Easter Bunny Embroidery Hoop Tutorial

Easter is only a week away, and I'm on an applique kick! Today I'm sharing a tutorial for a cute, simple, and quick Easter bunny embroidery hoop...

This project uses fabric scraps and can be put together so quickly that you definitely can find time to get this done before this weekend.

This hoop was inspired by some cookies I found on Etsy. You never know where inspiration will come from :) Ready to put one together? Here's the how-to...

Materials:

• background fabric (approximately 11" square)
• scraps for bunny (I used gray and pink.)
• fusible web (I used Heat n Bond Lite.)
• 7" embroidery hoop
• fabric paint or embroidery floss for eyes
• iron
• glue gun
• thread

Instructions:

Step 1: Print out this template at 100% (no scaling, do not "fit to page")...


Step 2: Following the manufacturer's directions, apply fusible web to the back of all of your fabric scraps that you are going to use for the bunny pieces.

Using the template from Step 1, cut out the ears*, inner ears*, head, and nose from your fusible web backed fabric scraps. *Important: add about ¼" to the bottom of each ear and inner ear. This is so you can overlap the bottom edge of the ears with the head piece.

Step 3: Place your background fabric right side up. Lay your embroidery hoop in the center of your background fabric. Remove the fusible web paper from the back of each of your bunny pieces and arrange the pieces inside the embroidery hoop.

Once you have them arranged to your liking, start pressing each piece in place, following the manufacturer's directions. Start with the ears, then the inner ears.

Next, overlap the head over the bottom edge of the ears. I placed my embroidery hoop back on top to see exactly where I wanted to press the head in place.

Then press the nose in place.

Step 4: Time to sew around the edges of each piece. I used Maureen's technique for my applique – a straight stitch, using black thread, that leaves the edges raw – but you could use a zigzag or satin stitch with coordinating thread, depending on what look you prefer.

Step 5: Time to add your bunny's eyes. Again, this one is up to your personal preference. You can embroider the eyes, or I painted mine on with fabric paint (because my embroidered circles never quite turn out to be circles).

Step 6: Almost done. Stretch your completed bunny square inside of your embroidery hoop. Make sure to align the bottom of the bunny's head with the bottom curve of the hoop. Trim the excess fabric to 3/4" from the edges of the back of the embroidery hoop. Use your glue gun to glue the edges of the fabric to the inside of the back of the hoop. Cover the back with felt if desired.

And you're done!

So glad I was able to squeeze this project in before Easter. If you find time to make one, add a picture to the Gwenny Penny Flickr group. I'd love to see it!



I'm linking up:

Love Where You Live (or Got Married) Hoop

Remember Chris's Love Where You Live Ornament that she shared during Haul Out the Holly? I loved that idea, and I knew right away that I had to make one. But instead of making a "love where you live" hoop, I made a "love where you got married" hoop as a Christmas gift for my brother-in-law and sister-in-law who got married out in Michigan in September...

Chris's tutorial is so great, and this was a really fun project to put together. I used a small 4" hoop, and I used purple fabric for the state cutout because that was one of their wedding colors.

The most difficult part was figuring out how to put Michigan back together after I had the two pieces cut out :)

This would make a great wedding gift, too. And it doesn't have to be a Christmas ornament... it can be hung on the wall year-round. I'll say it again... love this idea!

I can't believe I'm still sharing Christmas gifts and it's February 1st! I also can't believe that my baby is turning two this week. More on that soon :) Happy Wednesday!

Point of View and Love Link Party!

Point of View is back for 2012! The theme for January is "love", and this month's projects are really beautiful. Take a look...

Jonie from Just Between Friends
Amy from Ameroonie Designs
Meg and Steph from Do It Yourself Divas (Our guests this month... Thanks for joining us, ladies!)
Camilla from Rosy Red Buttons

Michelle from A Little Tipsy
Gwen from Gwenny Penny (Click HERE to find a mini tutorial on my Mixed Media Song Lyric Hoop)

As always, you can check out each of the projects by visiting each of the blogs listed above.

My project this month is a Mixed Media Song Lyric Hoop...

This is the first line of the first song my husband and I danced to at our wedding ten years ago. It's a Valentine's Day gift for my husband. Click HERE for a mini tutorial on how I put my mixed media hoops together.

