It’s Sew A Softie time again! Organized by Trixi of Coloured Buttons, a whole bunch of bloggers share tutorials for softies that kids can sew (see my tips for teaching kids to sew before you get started!). It is super fun and this time around, I’m sharing this bandana bunny pattern! With a sweet embroidered face and squishy ears, this bunny is irresistible for little hands. If you want more stuffed bunny sewing patterns, check this post out!
See past softie patterns I’ve shared for Sew a Softie:
and also some of my other posts about sewing with kids:
- Tips for teaching kids to embroider
- Tips for quilting with kids
- Sewing School Book
- Teaching kids to sew e-book
Sewn the way I have, with a bandana (or any woven fabric), this is definitely a project for an intermediate kid, with the relatively tight curves on the ears. To make this softie for a beginner, it would be perfect to hand sew with felt, eliminating the turning-right-side-out step. Younger kids could draw a face on, too!
Aren’t they cute! I tried adding eyelashes to my usual eyes, and am loving them.
Of course, there is a bunny tail too.
I ended up sewing three different bunnies, which was a mistake, since I have two kids! Looks like there is a fourth bunny in my future, if only to be fair. Fortunately they sew up quickly.
The waiting is so hard for my kids; they see me working on the pattern all week, but have to wait until after photographs are taken so they can play with them! These bunnies all went to bed with them that night, and I promised to let them try out making some felt “bandana” bunnies with me later this summer.
Pin this bandana stuffed animal pattern for later here with this link or collage image:
How to sew a bandana bunny softie
Supplies
-
- 1 bandana (or a 22″ square piece of fabric)
- Wool blend felt scrap for the tail & face (my favorite shops listed here)
- Pearl cotton or 6 strands of floss
- Iron
- Scissors
- Hand sewing needle & thread
- Poly-fill or other stuffing
- Hemostats (optional)
- Chopstick or pen to push the ears out.
- Fabri-Solvy or other embroidery transfer method
- Printed freezer paper (totally optional)
- Printable bunny pattern: –sign up for my newsletter and get the free download once you confirm your subscription! If you’re already a subscriber, you can access the pattern with the password in each newsletter, in the resource library.
Steps
Step 1– Print your pattern out and cut 2 bunny bodies from your bandana. I used these nifty printable freezer paper sheets, so you just iron it on and cut carefully around, peel it off, but whatever tracing method you normally use will work just fine.
Step 2– Embroider the face on to felt and cut it out! I used Fabri-Solvy here, that you print, stitch, and wash away (see it as my trick to transferring an embroidery pattern here) or whatever transfer method pattern you usually use.
Step 3– Place & applique the face and tail on; approximately 1″ down (face) and up (tail) and centered. I used a running stitch to hand sew them on, you could also machine sew them.
Step 4– Place the bunny front and back right sides together and sew with a 1/4″ seam allowance, leaving a 3″ gap at the bottom. You can then trim the seam allowance – I used pinking shears to prevent any fraying!
Step 5– Pull the bunny body right side out through the gap, gently press the ears and seams out with a chopstick, and use your iron to smooth out the seams, and tuck the seam allowance into the open gap. Press all over.
Step 6– Use your hemostats or fingers to gently push stuffing in to the ears and throughout the body.
Step 7– Hand sew the opening shut – I use a ladder stitch – and this bunny is ready to snuggle!
Julie
Thursday 2nd of August 2018
Wow, these are gorgeous, their little faces are just so sweet.
Stephanie - Swoodson Says
Friday 3rd of August 2018
Thanks Julie!
Pam @Threading My Way
Wednesday 1st of August 2018
Super, super cute, Stephanie. You'll have to make a fourth bunny... LOL!!!