Bunny & Coat

I made a bunny! A few months ago my friend LiEr of the IkatBag blog asked me if I wanted to test her latest pattern, which was a bunny softie. I wanted to, but unfortunately I was busy testing a pattern for someone else, so I wasn't able to do it. However, I was able to proofread it for her after finishing my other test. It was a beautifully written pattern (and had been tested by several others) and I knew I wanted to make a bunny when I had time. Christmas happened and other things like some sewing for Courtney's birthday, and then I finally got around to making my own bunny. Here she is!

Isn't she adorable? The pattern was great - clear and understandable with attention to every detail, which made everything very doable. The only part I found challenging was embroidering the nose, but once I trimmed out some of the bulk from those intersecting seams, it went pretty smoothly.

Here are some progress photos that I took along the way. The bottom right shows attaching the butt/legs to the upper body.

The arms were stuffed before attaching, but the rest got stuffed at the end. A forceps was very helpful in getting that stuffing in there. The feet have poly pellets in them for a little weight, as does the butt via a little pouch. It makes the bunny able to sit nicely.

The pattern comes with a carrot costume for the bunny, but I didn't make that. Maybe for Halloween? ;) But being somewhat naked, Bunny needed something to wear. LiEr also posted a tutorial on her blog for making a bunny coat. There are two options for the hood - one with ear holes and one without. Of course I had to have ear holes for my bunny. Here's the hood in progress, with the ear holes completed. The pattern made sure the seams are finished very nicely.

LiEr had a very detailed and ingenious way of constructing the coat so that it ended up all in one piece and when turned right side out, there were no raw edges. Below is a pic of the turning (a.k.a. "birthing") part. Looks crazy, huh?

But voilà! It ended up a beautiful little hooded coat!

Fully lined. No raw edges. Fabulous! The sleeves are sewn together such that the outer fleece goes to the inside to form its own cuff so the lining doesn't peek out. Like I said, ingenious!

Here she is, in her cozy warm new coat.

I know someone who has fallen in love with this bunny. It's my favorite model, and here she is, giving you a little size reference.

Last Tuesday when I went out to feed the cats, this is how I found Courtney and Bunny when I got back in.

Bunny is obviously very cuddly.

I think it's true love for sure. :)

If you're interested in making a bunny (and maybe a carrot costume, too), you can find the pattern here. The tutorial for the coat is in two parts and begins here. I highly recommend them both!