Flannel Bunny Tutorial

I've been meaning to try my hand at craft tutorials for a while now and thought this was a nice simple one to start with.  I was given a flannel bunny as a present a few years ago (quite a few years ago now!) and thought it was a great idea!  This bunny has a bar of soap inside it but, for Easter this year, I made a few of these for my family and put a chocolate egg with each one instead.

I chose to use a black flannel, but of course you can use any colour you like!  Brown, grey, white or black are good options.  Whenever we drive through Brora we always see little wild black bunnies which are adorable!  We affectionately call them the Brora Black Bunnies.

HOW TO  MAKE FLANNEL BUNNIES

You will need:

A flannel (I got loads when they were on sale in Tesco!)

A bar of soap - make sure you get nice soap.  Of course, you could make you own which I intend to eventually!

Ribbon - make sure the colour goes with the flannel.  To be on the safe side, cut about 1 foot of ribbon and trim accordingly

2 Elastic Bands

Thread - Make sure this will stand out from the flannel

A Needle

(Scissors are also a must for cutting the thread etc.)

Step 1
Gather your materials together.  I always find it easier if I make sure I have everything to hand before I start on a project.

Step 2
Fold two opposite corners of the flannel so the tips touch the middle (see picture)

Step 3
Fold in half, diagonally across.

Step 4
Place the soap in the middle of the flannel.

Step 5
Bring the ends together, over the soap, and fasten with one of the elastic bands.

Step 6
Fasten the other elastic band approximately 1 inch above the other.  This gives plenty of space for the head with long enough ears!

Step 7
Tie a nice neat bow around the 1st elastic band.  Trim the ends so that it is even.

Step 8
Sew the first eye on with a contrasting thread (I chose white).  Avoid red unless making demon rabbits!  ;)  Make the eyes by sewing a few small lines over each other - see picture!

Step 9
Sew the 2nd eye in the same way.

Step 10
Finally sew the nose on, similar to the eyes but more of a triangular shape.

And there you have 1 completed flannel bunny!

Happy crafting!!  They make great presents for family and friends and you can always adapt each one to make it a bit more personal (for example, sewing a name onto the ribbon).

I always welcome advice and feedback so please feel free to get in touch or leave a comment!

Crafter's block!!

Wow.  It's been ages since my last blog post!  I meant to write one about the county show but, as with many things recently, I wasn't able to 'get into it' and it never got further than the one paragraph.

The show was certainly a success.  Between us, we managed to get 12 rosettes which I think is quite impressive.  It was great to see the crafts from other people and see all the hard work and time that had been put into each individual exhibit.  I must say that I prefer the show when it is by the river in Wick (this year it was in Thurso).  It was also the first year we've had our dog, Orlando, so we had to rush back to see to him which meant that we didn't get the 'full experience' as in other years.  That being said, we have got the industrial section schedule for next year's show and we're already planning our exhibits.

As I am writing this, we are having dinner on our knees (something that is very rare for us) as we have commandeered the kitchen table.  Judith is painting terracotta plant pots ready for entering into Bower Show (yes, there is another show coming up!) and I was busy writing my story.

August was meant to be my month of crafting but I am finding that I can't settle to anything.  I'm pretty sure everyone else has this problem at some point and I am really happy for any advice concerning this!!  In fact, I am desperate for advice!

At the moment, there are three things that I can suggest to anyone else who might be experiencing a similar problem.

Firstly, take a look at other people's ideas, develop and change them in your head and give them a go.  In my case, they invariably come out very different from what was intended but this is a great way of finding new craft ideas.  Some of the crafts I've been most pleased with have been mistakes!

Secondly, I keep a scrapbook of things that might inspire me.  I got the idea off some of the craft books that I read cover to cover, though I now can't remember which ones!  My scrapbook is my inspiration haven.  Many of the designs and ideas I come up with stem from flicking through the pictures.  I keep postcards that I've bought or been sent, nicely designed invoices from craft suppliers, business cards...  I even flicked through a geology magazine that was free with a purchase I made a while ago and found some lovely pictures of semi precious stones, and one of the night sky which I find really inspiring!  You can put anything in the scrapbook - anything you think might inspire you!  I also have things on my wall which can be inspirational - postcards of where I've been, photos (of places and people!), my rosettes, even a decorated wooden spoon I painted for the county show!

Finally, if I know I really should be crafting, I sit myself down at my desk and make whatever comes into my head.  Admittedly, this does not always work for me and I'm very careful that crafting does not become a chore.

That's how I deal with the lack of inspiration - and it doesn't always work as I've found out recently!!  Any advice on the subject would be very gratefully received!  I suppose if authors get 'writer's block', then crafters call it 'crafter's block'?