This is a stress-free and simple bunny sewing pattern to help you whip up a cute plushie at the last minute – perfect for an Easter present or rabbit lovers all year long!
The Stuffed Bunny Rabbits I made for my boys last easter were made from upcycled materials, but you can use lots of different types of fabrics for this easy pattern. This is a great project for using scraps of fabric
There is no template for these bunny softies and we are aiming to build your confidence in ‘winging’ it by tracing your own bunny shape following the instructions provided.
I like to measure less and sew more – so if you are a beginner and you want a project to help you feel like a ‘confident beginner’ here is an easy sewing project to start with.
Table of Contents
Stuffed Bunny Materials List
- 18″ x 13″ (2) fabric for the bunny’s body – I used two velour cushion covers that no longer fit my decor.
- 9.25″ x 3.5″ (2) for the back of the bunny’s ears (to match the body fabric)
- 9.25″ x3.5″ (2) fabric for the bunny’s ear accent fabric.
- 5″ x 5″ (1) tummy accent fabric – I used upholstery fabric samples for the bunny’s ear accent and tummy accent.
- 5″ x 5″ (1) double-sided fusible like heat n’ bond or steam a seam
- Soft toy ear and nose kit.
- Poly-fil or upcycled stuffing (I used leftover quilt batting).
- Pink embroidery floss (optional – for the little detail below the bunny’s nose).
- White Pom Pom (optional – for bunny’s cotton tail)
How to Make a Stuffed Toy Bunny Step-by-Step Instructions
The bunnies I made with this method were 17″ by 11″ (not including the ears – cause they are floppy ears!) but you can adapt these instructions easily to make a smaller or larger bunny as desired.
Step 1: Draw a Bunny Shape on your Fabric
Because the size of the bunnies I made is larger than a standard piece of paper I didn’t actually draw a template for them ahead of time.
Instead, I opened up the cushion covers I was upcycling as the body of these bunnies and drew my bunny shape straight on the wrong side of the fabric – I took a photo but you can’t see the pen lines very clearly!
To do this imagine you are drawing a simple gingerbread man kind of a shape. We will add the ears later.
My ‘gingerbread/bunny man’ shape was 18″ tall and 12.5″ wide at it’s widest point (the arms).
See the photos and images in the next step for more guidance on proportion but also just trust yourself and let your rabbit shape be a bit imperfect and unique just like mine were.
The only thing we need to be careful of when drawing this is that there is enough space at the base of the legs and arms to turn the rabbit right side out after sewing. So make sure the arms and legs are at least 2.5″ wide (but they can be bigger if you are making a bigger bunny).
If you have large enough paper you can, of course, create your own paper pattern or template to reuse but I just used the first shape I drew and cut as the template for the second body piece.
If you look closely enough at my photos you will see one bunny’s arm is longer than the other and there are other idiosyncracies like that. I think that makes them personal and homemade and takes some of the stress away of trying to get everything ‘perfect’ all the time.
Step 2: Cut 2 Bunny Body Pieces from the Fabric
Cut 2 pieces for the main bunny’s body. 1 for the front of the body and 1 for the back.
The minimum size fabric needed for the same size bunnies I made is 18″ by 13″. I used some velour cushion covers that were still in good condition but didn’t suit my decor anymore.
Any thicker-weight fabric like corduroy, denim, velvet, or velour will work fine for this project.
The photos below were taken later in the process and are just for a rule of thumb, don’t stress about them!
Step 3: Cut the Ear Fabrics
A bunny’s ear is wider in the middle and pointier at the end or top of the ears. So we will keep that in mind when drawing an ear for our cute bunny.
Although it looks like the bunny’s ear is narrower close to the head for this project we are actually going to fold the ear fabric to achieve that look so to cut it we want the bunny’s ear to be as wide at the bottom as it is in the middle.
My bunny ears were 3″ wide at the widest point and 3/4″ wide at the tip. Each ear was 7.25″ long.
Using this size as a guide, cut 2 pieces in the same fabric as the main bunny body and 2 in an accent fabric. My accent pieces were from upholstery fabric samples.
This project was done last year before I figured out how to get the paper off the back of these types of fabric samples.
I have since figured out two ways to remove the paper from fabric samples and use more of that lovely fabric!
Step 4: Cut & Sew the Tummy Accent Fabric
The tummy accent fabric is meant to be roughly the shape of an easter egg.
Starting with a 5″ x 5″ square of fabric, trace and draw an egg-like shape. Again we don’t need to stress about this being perfect.
Apply double-sided fusible to the back of the tummy.
Fuse in place on the front body piece, roughly in the center of the bunny’s tummy area.
Use a zigzag or blanket stitch to sew the tummy accent in place.
Step 5: Add Bunny Eyes & Nose
Using a soft toy eye and nose kit (you can use buttons or bead eyes), make the bunny face. Insert two eyes and one nose roughly in the middle of the bunny’s face on the same body piece that you applied the tummy accent to.
Using a stiletto or other sharp tool poke two holes for the eyes and one for the nose.
