Easter Bunny Basket Tutorial

When I got the Easter themed Pottery Barn for Kids catalog, I feel in love with their Bunny Basket.

{image via Pottery Barn for Kids}

I tore the page out and stared it for a few days, thinking to myself, I wonder if I could make this myself. I should preface this by saying, I am a relatively novice sewer {I may excel at making fake felt food but that isn't what I would call technical sewing}.  I had no pattern so I just figured it out as I went along.  There were many bumps in the road, as you might expect.  My seam ripper got pushed to its limits but, in the end, I am happy I tried and, dare I say, succeeded.

If you have any technical skills, I welcome any feedback for tips that might make the steps I took easier for anyone else willing to try it themselves.

If you are still reading, bless you and here's the tutorial:

Supplies:
1/2 yard of white material
1/2 yard for the inside {this is more than you'll need}
1/4 yard of material for the ears
1/2 yard of batting
1/2 yard of light-weight, fusible, woven interfacing {I used Pellon brand}
Embroidery thread & scrap fabric {for the face} OR you could always use some glue and felt
Seam ripper :)
Pattern, you can download the body and the ear pattern or email me whilewearingheels @ gmail dot com (remove spaces)  and I'll email you the pattern.

Ear Construction:
1. Layering your ear white material and pink material, place right sides together.  Sandwich the batting between the layers.
2. Using 1/4 of inch seam allowance sew the ears shut, leaving the bottom unsewn.
3. Turn the ear right side out.
4. Pinch the bottom of the ear over and sew across.
* Repeat these steps for the second ear.

 

*You may notice, my finished ears are a different color, the seam ripper got these.

Handle Construction:
1. Cut a 20 x 3 1/12 strip of  fabric for your handle and batting.
2. Fold it in half.  The handle fabric on the inside, batting wrapped around on the outside.
3. Using a 1/4 of an inch seam allowance, sew along the open edge.
4. Turn it right side out.
5. Optional:  Top stitch 1/4 of an inch in on each side of the handle.  This gives it a more finished look.  

Outer Body Construction:
*fuse the interfacing to the wrong side of the white fabric before cutting out the body.  This should help give your basket more structure.  Remove paper backing from interfacing and follow the rest of the steps.
1.  Layer the batting and outside fabric together.
2. Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew one side of paneling to the next side {each panel will be layered with a batting panel}.  Continue sewing each side together until all 5 sides are sewn together.
3. Turn it right side out.
*Not shown. When I turned my bunny right side out, in the center of the bottom, I still had a little opening.  I ended up sewing a circle patch over this area, to cover my hole and give a more finished look.

Inside Body Construction: 
1. Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance gradually moving towards a 1/2 seam allowance, sew one panel to the next {right sides facing each other}.  Continue sewing until all panels are sewn together.
2. Trim along the seam lines, removing the raw edge excess.
3. You do NOT need to turn it right side out {though, out of habit I kept trying to}.
4.  Stuff it into the outer body to see how well it fits.

Face Embellishments:
You have complete creative license to finish your bunny face in whatever way you please.  My only real tip, pin your ears on, so you can figure out how you want the face to look, in reference to where the ears are.

I used a water solvable pen to draw out my bunny's face.   I used dark brown embroidery thread and straight stitched her eyes.  I appliqued on a fabric nose and then embroidered a line beneath her nose, along the seam line, for her mouth.

Sewing the Inside to the Outside: 
1. Pin your ears down and your handle on {you may need to adjust needle placement when you line up the inside fabric to the outside fabric, to avoid breaking a needle when you begin sewing}.
2. If you are a veteran sewer, place the outside of your bunny into the inside section of your basket {right sides facing together.  Sew around the the bunny, leaving about a 3 inch section unsewn towards the back of the bunny.
   * If you are a novice sewer, like this girl, I did not insert the bunny into the inside section.  I opted to pin the first 2 sections of the outside to the inside, covering the face of the bunny.  I did this 1. assure my ears were properly sewn into place and 2. to give me the confidence that I was attaching the lining correctly.  After I sewed these 2 sections to the inside of the basket, I turned it right side out to check on my progress.  For the remaining sections, I stuffed the outside of my bunny back into the inside of my bunny and sewed the remaining 2 panels closed.
3. Turn the bunny right side out through the opening you left unsewn.

You can see the patch I sewed in the 1st picture, to cover my hole and seams {referenced in outer body construction}.

Turn your bunny basket right side out.  I decided to top stitch the top of the basket, to give the ears and the handle a bit more support.  Top stitching is optional, not necessary.

Cute, right?

The only thing missing, a fuzzy little tail.  Thank goodness for Goodwill.  I found a Santa hat for .49 cents {today}. 

