“Free” might be my favorite word when it comes to activities and toys for my 20 month-old toddler twins. They seem to enjoy the free things in our house more than the toys that cost money. Not only that, but I’m really into making things for them that are sentimental – that they can keep for years and years. For example, I painted a song quote on a canvas in their room. I painted the block letters that hang above their cribs. I’ve taken almost every picture that hugs the walls in our small home. And that makes me happy, so I keep doing it. After receiving my sewing machine for Christmas, (mine is similar to THIS one) I took up sewing and knew I’d want to make toys for the twins, like these buckle pillows. When I saw this project, I knew I had to make it.

Edited: This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase using these links, I will receive a percentage of the profits. 

See, it’s almost Easter. These bunnies would make a great Easter basket gift. My real inspiration, however, was my daughter C, who is currently going through a “bunny phase”.

She loves bunnies, pointing them out wherever she can find them and kissing them to death. I had wanted to buy both of my kids stuffed bunnies for Easter but nice ones were super expensive. Again, this was the perfect project for me.

The original idea is called “Mooshy Belly Bunny” and is completely adorable. Holly even provided a handy tutorial that I printed out, and she claimed that beginner sewers would be able to churn out a bunny in one hour. I held on to that hope, envisioning this post being written a week ago. However, that did not happen. I am a really beginner sewer and to be honest, this project took me a week and a half, working on it only at night. I was happy to have it done, though I’m very pleased with the result.

The original bunny was made from a child’s old shirt, which I thought was wonderful and sentimental. While combing through my bags of clothes, though, I came across the twins’ old blankets, and knew that I would use them instead.

The twins, born five weeks early, were constantly snuggled up in these blankets as all babies are. I still can’t believe they were that small, and revisiting these pictures makes me yearn for that age again (even with the lack of sleep). Yes, these blankets were perfect for the project and if I were to ever do it again, I would stick with the baby blanket theme.

Here’s my take on this project:

First of all, definitely print out the tutorial before starting. It’s very helpful!

The templates provided were great, and after gathering the blankets and my husband’s white t-shirt (for the insides of the ears), I got to work.

Of course, I began by pinning the templates to the blankets and cutting each piece out.

Then I sewed around the edge of the bunny body, leaving a small section open for stuffing.

Those were the easy parts. After stuffing, I sewed the openings shut and attached the ears. (Find the stuffing HERE!)

Many days later…at this point I was in the home stretch. The bunnies needed a face and a tail. The tail (not pictured) was a simple white pompom, attached with a needle and thread. The face was embroidered using a satin stitch and a split stitch. YouTube videos came in handy here, and they came out pretty good!

When they were all done, I had two cute little bunnies!

I have to admit, I made many errors. Many. They don’t quite look like the original. I think B’s bunny came out better than C’s, which was a little disappointing as she’s the bunny queen right now. However, I doubt my toddlers will notice (or care). Not only that, but the fact that I’ve dug out their old, worn baby blankets and turned them into something they can snuggle at night (that was free!) really makes me happy. I hope they keep these bunnies around for many years.

UPDATE: Since giving the bunnies to the twins on Easter, they have fallen in love! The bunnies have become an additional lovey for their cribs at nighttime, which makes me happy.

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