a bunny to sew.

since the internet is already overrun with rabbits this time of year, i thought i should contribute.

 i actually made the bunny on the right for margot last easter, but never got around to posting about it. the super long ears made it especially fun for tiny hands (and mouths) to explore. since it's such a quick sew, i decided to make a couple more for this year.

i originally had grand visions (or delusions) of being a great blogger and making a photo tutorial for you all on how to make one. alas, this did not happen (surprise, surprise). you are super intelligent though, and this is may be the easiest sew ever, so i'm sure you can do it with minimal instruction. below follows minimal instruction. i apologize in advance for any ambiguous or overly descriptive explanations (i tend to swing wildly between the two extremes).

1. print the free pattern from here!
2. prepare materials: cut out pattern, trace to fabric, and cut fabric. you should have six pieces of fabric cut.
3. sew the ears: for each ear, pair one main fabric piece with one contrasting fabric piece. with right sides together and a 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew ear together, sewing up one long side and down the other (leaving the short, straight end open). clip curves and turn right side out (a chopstick helps here). repeat for second ear. press and, if desired, top stitch down each ear, 1/4 inch from the edge
4. assemble the bunny sandwich: place one body piece, right side up on work surface. place the ears on top, aligning the straight edges with the top of the body piece (ears will be pointing down). space the ears, centered, ~1/4 inch apart. place the other body piece on top of the ears, right side down, lining up edges. pin sandwich together. 
5. sew bunny together: sew around the edges of the bunny sandwich with a 1/4 inch seam allowance. leave an opening ~2 inches long to turn the bunny right side out (i leave the opening at the bottom, where the ears poke out of the sandwich).  clip curves and turn right side out.
6. stuff and sew shut: fill firmly with stuffing of your choice and ladder stitch the opening closed.
7. embroider face: this is probably easier done pre-sewing, but i can never decide on what i want it to look like unfilled, so i wait until i'm done. 
8. hug!

and there you have it, a super simple sewn bunny, just in time for some last minute easter crafting. have fun with it--use those tiny bits of awesome scrap fabric you've been hoarding, embroider ridiculous faces, make a small army of bunnies. if you make some, be sure to link to photos in the comments. i'd love to see them.

fun story--the sleeping bunny may have come about because i was tired of trying to get the french knot eyes to stay put with the fairly open weaved main fabric i used. turns out though, it's margot's favorite bunny. every time she comes across it she puts her finger to her mouth and says 'shhhh.' then she carries it off to a quiet place for a nap. 

these bunnies make a great easter basket addition. thanks to these and the target one spot, margot is sure to have a swell time this year. granted, she's already played with most of these things...those chalk eggs come in a four pack. the pink and blue may already look less egg like...

meet edna.

margot has a new friend.

edna. a soft, cuddly, blue monster of a friend.

edna loves adventuring, which is good, because margot is full of adventure, especially when wearing her red shoes. they're her adventure shoes.

(margot was making edna walk up the driveway. she's the cutest person ever.)

i bought this ridiculous faux-fur blue fabric at jo ann's a while back. i walked around the store three or four times debating whether or not to buy it, because i had no idea what i would make with it. ultimately, its icy blueness won me over and i bought half of a yard. i'm glad i did, because this little lady is way cute, and that other little lady really loves her.

sewing her was fun. i've never sewn anything so fuzzy. i've also never designed a softie that wasn't completely flat (two identical pattern pieces sewn together). i wanted this fuzzy monster to have a little more dimension though, so i made a couple of practice bodies adding gussets to give depth. it worked out pretty well, especially since the fur hides the gusset seams.

the absolute silliest part of the whole process was giving her a haircut (edna that is, margot is approximately two years away from needing a haircut). when i added her eyes, i realized they were entirely lost in the sea of blue. so i busted out the scissors and gave her a trim. absurd.

i really like making margot toys. she totally humors me by having a blast with them (granted, she also has a blast with sticks, and rocks and straws and such, but eh). edna has quickly jumped to the top of the list of most loved softies, being picked to go to church, to the store, and to mee mee and papa's house. she has even made it through an entire night in margot's crib (which is an honor not granted to many--the unworthy being thrown shamelessly to the ground). with their combined cuteness, margot and edna are unstoppable, and i'm sure this big world has many more adventures in store for them.

more toddler shorts.

it's unofficially spring in virginia, which means it's seventy degrees one day and forty the next. the warm weather sticks around just long enough to toy with my emotions, make me dig my flip flops out of the back of the closet, and make me a bit obsessed with sewing tiny shorts.

oh how i've missed those pudgy knees.

i broke down this time and bought a shorts pattern--dana's wonderfully versatile kid's shorts pattern. it goes from age twelve months to ten years, so i think i'll get my monies worth out of it. so many shorts are going to be made! here is pair number one.

i sewed the eighteen to twenty-four month size using the flat front option. i modified the front pattern piece to have a separate waist band so that i could use the same faux fly and button front that i used for the last pair. i also made different front pockets, added back pockets, and added my absolute favorite kid shorts feature--an adjustable waistband.

i'm in love with these shorts--the rolled up legs, the black and white striped details, the pink top stitching--swoon. i like that they look a bit like denim but are actually a really lightweight cotton, making them perfect for the sticky virginia summers. i also like that i got over a yard of this fabric at the thrift store for a dollar.

the pocket fabric was another thrift store score, this time from a pillow case. i couldn't resist also using it to add a (pointless) tab to the back pocket and bias bind the seams of the rolled up legs. it's a bit lightweight, and thus a bit see through, especially when there's a neon pink shirt tucked in behind it, but i don't think margot notices.

the pattern is wonderful. the baby sizes even have extra butt room to accommodate a diaper (one of the things that made me hesitant about drafting my own shorts patterns). it specifically says disposable diaper, but margot is wearing a cloth diaper in these pictures and the shorts fit just fine, even with the extra bulk.

*unapologetic baby bum shot*

i plan on using this pattern many, many, many times in the future. it comes with a lot of fun variations and is simple enough to be endlessly modified. i've already completed my next pair, changing up the pattern a bit to make for a more bermuda-shorts like style. they're adorable. hopefully i'll get some pictures of those this week.

we're probably still a couple of weeks out from actually having shorts weather around here, but i am certainly looking forward to seeing a lot more of those little knees.

box-o-kitties spoonflower fabric.

oh my guys, my design made it in the top ten for spoonflower's cubist kitties contest! giddy.

i originally designed these kitties for a wooden laser cut puzzle that i made last fall when jon and i were taking the fab lab class (they were never blogged about because i sort of ruined the puzzle by giving it a bad stain job...i need to make another one...). so when spoonflower announced their cubist cat contest, it was meant to be.

check it out here and get some for yourself! i'm going to get some to make a margot blanket with. i'm currently debating on waiting to get some in minky (which is sadly out of stock right now) or being impatient and getting some in jersey.

photos from spoonflowers timeline photos.