Heck yeah...I cut that pom pom off and sewed it to my basket.

Tada...

Some bunny already loves this.

*If you should attempt to make this bunny, best of luck. I did try to explain, as best I could, the process I used. Again, I am not a technical sewer. So, if you are a novice sewer like me, don't let any project intimidate you, grab your seam ripper, know it's OK to make a mistake and remember sometimes things are even more beautiful flawed. 

©2011. For personal use only. Please do not use this tutorial for distribution or resale purposes. You are welcome to link back to this site. All borrowed content must be given proper credit. This is the intellectual property of While Wearing Heels.

Scribbles Welcomed

This may sound crazy BUT yesterday, while looking at this cabinet...

I thought, that is the perfect space for some scribbles.

You're probably wondering, what's the catch? You got me. I don't actually want scribbles on my cabinet. Cue chalkboard contact paper.

I know I am probably late joining the chalkboard contact paper craze but I'm on board now so buckle up.

I drew out a fancy design with chalk {brilliant, right}, cut it out and put it in place.

The best part, chalk can easily be wiped off and, when the time comes, the contact paper can easily be removed with no damage to my cabinet.

So, scribble away my little Picasso, scribble away.

A box arrived.

A nearly 50 pound box arrived at our house this week. It looked like this...

The inside of the box, which included a sheet of instructions of which the first line read: DO NOT PANIC, looked something like this...

In case you haven't already guessed what it is, it's a dollhouse! When it's done, it's supposed to look like this...

This will lovingly be put together by my husband as a gift for Grace's 4th birthday.

I am a little worried that by the time it's done, my handsome husband will look like this...

But it will all be worth it because I know that when Grace sees it, she'll look like this...

Goodwill Hunting Roundup

Before I showcase my Goodwill finds from the past month, I have a few confessions.

1. Even a veteran Goodwill shopper can be overwhelmed. I had talked my husband into taking me to a bigger Goodwill one Saturday morning. This particular trip left me shell shocked. Had it been my first trip to Goodwill, I would have sworn it off. If you like crowds and chaos, weekend Goodwill shopping is for you. If you like to take your time and peruse the aisles {like this girl}, head to Goodwill either during the day or in the evening.

2. Prices can be inconsistent. This probably depends on who is in the mysterious backroom, going through the latest donations, pricing the items. Do you remember the amazing globe I found last month for $3.99? Well, this month I spotted another globe.

The big difference between my globe and this globe...the price. This globe, was $12.99 {WHAT!!!}. I am so glad I picked up my {nicer} $3.99 globe last month.

So moving on to what I did buy...

A red polka dot summer dress for $4.99 despite the fact that not one but two {yes 2} people asked me if it was a dress for Grace. Um, no, it's not for a 3 year old, clearly it's for me :)

Brand new wool cable knit fingerless gloves,Nordstrom ticket price $10.99, Goodwill price $1.99.  Perhaps in a former life I used to be a hobo because I am a sucker for fingerless gloves.

A white bebe tote for $3.99.  I love the color wheel vibe it has.  Don't you think it just screams summer?

MISSONI for Target Exploded Floral Baby Crib Quilt brand new still in the packaging for $9.99.  Definitely more than I would typically spend at Goodwill on one item BUT as soon as I did a quick search and saw this same quilt being sold on Ebay for $70 on up, I decided to splurge and buy it.

Don't worry, I didn't forget about Grace.  As soon as I spotted this Mini Boden furry vest for $2.99, I couldn't get it in my cart fast enough.  Am I the only one that thinks this is adorable?  I might be, my husband is definitely not a fan but I rarely look to him for fashion advice.

Babo an Ugly doll for .50 cents, again, with the tags still attached.  Can you believe they sell this at Nordstrom for $12?  I'm in for .50 cents, not so sure about $12.

My love for thrifting must be infectious because on my parents last visit, they wanted to visit my Goodwill.  My dad ended up finding a  brand new, with tags, Vulcan Insulated Cooler Tote with Propane Grill and Grill Tools Inside for $9.99.  It is currently for sale at Brookstone for over $200.  My dad, examined every inch of the bag and its content in the aisle.  I could see people swarming, feigning interest in something nearby, hoping he would forgo his find so they could snatch it up. 

I even have my sister sharing her finds with me now.  She bought a Mr. Barbeque 2089 Platinum Prestige 20 Piece All Stainless Steel Tool Set, still in the package for $9.99.  This set is being sold by Amazon for $85. She also found new, never worn slippers for her husband for $3.49.

I hope I've inspired more than just my own family to check out your local thrift store or Goodwill. You never know what you'll find so get out there and check them out!

