Beanie Bunny Instructions

These cuddly handmade stuffed animals will bring comfort and joy to children who are taken from their homes or are in other crisis circumstances.

Helpful Hints

-Please try to hide knots between the layers of felt so the knot does not show on the outside.

-If any pieces of felt have ink tracing marks on them, please turn them over so they don’t show.

-Use a single strand of thread for the entire project.

-Make stitches small and ¼ inch apart.

Whip Stitch 

Put pieces of fabric together. Insert the needle between the two fabrics and poke your needle through the top fabric. Angle the needle so that it comes out the top layer next to the first stitch and pull tight. Repeat so that the stitches on the outside look straight. 

Directions 

Place funnel into sock. Pour one heaping 1/3 cup of split peas into sock.  Remove funnel.  Keep stuffing fluffy by gently pulling on stuffing. Insert stuffing into sock, kneading the outside of the sock after each addition.  This helps produce a smoother surface.  Use all of the stuffing. 

Gather the top of the sock, above the stuffing.  Stretch and loop the elastic band twice over the top of the sock, securing it right above the stuffed head. The heel of the sock will be the bunny’s face.  The smallest felt heart is the nose.  Place the bottom of the nose over the top edge of the teeth. Poke the needle up through the teeth and the nose, keeping the knot on the underside.  

Place into middle of the heel and, with a whip stitch, attach nose and upper part of teeth to the sock.  The bottom of the teeth won’t be tacked down. Place eyes over the tip of the nose.  Float needle under nose, coming out at the top of the nose and through the edge of the eyes. Whip stitch around the eyes, being careful to keep stitches small and spaced ¼ inch apart.  Float needle under the eye, coming up through one of the eye centers.  Push needle and thread up through small, black pom-pom then back down through pom-pom securing it to eye center.  Float needle under felt to other eye and repeat.   Knot off thread and clip close to knot.

Float needle under the eye, coming up through one of the eye centers.  Push needle and thread up through small, black pom-pom then back down through pom-pom securing it to eye center.  Float needle under felt to other eye and repeat.   Knot off thread and clip close to knot.

To make whiskers: (Note: If using a black sock, please use white thread for the whiskers.) Knot the thread ¾ inch from the thread end. Insert needle ¾ inch off the side of the nose towards the top. Without pulling needle through, bring needle up through sock ¼ inch from knotted end.  Reinsert needle next to nose edge coming up underneath felt and floating the needle under nose, coming out on the opposite side of nose. Pull needle and thread through.

Repeat in reverse on opposite side of nose, knotting thread and clipping ¾ inch from knot, leaving another whisker. Repeat at the middle and the bottom of the nose.

Ribbon:

Girl:  Tie ribbon in a double knot, snugly around neck. Next, tie a bow. Cut ends of the ribbon at a slant.

Boy: Tie ribbon in a double knot, snugly around neck. Next, tie ribbon like a neck tie.

1. Make certain that one side of ribbon is twice as long as the other.

2. Cross long end over short end and back underneath.

3. Continue around passing long end across front of short once more.

4. Pass side end up through loop

5. Holding front of knot loose with index finger, pass long end down loop in front.

6. Remove finger and tighten knot carefully. Draw up tight to neck by holding shorter end and sliding knot snug.

Heart/Basketball:

Place heart/basketball on bunny’s chest, about ½ inch down from neck. Whip stitch to the sock.

For basketball: Stitch basketball lines onto orange circle (refer to photo). Keep stitches loose.

Lay bunny down on its back. Flatten excess sock/ears. Cut down the center through both layers, leaving ½ inch uncut above elastic band. Next, take each ear and shape the top of the ear by clipping a small, rounded triangle from each side of the ear.

Attach the pom-pom tail to the back of the bunny with four stitches, one on each side of the pom-pom.  The black thread will not show when the stitches are firmly pulled through the pom-pom.  Take one final stitch through just the sock, under the tail, before knotting it off. Clip thread.

For printable instructions, click here.