20" Beatrice Bunny ePattern (smp-007)

designed by Susan Frace

General Instructions:
Notes:
It's important to use a small stitch when sewing together the body pieces since we are trimming so close to the sewn line. I usually use a 1.5 or 2 as the stitch length on my sewing machine.

Terms:
SL - single layer DL double layer RST right sides together WST wrong sides together RSO right side out PP - pattern piece

Tea Stain:
2 cups water 2/3 cup instant unsweetened tea (This is a general formula, you can make your own adjustments to get a darker or lighter result) Combine the water & tea in a large bowl & stir until the granules dissolve. NOTE: The following instructions are for the dress fabric, lace collar, osnaburg loons & dusty rose wool felt nose ONLY. These items are stained prior to assembly. The off-white flannel (body) & the orange/olive wool felt (carrot) should be set aside since they will be stained in a later step. Individually soak the materials listed above in the tea stain until they reach the darkness you desire. Remove & wring excess stain back into the bowl. Let air dry or place on a glass baking dish in a 200 degree oven & bake until dry. The 'baked method' will give you a streaky, stained, somewhat scorched look. If you'd prefer an even aged look, just pop your fabrics in the clothes dryer until most of the moisture has been removed then iron while fabric is still damp to remove any unwanted wrinkles. NOTE: Do not iron your dusty rose felt piece, let it air or oven-dry. Pour the remaining solution into a spray bottle.

Trace body, arms & legs on DL off-white flannel. Stitch on traced line. Sew completely around the body. Leave openings on the arms & legs as indicated on the PP's. Trim all pieces 3/16" away from stitched lines. TIP: There is no need to clip curves when trimming this close to the stitched line, but you still will have to clip sharp inside corners at the neck & ears.

Body, Arms & Legs

At the bottom of the body you'll want to create 2 boxed corner seams.
Turn so you are looking at the bottom seam. Pull the body front & back apart so that the bottom & side seams line up in the center, forming a point.
bottom seam

Stitch 1 1/2" from point.

Trim 1/4" from stitched line

Repeat on other corner. When finished the bottom should resemble a 'box'.
sid es ea m

BODY FRONT
bottom seam

Pull (body back)

Pull (body front)

bottom seam

1 1/2"

bottom seam

Point forms where bottom & side seams meet.

stitch

trim

box corner seams

Make a vertical slit through the back layer of the body, see PP for location. Turn all pieces RSO. TIP: The easiest way I've found to turn the arms & legs is to use Turn-It-All tubes. I found my set at a quilt shop, but have also seen them in the larger fabric/craft & supply stores. They also come with rounded dowels which are excellent for running along your inside seams to smooth out the curvesworked great on Beatrice's ears!!! Stuff head & neck firmly leaving ears unstuffed. Using a funnel, fill bottom of body with 3/4 cup poly-pellets then finish stuffing the body. Whipstitch the opening in the back shut with upholstery thread. Stuff the arms & legs to the line indicated on the PP's. Do not stitch openings shut. Spray the body, arms & legs with the antiquing solution. Place body pieces on a glass baking dish in a 200 degree oven. Turn the pieces frequently to prevent heavy scorching. NOTE: The ears may seem floppy when wet, but will stiffen up quite a bit once they've been baked.

Beatrice Bunny ePattern (smp-007) 2004 & 2006

Body, Arms & Legs (continued):

Attaching the legs to the body:
BODY FRONT
1/4" 1/2" 1 1/4" 1/4"

Turn the top leg edge under 1/4". With upholstery thread & a basting needle stitch leg in place using the diagram to the left as a guide. Knot & hide your thread tails inside the body by rethreading needle with both threads. Insert needle near knot & come out about an inch away from the knot (anywhere on the body). Pull tails taut & trim flush with body. The threads should snap back inside the body & not be visible to the eye. Repeat on other leg.

Suggested leg placement guidelines:

Legs should be placed about 1 1/4" above the bottom seam with toes facing each other. The outer edge of each leg should be 1/4" away from each corner. The legs should be spaced about 1/2" apart in the center of the body.

Please keep in mind these are only guidelines. The placement of your legs may differ somewhat depending on the seam allowances used.

Attaching the arms to the body: BODY FRONT

1/2"

Position the center of the arm seams over the body seam. Using upholstery thread, insert needle in at #1 coming out at #2 (refer to diagram). Leave a tail for tying off.
2

BODY FRONT

Anchor arm in place by inserting needle in at #1 & coming back out at #2. Pull threads tight, cinching the top shut. To hide thread tails, rethread needle with both tails. Insert needle near knot & come out about 1" away from the knot (anywhere on the body). Pull tails taut & trim flush with body. Repeat all steps for other arm.

