Spring Bunny Wreath Tutorial

I've had this idea in my head for over a year and didn't get to it for last Easter.  

It's also a great wreath to leave up all spring long. 

Supplies
Bunny template
Oval grapevine wreath
1 wooden dowel
3 stems fake lilacs
Grey vinyl (1/3 yard is plenty)
Polyester stuffing
18" Purple ribbon
White pom pom
Glue gun with plenty of sticks

1.  Print out the bunny template and trace/cut out two from your vinyl.  The fabric that I used was labeled marine vinyl.  I opted for it since its going to be outside exposed to all the spring rain.

2.  Place your two bunnies right sides together and stitch around the perimeter leaving the bottom open to turn and stuff them.  But first, around all your curved seams make sure to make little snips up to the stitches.  Don't clip your seam.  This step is essential to making sure your bunny looks like a bunny. 

 

3.   Now we need to turn your bunny right side out.  Be forewarned this is a bit of a pain in the butt so make sure to take your time.  If you try to force it you will rip your vinyl or the stitches.  A bone folder is a very helpful tool for this step. 

4.  Now stuff your bunny with the polyester stuffing and hand stitch the bottom closed.  Don't worry about making your closure pretty cuz you won't be able to see it anyway.

5.  Next we need to mount your bunny into the wreath.  First take your dowel and wedge it into the wreath towards the bottom and the back.  This will be a support for the back of your bunny.  Test fit your bunny in the wreath to make sure you like where you put your dowel and then glue it into place.  Now glue your bunny to the wreath and dowel.  Don't be shy with the glue. 

6. Now flip your wreath over and follow the pictures below to add a bow and tail to your bunny. 

 5.  Now for the last step, and my favorite, we are going to add the flowers.  First you will need to trim the flower clusters off the stems.  There is a wire inside the flower stem so make sure you use something that can cut through it.  I used almost all three stems of flowers to fill mine in.

 Now beginning from the top down start gluing clusters of flowers down to the base.  I tapered mine at the top and made the flowers fuller at the base.  Also make sure to use the flowers to cover up any part of the dowel that is still showing through.  

Mr. Biscuit liked the finished product so much he asked me to take his picture with it. 

Craft on!

Anita

PS I've entered the bunny wreath into CSI's weekly crafty challenge.  Go check out all the other spring wreaths for more fun & colorful inspiration!

More Signs of Spring Withdrawal

Well if you read this post you'll know that I'm having some longing for spring these last weeks of winter.  So Ive decided to get a weekly fix of all things spring.  This week I finished up a a couple projects that were intended to be Christmas presents.  Suffice it to say that didn't happen.  Now I know I have to start planning for Christmas in November instead of December.  Thankfully these little guys fit right in for my spring treatment program.

These bunnies all started when Dan and I went to our friendly neighborhood used bookstore and I found this.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, your eyes are not playing tricks on you.  That is a mint condition Martha Stewart Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts, complete with accompanied CD of patterns.  When I found it on the shelf I couldn't believe my it.  Ive been eyeballing this book for some time on amazon but I had a hard time bringing myself to spend $35.  How much was it at the used book store you ask?  $15!  But wait there's more .... we had just sold a bunch of books to the store and gotten $20 so I used that money to acquire this great new weapon for my crafting library arsenal.  So really the book was free!  BEST PRICE EVER!

So reading through it on the drive home, yes I made my husband drive so I could read through the book on the way home, I found a pattern for these little bunnies.

Super simple and really sweet I thought they would be perfect as a gift for a couple little girls I know.  Flash forward to this weekend where I finished up said bunnies.  I added a couple things I think Martha would appreciate.  One being tails!  When the bunnies were done I just hot glued, with a healthy amount of glue mind you, white pom poms onto their little booties.  The other addition was a little personalization.  I embroidered each of the girls' initials onto the back of their respective bunnies.

Voila!  Totally cute little stuffed bunnies in a couple days.  Now my only problem is getting them away from the dog.  Sadie has a little attachment to little furry animals.  I think she's ready for spring to chase some real ones around the yard.

Craft on!
Anita