing machine just some mending kits so any information would be helpful thank you so much.I would love to be able to create this for her again thank you in advance! Best regards, Jackie. Jiggaj5@gmail.com

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  27. Good morning! This is the 3rd time I'm typing this I'm not exactly sure what's happening but I absolutely love this idea. Is there any way that you could possibly send me that cut outs to. I don't own a sewing machine just some mending kits. But my daughter has had a Terry cause Bunny since birth and we have never been able to find another so I would love to create this for her. She is now 4 years old. And he tips and information is very much appreciated. Thank you so much thank you in advance best regards, Jackie.

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  28. Here's a link that will take you to the tutorial and template :) - took a lot of searching so I thought I would share!

    https://web.archive.org/web/20190515094448/https:/www.sewmamasew.com/2014/03/spring-bunny-tutorial/

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    1. I'm able to access the tutorial with this link, but the hyperlinks to the template don't work. Could you share the template again?

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    2. Ema: Try this post - it should have links that work. Happy sewing!

      http://www.ikatbag.com/2020/03/thankfulness-and-some-old-tutorials.html

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  29. So adorable! I made my trio out of felt, one white, one grey and one white with grey spots (cut out of felt and then sewn on individually, which was very time consuming but worth it).

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