Turn top edge of the arm under 1/4". Push opening shut offsetting the seams by 1/2"

pull tight

pull tight

Loons:
fold in half outside seams fold 9"

Tear rectangle

9"

4" 7" stitch inside seam clip Gather the top edge with a long running Cut the legs apart stitch. Put the loons on in the center of your doll. Pull the the inseam & clip a threads tight around 'V' at the crotch. the waist. Tie a bow & Turn RSO. trim ends.

14"

Tear a 14" x 9" rectangle from a piece of osnaburg.

Fold fabric in half RST, lining up the 9" edges. Using a scant 1/4" seam allowance, sew outside seams.

Measure up 4" from the bottom center of the loons, mark. Using a scant 1/4" seam allowance, stitch the inside seam, following the dashed arrows above.

Cut a 10" piece of Pearl Cotton thread. Tie a bow around the leg 1" from the bottom edge of your loon. Make sure you leave about 4" of the bunny's foot sticking out. Arrange the gathers to your liking around the leg then double-knot the bow. Tacky glue the underside of the bow to your loon so the bow won't shift around or slip off. Repeat on other leg.

Beatrice Bunny ePattern (smp-007) 2004 & 2006

Dress:
Tear an 8 1/4" x 28 1/2" rectangle from the dress fabric. Fold in half & then in half again (both times you will be folding in half lengthwise). Cut 2" down from the top of the double folded edge to make openings for your bunny's arms. Unfold fabric. Working on the wrong side of the fabric, fold neck edge down 1/4". Starting near the back seam, stitch a long running stitch all the way around the neck edge. Make sure you leave a thread tail for tying off. When you reach an arm opening, just take the next stitch on the other side of the opening, leaving a thread loop in the gap.
fold down 1/4"

2"

D O U B L E F O L D

8 1/4"

Once you've completed stitching around the neck edge, turn RSO. Slip the dress on the bunny, inserting the arms through the openings under the thread loops. Pull the thread tails tight around the neck. Tie knot & trim. Arrange gathers so they are evenly spaced around the neck. If it seems too puckered at the neck, lightly tug along the bottom of the dress to get the gathers to lie nicely.

Finishing arm openings:

Measure in 1" on each side of the slit. Fold to the wrong side of the fabric. This will create 'V'. Iron the folds in place (no need to stitch). Repeat on other arm opening.
fold
1" 1" 1"

fold

1"

RIGHT SIDE WRONG SIDE

Fold in half, RST & stitch the 8 1/4" sides together to form a tube. Do not turn.

Lace Collar:
Cut a 10" piece of cotton crochet lace. Sew ends together. Turn RSO. Starting at the center front of your lace, stitch a small running stitch along the top edge with Pearl Cotton thread. Make sure you leave long enough thread tails to tie a bow. Slip the collar over the head & pull thread tails tight around the neck. Tie bow & trim ends to a length that's pleasing to you.

F O L D

WRONG SIDE

Face
Stick pin through nose & into the head to hold in place while stitching.

Cut the nose out from the dusty rose wool felt that has already been aged in the antiquing solution. Place nose on face using the PP as a guide. Stick a pin down through the nose & into the head's stuffing, this will hold the nose in place while you are stitching. Using a long needle (I used a size 7 quilt basting needle) & thread to match the nose, insert needle in the front of the left ear. Leave a thread tail for tying off (this will be covered up when we attach the bow). Bring needle out as close to the felt nose edge as possible. Use a tiny blind stitch at 1/4" intervals to attach the nose to the face (see diagram). Once you've stitched completely around the nose bring needle back out at the left ear where you began. Tie off with beginning thread & trim.

seam

8 1/4"

Beatrice Bunny ePattern (smp-007) 2004 & 2006

Face (continued):
See PP for placement of the eyes, eyebrows & mouth. You can transfer these lines onto the face with a disappearing marking pen, if you'd like. Using a basting needle & black sewing thread, insert needle in the front of the left ear. Leave a tail for tying off when finished with her facial features. Bring needle out where you will attach the first 3/8" button eye. Sew in place. Bring needle out where the second eye will be attached. Sew second button in place. Finish stitching her eyebrows & mouth. When you've completed her facial features, bring needle back out at her left ear where you began. Tie off with beginning thread & trim. Apply a burgundy colored powder blush to her cheeks & the center of her ears using a stencil brush. An alternative option would be to apply burgundy rose acrylic paint using the dry-brushing technique. Dry Brushing technique: Dab your stencil brush in a very small amount of paint. Wipe most of the paint back off by rubbing it on a paper towel. Use the 'dry-brush' in a very light circular motion to apply the paint to the bunny's cheeks & ears.