Happy Thrifting.

Currently seeking help from {she says with a smile},

Switching Gears - Steampunk Art

And it all began because of a Sickle Sharpener.

When I heard we had been given a Sickle Sharpener, lets say I was less than thrilled. As soon as we took possession of said Sickle Sharpener, my husband found inspiration in the gears, which looked something like this...

Rusty and covered in bright orange paint.

Then, told me that he was going to be turning them in pieces of Steampunk Art. Can you guess the look I gave him, a cross between 'are you crazy' and 'do you actually expect me to put those things in my our house'.

When my husband came home with the most recent Restoration Hardware catalog and there {in this catalog from a home decor store I admire}...gears ranging in price from $80 to almost $200.

Restoration Hardware Gear - As seen it their store.

He won the battle, Steampunk art began and a tutorial was born.

First find yourself some gears. You can find them on Ebay, or in pieces of machinery {an old sewing machine, coffee grinder, old tools}. You should be able to buy gears starting roughly around $5.

Most gears will be dirty, grimy and even rusty. Give them a good cleaning with steel wool or a wire brush. If covered with paint, use some paint thinner. After you've cleaned up your gears, give them a coat of General Finish Oil & Wax. This will give your gears a polished shine.

Using a masonry/concrete bit {which should be a standard bit in any set}, carefully drill a hole into your gear.

Now that the hard part is over, grab some JB Weld {it's to metal what wood glue is to wood}.

Mix an equal part of JB Weld. Dip a post into the JB Weld mixture {we used a nail cutting off the top and point}. Insert the post into the drilled hole. *Allow 24 hours for the JB Weld to securely affix the post to the gear.

Select and prep a base for your gear. We opted for a thin strip of wood that we sanded and stained. Drill a hole into the center of your base.

Using your JB Weld mixture insert the post of your gear into the base {you may need to trim the nail down even further}. To give your gear extra support during the drying process, tape the gear to the base. Again, allow a full 24 hours for the JB Weld to affix and dry.

And there you have it.

Thank you Restoration Hardware!

Linked up and a BIG thanks to:

If a cat has 9 lives, how many does a dog have?

From the start, Riley has lived her life much like Charlie Sheen {I have to give credit to my husband for this comparison}. Regardless the risk, Riley is always looking out for the reward.

A diaper bag attack, one of Riley's go to moves.  She is a gold fish cracker and Smarties junkie.

Since Riley lives her life with such reckless abandon, her careless behavior has resulted in her escaping death quite a few times.

Every year, Riley wages war on Spring, she takes it as a personal insult when she starts to see flowers sprouting through the ground. She will pounce and attack, furiously digging up any new blooms. This was something we had just grown accustom to until...

one year, she got so sick, the iris of her eyes filled with blood {sorry if you have a queasy stomach}. She had a team of top notch veterinarians {my father in law being one of them} baffled about what could have been the cause. The best conclusion, she got some sort of rare bacterial or fungal infection from the soil she had dug up. She fully recovered {after a heavy dosage of medicine} and her mischievous green eyes returned to normal.

Fortunately, besides for her normal naughtiness, she hasn't used up any more of her lives for the past few years until 2 days ago.

Riley's strengths are that she waits, watches and takes advantage of any opening she sees.

My husband, love him as I might, does not thrive on multi-tasking. As he was simultaneously taking a chicken breast off of the grill, he was also turning off the propane. Riley, sensing a moment of weakness, leaped into the air and stole the chicken from the tongs. She swallowed half in one bite. The piping hot chicken ended up burning her esophagus and possibly her stomach in her risk versus reward attack.

We've spent the past few days nursing her back to health. She is on restricted diet of Pepto-Bismol, ice and finally rice, and of course lots of TLC.

I never would have guess that this precious little puppy would have defied death as many times as she has {thank God}.

Though I tease about how naughty Riley is, beyond a doubt, this dog is not only pampered BUT also very much loved.

I can only hope that if a cat has 9 lives, Riley has at least that many if not more.

What's for dinner?

Do you ever feel like you've fallen into a rut with your weekly dinners? I certainly do {yawn}. I am always open to trying new recipes BUT occasionally I need a shove in the right direction. After all, if I'm going to go to the effort of making something new, I want it to be worthwhile.

Well, I got that shove when I spotted an Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup recipe from Mom On time Out.

I am not gonna lie, this was amazing. I served it with some garlic bread but if I made it again, I would definitely add a salad {why is it that my mind never goes to salad...this girl obviously is fond of her carbs}.

This definitely spiced up my weekly rotation.

This full belly brought to you by:

If your belly is grumbling, head over there and check out all her tempting recipes.