Easter Bunny Bag

Download Easter Bunny Bag Pattern Sheet – Important – make sure you print your pdf pattern sheet at ‘actual size’ or 100%

Requirements:

Background Fabric for Appliqué 6½″ x 7½″

Fat Quarter of fabric for bag and lining

Scraps of fabrics for appliqué

Wadding (Batting) 18″ x 9″

Black stranded embroidery thread for eyes, nose & whiskers

Part One – The Appliquéd Bunny

You may appliqué your bunny using your chosen method of appliqué. I have used fusible web and a small machine zig-zag stitch.

Trace the bunny shape and hearts from the pattern sheet on to your fusible web and iron on to chosen fabrics. You will not need the straps for the girl bunny. Iron bonded shapes into place on your background fabric and stitch in place.

Note you will have to reverse the shapes for the boy bunny’s straps.

I chose to stitch the boy bunny with a darker thread as I felt that as his body colour did not show up well against my background fabric his outline needed to be emphasised. I also continued the zig zag stitch around his lower face and crossed over legs (dotted line on pattern sheet) to show their outline.

To make the girl bunny dress

Cut a piece of fabric for dress 6″ x 2½″. Pink all edges.

Use double thread and a small running stitch to gather top of dress. Pull gathers up tightly and secure.

Sew dress to bunny’s body just below her head.

Embroider her face using two strands of black embroidery thread and running stitch for whiskers and eyebrows, satin stitch for nose and french knots for eyes.

To make the boy bunny shorts

Cut a piece of fabric for shorts 4½″ x 3½″. Pink all edges.

Turn under top and bottom edges (the long sides) by ¼″ and press. Sew lower edge with two rows of stitching. Cut  a slit ½″ in length at centre of lower edge as shown.

Turn and press slit under (as shown) and stitch in place.

Turn under side edges ¼″ and press. Press four small tucks in top of shorts to make the waist size required for bunny’s waist and stitch in place.

Sew shorts on to appliquéd bunny at waist, side seams and between legs. I use an invisible slip stitch. As an option you can sew on two tiny buttons as shown.

Embroider his face using two strands of black embroidery thread and running stitch for whiskers and eyebrows, satin stitch for nose and french knots for eyes.

To make the bag base

All seams are ¼″ unless stated otherwise.

Cut two pieces of fabric 6″ x 7½″ and sew to either side of appliquéd panel.

You will now need to mark your quilting lines on to these side panels. I have used cross hatching lines. I use a sharp pencil and my Omnigrid ruler. You will notice the ruler has a 45 degree line marked on it and you need to position that 45 degree line in line with the seam line as shown. It is running vertically down the seam line. This means that the edge of the ruler is now at 45 degrees and you need to draw your first pencil line along the ruler edge. You only need a fine pencil line that is just clear enough for you to see for quilting. I have then spaced further lines 2″ apart on either side of this first line in the same direction.

To mark the quilting lines in the opposite direction I have placed my ruler at 90 degrees from the first lines as shown and drawn my first line. Then once again I have drawn further lines 2″ apart on either side.

You now need to repeat this process on the other side panel using the 45 degree mark on your ruler once again as shown.

Your quilting lines are all marked on the panels ready to sew.

Cut the batting 20″ x 9″ and place behind the prepared fabric.

I use 505 temporary adhesive basting spray to hold this in place but you may pin if you prefer.

Cut a piece of fabric and batting 4½″ x 9″ for bag base. Draw your quilting lines on the fabric in the same manner as above and place your batting behind ready for quilting.

Quilt along the drawn quilting lines for both the bag and the base. I use a slightly longer stitch on my sewing machine and my walking foot on my sewing machine although the walking foot is not essential.

I have also quilted a small outline stitch by hand around my bunny.

Trim your quilted panel to size 17½″ x 7½″

Join centre back seam using a ½″ seam on this occasion. Press the seam open.

Take the prepared quilted base fabric.

Using the template from the pattern sheet cut out the base.

Place a pin on the half way mark of top/bottom and sides as shown.

Place pins at the half way marks of the bag in the same manner making sure the seam is at the centre back.

Attach the bag base to the bag right sides together matching the placement pins. Stitch the bag base to the bag.

To make the lining cut the bag lining 17¼″ x 7¼″. Note this is slightly smaller than the outer bag size, but you will find it fits inside the bag better when attaching. Cut your lining base from the same fabric using the base template again.

Sew your bag and base together in exactly the same manner as you have made the bag.

Pin your lining to the inside of the bag with centre back seams matching and enclosed between these two layers.

Secure in place with a running stitch ⅛″ from the edge.

Cut fabric for binding the top of the bag 17½″ x 2½″. Fold in half lengthwise and press.

Sew to the top of the bag from the outside right sides together matching raw edges. To begin, fold edge over by ¼″ as shown.

Sew binding around the bag.

Overlap at  the end as shown.

Turn binding over the top of the bag and slip stitch folded edge to bag on the inside.

Cut fabric for handle 5″ x 11½″. Mark cross hatch quilting in the same manner as for bag base, place batting behind and quilt as before.

Fold in half lengthwise and sew together with a ½″  seam.

Press seam open and sew across end of handle as shown with seam at centre. Trim corners and turn through.

To complete other end of handle turn inside ¼″ and slip stitch together.

Lay the bag out flat and place a pin at either end to mark the positions for the bag handle.

Attach the handle on either side of the bag matching the pins to the centre of the handles. Sew using a slip stitch. I use hand quilting thread for strength.

Finally, make a couple of small securing stitches at the bottom inside of the bag on either side to secure inside of lining to the bottom of the outer bag to prevent the lining from slipping away from the inside of the bag.

Your bag is now complete, waiting to be filled with Easter eggs.