Tear a 1" strip from the dress fabric. Tie a bow measuring around 3 1/2" 4", trim bow tails if needed. Place the bow in front of the bunny's left ear. Tack the back of the bow to the ear using upholstery thread.

Bow

TIP: To make a non-skid template, transfer your carrot & carrot top PP's onto sanding paper. Cut out & place the rough side of the template against the felt so it will not move when you are tracing around the carrot & carrot top shapes. Trace the carrot top on DL olive green felt using a white water soluble pencil. Sew on the traced lines leaving the bottom open. Turn RSO & run a small rounded dowel along the inside edge to smooth out the seams. Machine stitch the swirly lines on the carrot top using the PP as your guide. TIP: When you start sewing a swirly line, set your stitch length to 0, let the needle go up & down a few times to create a knot then set your stitch length to 2. Continue sewing the line at this stitch length until you reach the end. Now, set your stitch length back to 0 to create another knot. This will avoid messy looking backstitches. Do this for each swirly line. Cut on traced line. Fold at center as indicated on PP. Sew the side seam together (left diagram). Turn RSO. Stuff the carrot leaving 1/2" at the top unstuffed. Fold the top edge under 1/4". Thread basting needle with upholstery thread. Insert needle near the back seam & sew a small running stitch around the opening about 1/8" below the folded edge. Pull the thread tails to slightly draw in the opening. Stick the carrot top inside the opening then pull the thread tails tight (right diagram). Tie knot but DO NOT cut thread tails. To anchor carrot top in place rethread your needle with one of the thread tails, insert the needle near the knot, going through the carrot top coming out the front of the carrot. Insert the needle back in through the front of the carrot, going through the carrot top & come back out near the first knot. Tie another knot with your beginning thread tail & hide thread tails inside carrot using method described earlier in the pattern. Staining: Lightly spray the carrot with the tea stain. Let air dry or bake in a 200 degree oven, turning frequently until dry. Finishing: Once dry, take a large needle (tapestry or yarn darner) & poke a hole in the top of the carrot top as indicated on the PP. Cut a 10" piece of rusty wire then thread it through the hole. Center the carrot on the wire then twist 2 times at the top of the carrot top. Wrap your wire ends around the bunny's neck making sure the carrot is hanging 2" below the neck line. Twist the wire ends together at the back of her neck. Slip the wire necklace under the lace collar.

Carrot Necklace

Assembly: Trace the carrot on SL burnt orange wool felt using a white water soluble pencil.

stitch

Thank you for purchasing a pattern. If you've enjoyed making this pattern, please visit my website at www.sewmanyprims.com to see my entire line of primitive craft & doll patterns, as well as hard to find doll making supplies. Prim Blessings ~ Susan Frace

Leav e Ope n

Beatrice Bunny ePattern 2004 (original) & 2006 (updated)

Line this strip up with the EARS then tape together

Pattern Page 1

Stuf
tra ced line

on

Nose Placement

Se w

Beatrice Bunny ARM PATTERN PIE CE

white flannel

Forwarding this ePattern is strictly forbidden & a serious copyright violation!

Trace 2 on DL of f-

Slit back layer to stuff

Beatrice Bunny BODY PATTERN PIECE:

Trace 1 on DL off-white flannel

Sew on traced line

Forwarding this ePattern is strictly forbidden & a serious copyright violation!

Fold here Leave Open

Beatrice Bunny ePattern 2004 (original) & 2006 (updated)

Lea ve Ope n

Pattern Page 2

n Ope ve Le a
Stuff

Beatrice Bunny CARROT PATTERN PIECE:

Stuff
Sew on traced line

cut 1 from SL burnt orange wool felt

insert wire here

Fold here NOSE:

Cut 1 from SL dusty rose wool felt

Se wo nt ra ce d

CARROT TOP PATTERN PIECE:

Trace 1 on DL olive green wool felt
Leave Open

lin e

flannel Trace 2 on DL off-white

Beatrice Bunny LEG PATTERN PIECE:

bow

Line this strip up with the HEAD then tape together