Do you ever want to retreat to your sewing room, make a fun little project requiring basic sewing/quilting skills and equipment, has minimal complexity or challenge… something that you can make for just the pure joy of sewing? Yes!
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| The “Sleeping Bunnies” project. A project panel from Poppie Cotton. |
This weekend, I stitched up a sample of the Sleeping Bunnies project panel from the Rosy Cheeks collection from Poppie Cotton. It was a simple, fun project, requiring little effort and sewing know-how. From start to finish—including cutting out the pieces, sewing them together, stuffing, and hand-stitching the closures—it took me about 2.5 hours.
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| Sleeping bunnies, bed and pillow. |
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| Sleeping Bunnies 36” fabric project panel. |
The 36” panel comes printed with the pieces in two colorways. There are four bunnies (two big bunnies and two baby bunnies), little beds and pillows for the bunnies, and both beds come complete with a patchwork quilt!
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| Large bunny and baby bunny with the pillow and quilt. |
Instructions for sewing and assembly are printed right on the panel, so there’s no fuss and no guessing. Just cut out each shape (the seam allowances are printed on each piece), pair the matching pieces, sew with a 1/4” seam allowance, then turn them right side out. Once stuffed, the bunnies come to life, are ready to play, or let them snuggle under their quilt.
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| Sewing and assembly instructions. |
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| Sleeping Bunny—blue colorway. |
Each of my bunnies was finished by hand with small ladder stitches at the opening. I added a thin piece of batting and also free-motion quilted the bed and the patchwork quilt—to keep the sleepy bunnies warm and snuggly.
Sewing tips
Here are my tips for sewing and assembly:
- reduce the stitch length to 2.0 to sew the pieces together.
- back stitch on either side of the opening to keep it strong while stuffing the pieces.
- I used pinking shears to trim the seam allowances, to reduce bulk. It was quicker than clipping the curves and just as effective.
- A walking foot was helpful for sewing the bed together—especially because two layers of batting were added.
- adhere to the recommended 2” opening (or slightly larger) for turning the bed right side out—especially if adding batting.
- trim the batting close to the stitching line for easy turning and to reduce bulk.
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| Sleeping bunnies in their bed and under the patchwork quilt. |
The Sleeping Bunnies panel is a wonderful choice for a quick, beginner-friendly sewing project that delivers maximum cuteness. It can be finished in an afternoon and the adorable family of handmade bunnies, tucked in their little beds, would be a delight for any child or nursery… or keep them for yourself.
