An (EGG)citing Fabric Egg With Surprise Goodies Inside

So I made "I Smell" Good Mr. Bunny and he needed a home. I thought hiding him in an large fabric egg would be an awesome way to gift him away for Easter. It would have been perfect except time was not on my side. This is my first time working with Modge Podge and I made an error in judging the amount of time it takes to allow this egg to dry. The good news is you don't have to because you can learn from my mistake. Besides with Easter already passed, you have lots of time to prep for next Easter.  Or if you want to make this into a dinosaur egg or a whatever egg, this would be pretty cool too.

Step 1: Materials Needed

Materials:
balloon
paint brush
scissors
X-acto knife
fabric
old dress or more fabric
Modge Podge
ribbon
vase
rubber band


Optional:
"I Smell Good" Mr. Bunny or any stuff animal and/ or
other goodies such as plastic Easter eggs
cardboard



As stated, this is my first time working with Modge Podge. For those who haven't worked with it, make sure to work in a well ventilated area. The smell is very strong and the fact that this projects needs several days to dry means it might be best to allow it to dry outside. The Modge Podge I used had a glossy shine to it but if you don't want a shiny egg, there are a variety of other Modge Podge you can use.

When I was trying to figure out what colors to use for my egg, I thought it would be cool to try fabric. After all, I'm currently in a love affair with sewing and fabric. The old nightgown with the polka dot prints I thought would be perfect for Easter so I ended up using it. I'm so glad I did because I think the fabric egg worked beautifully.

I opted for a green fabric on the inside because it reminded me of grass. I used about 1/2 to 3/4 yards of the green. Just remember that the size of your balloon and the type of fabric used could mean you may need more or less fabric.

Step 2: Making the Egg

1. Blow the balloon up and cut the excessive tip off after tying it. In terms of size, aim for a more egg shape. Start with a smaller size balloon if you want smaller egg and larger size for the larger egg. Remember that you will need more fabric, Modge Podge, and time to dry for a larger balloon.
2. Cut the dress along seam into 2 large fabric. I basically cut the dress across the top where the green trim separated the dress from top to bottom. The top piece was tied with rubber band to the vase to protect the vase from modge podge damage. The bottom piece I cut off the seam and separated the front and back panel of the dress.
3. Cut the green fabric into 1.5-2 inch wide by 5-6 inches long strips.
4. Place the balloon on the vase. Use the paint brush to fully cover each strip of green fabric with Modge Podge. Then place the strip on the balloon lengthwise. Once you fully have on top covered. Flip the balloon upside down and cover fully with more green strips. Make sure to overlap the fabric some so that the balloon does not show.

5. Allow the balloon to dry at least 24 hours after each coated layer of fabric. My mistake was I coated all the green layers at one time and since the inside could not dry fully until I cut it, my egg came out a bit lumpy.
6. Add more green fabric layers. I used 3 coats of green fabric on mine which should be the minimum.

Step 3:

7. Once done with the green coats, it's time to use the colorful polka dot for the top coat. As shown in the picture, cut lines into the panel of the fabric on the top and the bottom. This will allow the fabric to form around the egg. Cut thinner panels where the egg tops is smaller and wider panels for the bottom of the egg.
8. Coat the green fabric egg completely in Modge Podge then lay it on top of the polka dot fabric which the colorful side of the pattern is facing down. Cover the circumference of the egg with the polka dot fabric. Glue down all edges with Modge Podge. I used scissors to also cut excessive fabric because my fabric was stretchy.
9. Turn the egg on one end and slowly layer each fabric on top of each other with Modge Podge in between. Repeat with other end of the egg. Allow to dry completely. Follow with another coat of polka dot fabric.
10. Once the egg is dry, do a final coat of Modge Podge over the entire egg and allow to dry.

Step 4:

11. Cut the egg with an x-acto knife and pull out the balloon. I opted to cut all the way from top to bottom and all the way around but as shown in one of my pictures, you can choose other styles too. I think next time I'm going to try the jagged egg top.
12. FInally, it's time to load the goodies into the egg. Again I used my "I Smell Good" Mr. Bunny and little plastic eggs filled with candy inside. Put the 2 sides together and tie a ribbon around the egg to close it. You can use scotch tape to cover the opening of the egg if it doesn't want to stay shut.. Now all you need is a good place to hide that egg for the Easter hunt. Some lucky child is going to love this (Egg) citing Surprise Fabric Egg.