I have made these for my babies to play with, It started with my 1 year old daughters love for rabbits. I wanted to make something that would interest her. Unfortunately I can not make something for one of my babies with out also making one for the other, I made three so that I can have one too. too cute not to :)
Because they are bean bags I can amuse them with my terrible juggling and my kids can pinch them when I drop them and give them the full awwww rabbit treatment,
My little boy helped in the making process and loved seeing the rabbits take shape, we have played hide and seek with the rabbits most mornings, either because they have put them somewhere and I can't find them or I have found somewhere fun to hide one and they have to spot it.
Originally the rabbits were going to be used to play a game, I wanted to make a cardboard hat covered in fleece and have them throw the rabbits into the hat, I was going to make the hat have a secret pocket for amateur magic tricks creating extra hours of fun,
I am still planning to do this but I will have to add it later as I start my new job in a fabric shop next week after being made redundant a few weeks back. I have a week so I am spending what time I have doing more playtime, glueing sticking, painting, drawing and less of my own making, but the rabbits have joined us so not a total loss. I have an old metal bin I never used covered with a green cloth we have been using to throw them in instead. :)
All in all I can safely say since I made them it has created hours of fun and kept my little boy distracted while he waits excitedly for school to start, :)
Any way this is the instructable for the little fellows, (hat to come soon I hope)
Because they are bean bags I can amuse them with my terrible juggling and my kids can pinch them when I drop them and give them the full awwww rabbit treatment,
My little boy helped in the making process and loved seeing the rabbits take shape, we have played hide and seek with the rabbits most mornings, either because they have put them somewhere and I can't find them or I have found somewhere fun to hide one and they have to spot it.
Originally the rabbits were going to be used to play a game, I wanted to make a cardboard hat covered in fleece and have them throw the rabbits into the hat, I was going to make the hat have a secret pocket for amateur magic tricks creating extra hours of fun,
I am still planning to do this but I will have to add it later as I start my new job in a fabric shop next week after being made redundant a few weeks back. I have a week so I am spending what time I have doing more playtime, glueing sticking, painting, drawing and less of my own making, but the rabbits have joined us so not a total loss. I have an old metal bin I never used covered with a green cloth we have been using to throw them in instead. :)
All in all I can safely say since I made them it has created hours of fun and kept my little boy distracted while he waits excitedly for school to start, :)
Any way this is the instructable for the little fellows, (hat to come soon I hope)
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Signing UpStep 1: What you need
For the bean bag rabbits : -
Fleece Fabric : Any colour you choose, mine are white, Velour would also work.
Felt : I used this for the eyes but was at one point going to use buttons, beads would also work
Polymer Pellets : dry lentils or rice would work just as well I am sure to stuff rabbit
Some scraps of coloured fabric : I used this to do the front of the ears to make each rabbit different.
Black and White cotton : Black for stitching the mouth and white for the construction of the rabbit
Grease Proof paper and thin card : For templates
Tools : -
Scissors, needle, pins, pen/pencil, Spoon and cup and scrap of paper to make a cone, the cone is optional it was just a triangle of paper rolled into a cone with a hole cut in the point.
Fleece Fabric : Any colour you choose, mine are white, Velour would also work.
Felt : I used this for the eyes but was at one point going to use buttons, beads would also work
Polymer Pellets : dry lentils or rice would work just as well I am sure to stuff rabbit
Some scraps of coloured fabric : I used this to do the front of the ears to make each rabbit different.
Black and White cotton : Black for stitching the mouth and white for the construction of the rabbit
Grease Proof paper and thin card : For templates
Tools : -
Scissors, needle, pins, pen/pencil, Spoon and cup and scrap of paper to make a cone, the cone is optional it was just a triangle of paper rolled into a cone with a hole cut in the point.
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Those pellet filled bunnies would be perfect for special needs kids, too... they help them build proprioception (mind body awareness, like knowing where your hands are even if your eyes are closed).
If you ever wanted to sell them online or to donate some to a nearby school, adding the label "proprioceptive awareness for kids with autism" to a description in your online shop could help parents, teachers, and therapists find your bunnies more easily.
Therapeutic toys usually sell for a premium, even when they're poor quality. Your bunnies are wonderful, and I'm certain you could charge what they're worth in terms of time and materials. Many schools even set aside part of the budget for therapy toys like these.
If you wanted to add a patch of fabric on the rabbit tummies, you could do a different variety of textures so the bunnies would also be sensory therapy (good for all little kids, not just ones with sensory challenges).
Of course, I understand about the "not having time for a small business, too busy with kids" thing... I'm in that boat, too. ;) Thanks for posting such a wonderful instructable!