Make a Miniature Rabbit!

Image Gallery Even discarded scraps of material can be put to good use if you're resourceful and use your imagination.

Mother's Children

It's fun to sew your own stuffed bunnies.

by Diana Scheck

I decided to try to make miniature rabbits after seeing various small stuffed animals at craft sales. I borrowed some ideas from what I'd seen, added some of my own, and came up with designs for mother and baby rabbits.

When I first started making them, I gave them as gifts to friends and relatives. They liked the rabbits so much I decided to try selling them. So far I've sold about 16 sets for $6.50 each. I figured out it costs about $1 to make each set. So all together I've earned about $88. I've also taught my cousin to make them, and she has sold as many sets as I have.

It takes me about two and a half hours to make each pair of bunnies. Whenever possible I try to recycle materials. The cotton I use comes from vitamin bottles. The baby rabbit's bed is half of a walnut shell. And I buy my small scraps of fabrics, and odds and ends of ribbons and lace, at garage sales and swap meets for almost nothing.

If you decide to make these rabbits, you'll find that it's hard work, and you'll probably make some mistakes at first. (You may want to ask an adult to help you understand the sewing instructions.) But the results are rewarding. I've done well selling miniature rabbits, and I think you can, too.

Directions

Materials: Unbleached muslin, fabric with a miniature print, white felt, 1/4" and 1/8" ribbon, pregathered lace (or you can gather it yourself), black seed beads, walnut shell halves, heavy black thread (for whiskers), miniature flowers, pink crayon, cotton (for stuffing).

Body: Draw the pattern—to scale—on 1/4" graph paper. Label the pieces and cut them out. Using a pencil, trace the rabbit body twice onto muslin. Cut the pieces out, and pin them right sides together. Stitch the two body pieces together 3/16" in from the edge, but leave the bottom open. Turn the body inside (right side) out. Mark the locations of the eyes and nose. Stuff the rabbit with cotton. Cut the circular base from felt, and, tucking under the raw edges of the muslin, stitch it to the bottom of the rabbit.