Insert toy eyes and nose as per the instructions of the toy eye & nose kit you have. Mine was this one.
Optionally – use pink embroidery floss to stitch a line and two curves below the triangular nose to enhance the facial features as pictured.
Again don’t stress about this – my cute face ended up in slightly different places for both of my son’s bunnies, but they both looked like bunnies in the end!
Step 6: Sew Ears
For each ear, pin one body fabric ear piece and one accent fabric ear piece right sides together, sew all the way around but leaving the widest end open.
Clip the seam allowances at the very tip of the ear and around the curve of the ear without actually cutting through the seam.
Turn right side out and use a chopstick or other blunt but pointy object to turn the very tip of the ears.
Fold the bottom of each ear inwards to meet each other and pin.
Using this method the bunny ears will not be filled and will be floppy. If you want them filled, then fill about 1/2 to 2/3rds of the way with poly-fil or other filler before folding the base of the ears as described above.
Step 6: Assembling the Bunny
Pin the ears roughly an 1″ apart on the rabbit’s head on the front body piece (the one with the face).
The raw edges of your ears should overhang the body raw edges by roughly a 1/2″ so they will be caught inside and secure the ears in place. Consider the ear accent fabric as ‘right side’ and place it right sides together with the bunny body front piece.
Sew bunny ears in place where pinned.
Pin front and back body pieces right sides together, enclosing the ears inside.
Sew a 1/2” seam allowance all the way around leaving a turning gap to one side of the bunny’s tummy.
Turn right side out.
Use a chopstick or other blunt put pointy object to push out the arms and legs.
Step 7: Fill and Close
Fill your bunny with poly-fil or upcycled filler like shredded quilt batting scraps. If you want a chubby bunny just add more stuffing.
Once filled to your desired firmness turn the raw edges of your turning gap in and hand sew closed.
As an optional extra, you could also sew a small pom pom to your bunny’s bum for a cotton tail.
Finished No Stress Easter Bunny Soft Toys
I really like how these turned out, making good use of things I had around the house – some old cushion covers, some sample fabric scraps, and some leftover batting.
The kids liked finding them while searching for their Easter eggs and as you can see they make the perfect companion at nap time!
Printable Cheat Sheet
It’s a great idea to use the printable cheat sheet for detailed instructions so you don’t have to keep going back to this post.
Stuffed Toy Bunny
Sew an easy soft toy bunny plushie as a quick Easter Gift!
Materials
- 18" x 13" (2) Body Fabric
- 9.5" x 3.5" (2) Ear Fabric (same as body)
- 9.5" x 3.5" (2) Ear Fabric (accent)
- 5" x 5" (1) Tummy Fabric
- 5" x 5" Two-Sided Fusible (optional)
- Soft toy ear and nose kit (optional - could use buttons)
- Pink Embroidery Floss (optional)
- White pom pom (optional)
Tools
- Sewing Machine
- Stiletto (for making holes for eyes and nose)
- Chopstick or other blunt pointy object (for turning)
- Hand sewing needle and thread.
Instructions
- Draw a gingerbread man shape on the wrong side of your body fabric. Cut 2
- Draw an ear shape on the wrong side of your body fabric (see instructions above for measurements). Cut 2
- Use body fabric ear piece as template for accent fabric ear piece. Cut 2.
- Cut tummy piece from accent fabric.
- Apply fusible to tummy piece and fuse in place.
- Sew tummy piece with a zig zag or blanket stitch.
- Insert eyes and nose as per your kit's instructions.
- If desired sew pink line under nose.
- Sew ear pieces together right sides together and turn right side out.
- Pin ears right sides together with front body piece and stitch in place.
- Place front and back body right sides together with ears inside.
- Sew with a 1/2" seam allowance leaving a 2-3" turning gap.
- Turn bunny right sides out and use chopstick for ends of arms and legs.
- Stuff with upcycled filling or poly-fil.
- Hand stitch closed your turning gap.
- Optionally hand stitch a pom pom to the back for a tail.
Top Tips
- The fusible (heat n’bond- see supply list) is optional but it does make it easier to concentrate on sewing and not on whether the tummy piece is shifting.
- Get creative with the fabric – you could make this a memory bunny by using sentimental clothing like a man’s shirt.
- Make this project with a child who is interested in sewing to give them a quick win project.
Frequently Asked Questions
I personally wouldn’t. I would spot-clean any spills or marks on the exterior of your bunny and leave them to dry on a radiator or a washing line.
If it is a store-bought toy obviously it will have directions on the label but for something homemade like this I wouldn’t risk it. If you want to try it go for a delicate cycle at least.
I used cut up small pieces quilt batting because I am a quilter and have those scraps to hand.
Other ideas to consider would be: cushion stuffing from old cushions you don’t want; cut up scraps of fleece (either from sewing projects or old clothes); scraps of soft sweatshirt or t-shirt material.
The key is to pick something soft and something that can be cut up small enough so that it doesn’t bunch and create lumps in your bunny’s body.
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