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Vampire Bunny Plushie
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Craft Bunny will probably deny this vehemently, but
beneath his violent, fuzzy exterior, I’m pretty sure
he’s a Twilight fan. (Yes, that heart does say bite me.
Isn’t he cute?) Or maybe all the baring and gnashing of
teeth really isn’t an act, and actually he really hates
lovey dovey stuff. Luckily for me, I’ve got a project
this week to suit either side. That’s right, for both
valentine scrooges and
vampire lovers alike, I’ve
got the perfect gift! Follow along with me and we’ll
make a totally awesome... wait for it...
Anti-valentine vampire bunny!
Isn’t it amazing how often I manage to incorporate
fanged bunnies into my work? It’s a gift.
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So
to make your totally awesome bunny plushie, you’ll need:
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fake fur or other fabric for the bunny
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satin for the cape and inner ears
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a toothy anti-Valentine’s Day embroidery design
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embroidery floss and needle
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cutaway stabilizer
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water-soluble stabilizer (if you’re using furry
fabric for your bunny)
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toy eyes and back fasteners
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awesome printable templates
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polyfill stuffing
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scissors and pins
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To
make a bunny just like mine, I’ve included printable
templates you can follow (PDF). The body shape is
simple enough, and you can make it pretty much any
animal you like just by changing up the ears. I’ve also
included a cape template, because all vampires need
capes. It’s a rule. That I just made up.
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So
let’s start with the embroidery. First fold your fabric
in half, and place your template on top to make sure you
have enough fabric for both the back and the front. Make
sure there’s some fur left for the ears too.
Using the template as a guideline, mark where you want
your embroidery to be. There’s a nice big blank spot on
his tummy that’s a good spot. Mark that with some tape.
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If
you’re embroidering on furry fabric, it’s best to use
some water-soluble stabilizer on top in order to keep
the fuzz from messing up your stitches.
Hoop
up your fur with cutaway stabilizer underneath, and
water-soluble stabilizer on top if needed. I removed my
tape mark from the fur but put it back on the top of the
stabilizer after I had it hooped up. I, of course,
forgot to take a picture of that particular part...
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Set
your machine to stitching, and in no time at all, you
have an adorable and angsty heart to adorn your bunny’s
tummy.
Once
your design is done stitching, tear away that top layer
of stabilizer to reveal your clean stitches and fur. You
may need to use a small scissors or tweezers to get all
the little pieces off.
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Place your bunny template back on top of your fabric,
centering the stitched design inside his tummy, and pin
the template in place.
Grab
your scissors and cut out one side of your bunny. When
you’re done, flip the template over and pin it on to
another piece of fur, and repeat.
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When
you’re done you should have two bunny pieces, the front
with embroidery and the back without.
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We
don’t want to forget our little bloodsucker’s cape! Use
your template to cut out your cape pieces out of some
nice shiny satin (little-known fact: vampires love shiny
things), and pin them right sides together, ready for
sewing.
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Sew
a seam around three sides of each piece, leaving the top
of the cape and the bottom of the collar open for
turning. Turn them right side out again. It’s probably a
good idea right now to press them flat with an iron, so
his cape is nice and crisp.
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Back
to our bunny! He needs some eyeballs! Vampires can’t
hypnotize people without eyeballs.
As I
said before, you can make your bunny any way you like,
and place his eyeballs wherever, but if you want to
follow the template, place it back on top of the front
bunny piece, and use a scissors to poke a hole through
the middle.
Take
your little eyeball pieces and fit them into the holes.
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Slip
the backing on your bunny’s eyes. The teeth of the back
should be pointing up, away from the bunny. Once you get
these things on, they don’t come off very easily, so be
sure you like ‘em. These kinds of eyes are much safer
for little ones than sewing on button eyes, but those
are an option too.
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On
to his little face! Grab your embroidery floss and
needle and set to work. I only had tan, not white floss,
so bunny looks a bit like he might benefit from a trip
to the dentist.
For those of you who usually only dwell in the machine
embroidery world, you can check
this tutorial on basic hand embroidery stitches. This little bunny face is very simple to
stitch.
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It’s
time to give bunny his cape. Grab your back bunny piece,
and pin your cape pieces in place. If you want, finish
the raw edges off first with a seam, but overall they’ll
be hidden under the cape. Place collar piece up by his
“neck” (I know he doesn’t have one, just guess) and then
pin the cape piece on top, wrong side up, with the edges
lined up, like shown
Sew
a seam across the collar and cape. When you’re done,
fold the cape back down.
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With
the cape folded back down like it should be, sew another
seam across the top to hide the raw edges and keep the
cape in place. Your cape is done! Place this back piece
aside for now.
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Only
one more step before we sew the little fang together...
his ears!
Use
the template to cut out two pieces for each ear, one out
of furry fabric and one satin for the inside of his ear.
Pin the pieces right sides together and sew a seam
around the edge, leaving the bottom open to turn them.
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Turn
your ears right side out again (you don’t get asked to
do that every day).
To
give the ears some fun dimension, pinch the two sides
together at the bottom of the ear, and sew a seam across
them so they’re folded a bit like a real bunny ear.
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Now
it’s finally time to sew everything together. Take your
back bunny piece, and fold in the edges of his cape,
taping it in place so it doesn’t get in the way of the
seam.
Take
his two little ears and place them pointing in, with the
satiny sides facing up, like shown. Make sure the ends
of them go over the edge a bit so the seam catches them.
Pin them in place.
Finally, place your front bunny piece on top, right side
in, and pin the two layers together.
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Sew
a seam around your bunny, leaving a small gap between
his feet to turn him out again.
Carefully tug your bunny right side out and release his
ears and cape. The little bunny amused me so much I
actually giggled when I saw him right side out. He looks
like he’s trying so hard to hypnotize me, despite the
fact that he’s still as flat as a pancake.
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Plump up your bunny! Grab your stuffing, and begin to
fill your plushie with little clumps of stuffing, being
sure to fill the little corners like his hands and feet
and then his middle. Once he’s nice and full, use a
needle and matching thread to close the gap.
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Look
at that little fearsome fanged vampire! Both reveling in
the awesomeness of the fanged persuasion, and making fun
of everyone’s favorite hallmark holiday, your new little
vampire bunny is perfect for your sweetheart or your
disgruntled single pal.
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Once
you know how easily plushies are made, it’s a bit
dangerous actually. Those beady little eyes and awesome
embroidered tummy just beckon me to make him a pal.
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His
little cape and fangs will delight vampire fans of all
sorts (Edward vs. Jacob people can fight amongst
themselves, I’m not touching that...) and his snarky
tummy will bring some laughter to those who don’t
particularly fancy Cupid’s day.
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Craft Bunny was certainly thrilled with his new friend.
He won’t tell me if it’s because he loves vampires or
hates Valentine’s Day, but hey, as long as he’s happy,
right?
Enjoy your new fanged friend and have fun with your new
plushie-making skills!
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All images and designs Copyright © 2012 Urban Threads ®
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Suggested designs for this tutorial:
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