No-Sew Fleece Bunny Tutorial ~ Perfectly Sized for an Operation Christmas Child Shoebox

When my daughters were little I saw little bunnies made out of washcloths that were to be used to tuck an ice cube into.  They were called boo-boo bunnies.  I have made many over the years for many children.  I remember making a mini one once for a doll that I was dressing for a Christmas doll collection.  It slipped over the dolls hand--I thought it looked adorable with her all dressed for bed with a
crocheted blankie and a bunny to comfort her.   I think little ones receiving an Operation Christmas Child shoebox would also find comfort from a fleece bunny.

When we were planning our Spur of the Moment Operation Christmas Child packing party we needed some stuffed animals quick and cheap.  I remembered these bunnies and thought I could make some quickly out of some scrap fleece I had.  They were for 2 to 4 years old boxes so I did not add a pom-pom tail, but you could. Also, those movable eyes can be used for older children.

No-Sew Fleece Bunny

Supplies:

Fleece (washcloths work great, felt should work fine, too)
Ribbon
Embroidery floss & needle

Cut Fleece.  11 x 11 to 12 x 12, mine were 11 1/2" square.


Fold the tip of one corner over.  Begin to roll. The looser you roll the fluffier he will be, the tighter you roll the skinnier, but also the more sturdy he will be...just experiment.

Repeat rolling from the opposite corner.

Fold in half as illustrated; bringing ears together.

Fold back points (ears) over folded end (body).  Have points hanging about 3/4" or more over the back end--the further they hang over the bigger the ears and shorter the body, too far and the ears flop too much.  If you want to you can round the tips so the ears are less pointy.

Use a rubber band to hold together--place about halfway back on body.  For an older child you could just put the rubber band where you want the ribbon to be and tie the ribbon over it--I did it the way illustrated because they were for 2 to 4 year old boxes and I was afraid if it broke and snuck out from under the ribbon the child might swallow it.

Cut ribbon--I used 3/8" ribbon, which is the best width, but 1/4 to 1/2 should work fine. The narrower the shorter you can cut it, if you use wider longer is necessary to make the bow. I cut mine about 22" long.

Tie ribbon in front of rubber band--pull VERY tightly so it cannot slip off.  I double knoted the first tie and also the bow.  You may want to, for added security, stitch the knot together or use a touch of fabric glue as you tie it for an extra measure so the child cannot untie it. Remove rubber band and pull ears into place.

Tip:  singe ends of ribbon or use a fabric glue or fray check type product so they don't fray.  To singe with a lighter just quickly pass the ribbon thru the flame--it will melt the ends.  Tip 2:  Do NOT take your own pictures for a blog tutorial while you singe the ends--they will be more than singed.  And please don't ask how I know this -- tho it is quite obvious from this image.

Using embroidery thread sew on a face--any dark color on light fleece or light color on dark fleece.  I am terrible at faces, so I just made little sleeping eyes and left the nose off.  I am going to work on my faces this year so I can make more lovies.

Pass him on to a sweet child for love and comfort.

These are so easy to make--they multiply like real bunnies.

Design and instructions copyright Simply Shoe Boxes.  Please enjoy using this design for your personal use and for gift giving.

You can find more toy ideas and patterns at Threading My Way ongoing link party.

Interested in more no-sew crafting ideas for your shoeboxes?  Check out our other tutorials here at Simply Shoeboxes:  No-Sew Crafts for Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes.