Sew a Pocket Bunneh in 2 Hours or Less! (With Free Pattern)

Hey Ya’ll!

Its Elsie and I’m back with another tutorial- this time for a small pocket bunny! This tutorial is for the absolute beginner, so you folk who are more advanced in sewing may want to skim over the steps to the pattern. But for you beginners (like me!) this Instructable will walk you through each step of the process.

I made this little guy for my friend’s birthday! We both love sewing and have pet bunnies of our own so I thought this would be the perfect gift for her. The bunneh is approximately 4 inches tall and fits perfectly on your desk, your hand, or in your pocket! I was inspired by Whinnie the Pooh and his furry friends. Although this bunny isn’t from the storybooks, I imagine he and Pooh would get along quite well.

The reason I’m making this Instractable is because I have struggled to find free, easy to follow, printable sewing patterns online, much less of a bunny! Because of this, I designed my own rabbit pattern on Procreate and have attached it to this Instractable for you to use, free of charge or annoying pop up adds! :D

Ive attached the pattern on the last step of this Instructable!

If you make this bunny too, I’d love to see him!

Supplies

The supplies for this small bunny aren’t a lot, seeing as he’s about 4 inches tall! :) These are what I used but you can get creative and find different fabric or ideas to make him your own!

• Sewing Pattern - this is attached below!
• Fur Fabric - approx. 12’’x12’’ of fabric needed. You probably can get away with less, but this is the max amount you’ll need.
• Plain, solid color fabric. I actually used an old pink shirt but you can use any color or fabric!
• Sewing Needle
• White Thread
• Pink Thread
• Sewing Machine (Optional, but perfect for those like me who are impatient)
• 2 Black eyes (buttons also work)
• Stuffing
• Scissors

Step 1: Cut Out Your Pattern and the Fabric

Once you’ve gathered everything you need, its time to begin!

Begin by cutting out the pattern as precisely as possible. You will then use those designs to trace onto the fabric. When cutting out your material, be sure to leave approx. 0.25 inches of material outside of your pattern. This will give you enough room to sew without difficulty. Especially if you are sewing with a machine, this little extra amount of space means everything.

The pattern calls for two pieces for each foot (4 pieces total). This is because I wanted the inside of the arms and legs to be pink while the rest of the body is furry and white. Be sure to cut these out in your plain material and NOT the furry fabric.

Step 2: Begin Sewing the Body

I began with the biggest part first- the body. When sewing, it’s key to always make sure to sew inside out when possible. This keeps the stitching inside your piece and overall adds to the tidiness and cleanliness of your craft.

I was both super lazy and in a rush so I used a sewing machine. Since this is so small, you can and probably should sew it by hand. All you professionals out there are probably shaking your heads in utter disapproval. I’m sorry.

Sew all around the body leaving a small gap about 1 inch wide. This is were you will turn the body ‘right side in’ and then stuff it. A helpful trick I’ve found is if the hole is too small, you can use a pair of pliers to gently pull the fabric and turn it back around.

Step 3: Sewing the Head

The head is a little tricky because it is divided into four parts. However, these four parts are crucial to ensuring the head has proper dimension and some sort of semblance to reality.

When you begin to sew them together, be sure that the two widest pieces attach to the two smaller pieces. Also double check that they are inside out. They should be completely symmetrical (see figure 2) before you sew them together to form one big piece.

Once you sew the four pieces together, again, BE SURE TO LEAVE A GAP so you can turn it back around! Once you’ve turned it around, you can stuff it and sew it closed.

Step 4: Sewing the Feetsies

This was probably the most difficult and annoying step but also turned out the cutest!

I made the mistake of cutting out the feet backward the first time, so be sure not to do that! XD

On the pattern, I wrote that you will need 2 of each foot pattern. Two are for the left foot and two are for the right foot. Make sure to cut out one pattern with furry material and 1 pattern of plain material for each foot! Like I said, I made that mistake and it was quite annoying to have to fix later on!

Once you cut out each part, begin sewing them together. Don’t forget to sew the pad of the foot. I labeled it as the ‘toe’, which is 100% anatomically incorrect but I wasn’t really sure what else to say. But hopefully you know what I mean.

Once you turn the feet right side in, fill them with stuffing and sew them shut. You should now have a finished head, body, and two feet!

Step 5: Arms!

The arms are very similar in concept to the feet, except without a toe so they’re much easier! Remember, sew them inside out and be sure to leave a gap so you can turn them around to fill with stuffing.

At this step, I had stabbed myself with the needle approx. 15 times. RIP to my fingers.

Step 6: Attaching the Limbs

Now here is one of the most satisfying steps that can fulfill your lifelong wish of creating a voodoo doll without the black magic. Begin attaching each of the limbs to the body.

A tip for sewing 3-D objects together is to sew small stitches with frequent knotting of the thread. This keeps everything tight and less likely to come apart later on. I would recommend taking your time on each limb and not rushing ahead, no matter how tempting! Its better to put the work in now and not have a bunny who falls apart in 2 weeks.

Step 7: The Head!

When you attach the head, be sure to sew from every angle. Otherwise, it might just roll right off! (100% definitely totally absolutely never happened to my projects ever).

By now, you should have some semblance of a bunneh but without the key features that make it recognizable as a bunneh :)

Step 8: Sewing the Ears

Last main sewing component is the ears. Because they are so small, take your time and regularly knot the thread so they don't fall apart. I chose to make the inside of the ear pink, but I ended up using the white thread anyways since I didn’t want the pink thread showing up through the white fur.

When attaching them to the head, its really personal preference as to where they go. I wanted mine further back on the head but you can place them anywhere, really. If you want a lop bunny, simply hang them off to each side.

Step 9: The Eyes and Nose

It really depends on which types of eyes you can find. The ones I use are black pin eyes, which poke into the fabric. I tend to secure them with a bit of craft glue, though I know there are other types that secure with a backing.

If using buttons, those can be fastened with a simple needle and thread.

I used the pink thread to sew on a little nose and mouth. I just did a simple stitch and layered the thread to make sure it is visible through the fur. You can get creative with the mouth though and make it as extra as you’d like!!

Step 10: Finished!

Yay! At this point, you’re all finished but can add any accessories or other pieces that you’d want to. I think a little scarf, tail, or whiskers would be absolutely PRECIOUS!

Overall, this little bunneh took me about 2 hours to complete. The reason it took so long was that since I made the pattern myself, I was constantly tweaking and editing it to make sure it worked. It shouldn’t take you as long - especially if you are more advanced in sewing than I am. And I’ve set the bar so low, you probably are!!

If you make this bunny, I’d LOVE to see photos! And as always, if you have any questions or advice, or just want to say hi, let me know in the comments below! Also, since my last Instructable, Ive created a YouTube and Instagram account (@ElsieBsArt) where you can see my latest projects and artwork! I’d love to connect on there as well as on here! I’m always open to meeting new friends - especially crafty ones! :D

Thanks for reading and until next time!! ;)

~Elsie B.