Now it's your turn. Do you have a love-themed project that you would like to share? We would like to invite you to join the Point of View Love Link Party right here on Gwenny Penny! Any idea that you feel relates to the theme is welcome at the link party (love, hearts, Valentine's Day, etc). It doesn't have to be a new project... If you have something in your archives that's love-related, link it up! We want to see any and all love ideas. Add the Point of View button to your post so that others can join the party. And remember, by linking up you have the chance to be featured by one of the members of Point of View next week!


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Mixed Media Song Lyric Hoop (A Mini Tutorial)

The first song my husband and I danced to at our wedding ten years ago was the Led Zeppelin song "Thank You". This is the first line from that song...

When I was trying to come up with a project for this month's Point of View theme ("love"), this idea popped into my head, and I decided that it would make a nice Valentine's Day gift for my husband, too. I'm in the process of redecorating our bedroom, so this will find a home on one of the walls in our room. This type of project would make a great gift for anyone who has a favorite song that has special meaning to them. It would also make a great wedding gift, if you know what song the bride and groom will be dancing to.

Since these particular song lyrics probably mean nothing to 99.9% of you, this is just a mini tutorial that kind of walks you through my thought process when I make these kind of hoops (like my Spring Embroidery Hoop Art or my Birth Announcement Embroidery Hoops).

The whole thing started with a basic idea. This sketch sat on my desk for a few weeks...

I originally wanted to embroider the entire thing, but time is always a big factor in how I go about doing things, and I ran out of it, so this transformed into a mixed media project.

I gathered up some materials and got to work...

I decided to use yellow fabric backed with fusible web to create the sun. I used a ruler to figure out what size I wanted it to be, then I went into Microsoft Word and drew a semicircle to create a template...

Embroidering the entire song lyric would have taken me forever, but stamping looks nice and is a lot faster. When I do fabric stamping, I like to use a pen on my stamps instead of an ink pad. It gives me more control over where the ink goes so I don't end up with stray marks. This is the pen that I use...

I just draw right on the stamp...

and stamp it onto the fabric...

I chose to embroider one word from the lyric. I used a pencil to lightly draw the word on the fabric...

At this point I put the fabric in the hoop and started embroidering...

For the sunbeams, I just started embroidering without drawing any lines first...

And that's it, in a nutshell :) Have fun and get creative!

Now it's your turn... Check out this month's Point of View collage and link up your past or present love-themed projects at the Point of View Love Link Party!



I'm linking up...

HOTH Day 3: Love Where You Live Ornament with Pickup Some Creativity

Hi Gwenny Penny fans! My name is Chris.

My piece of blogland is called Pickup Some Creativity. You  may remember the little sew-along that Gwen and I did together last spring. Gwen is a dear friend, and I'm thrilled she invited me over today.

Each year we give our children a Christmas ornament, that way when they grow up they'll have ornaments to decorate their own tree with.

For Christmas 2011, I wanted to do something fun to remind them of the two places we've lived in Idaho this year. After seeing some fun state-related crafts, and inspiration from all of Gwen's fun embroidery hoop ideas, I came up with the Love Where You Live Christmas Ornament.

With just a tiny bit of embroidery, and one of my favorite tools... heat n bond lite, you can make a sweet little ornament to celebrate all the places to love in your life.

Aren't they fun?

I hope you'll pop on over and get the full tutorial. I have a blog full of tutorials, and even a little Etsy shop with sewing patterns and banners (I'm hopelessly addicted to banners!)

Thank you, Gwen, for the invitation. I'm excited to see what everyone else is making!

I LOVE this project! And it would make a fantastic gift, too. I just added this to a couple of names on my list. Chris is a gifted seamstress and puts so much love into everything she makes. I love her scalloped buntings, and she has a tutorial for the most adorable Swedish woven heart ornament that would look beautiful on the Christmas tree. Make sure you visit her blog and leave a comment on her Love Where You Live Ornament tutorial! Chris, thanks so much for joining in on the Haul Out the Holly fun this year :)

Click HERE to see more Haul Out the Holly 2011 tutorials!

Boo!

I have finally made something that I pinned on Pinterest (from So Sarah Sews). It's cute and simple, and I love it. It's also a super-quick Halloween decoration to put together...

Isn't it cute? It's tiny, too... a 4" embroidery hoop. Add a little black cotton, some white embroidery floss, and you're good to go.

Each time I do an embroidery project I realize just how much I enjoy embroidery. I really need to find more ways to incorporate embroidery into my sewing projects. Speaking of which, have you seen these free fall embroidery patterns from Wild Olive? Adorable!




I'm linking up...