Easter is early this year – March 27 – so it’s time to start thinking about your Easter Crafts. What do you want to make?
I could just link to the Easter section of my shop – but then you wouldn’t see all the fun free patterns that are available!
(And there are a lot of them.)
So I created this handy dandy round-up post with all the patterns for all my favorite Easter crafts. Just click on the image to go to that project!
Easter Stuffed Animals
Some are big and huggable. Some are small and pocketable. They’re all easy and fun to make.
Easter Felt Projects
Spend a lovely spring afternoon stitching one of these by hand.
Easter Quilt Blocks
Make a kajillion bunnies with a fun mix & match pattern.
Easter Embroidery patterns
Stitch them on tea towels, baby onesies and more.
Other Easter Sewing Patterns
Including Dress Up Bunch dolls and clothes!
Of course, there are lots of spring-themed patterns too – but I stuck to Easter crafts for this post. 🙂
So whether you like to sew, quilt or embroider – stitch by machine or by hand – I’ve got an Easter craft pattern for you. Have fun with them and be sure to share what you make in the Shiny Happy People group on Facebook!
There’s a new outfit available for the Dress Up Bunch – a doll raincoat pattern!
It’s still snowing here, but soon it will be rain showers and flowers! Your dolls need to be ready for those rainy days so they can splish splash in puddles!
Of course you don’t just get a raincoat pattern. Let’s look at all the parts. . .
A new dress! It’s a short-sleeved dress with three front snaps and some optional fancy trim around the bottom hem. That butterfly print is perfect for spring!
Here’s a view of the raincoat from the back – with the hood down.
It’s a nice roomy hood – easy to make and easy for little hands to flip up and down over that big Dress Up Bunch head. 🙂
Want a closer look at those adorable boots?
They have a little flap on the front with velcro to make them easier for little hands to put on without any help. Plus the little bugs and caterpillars are so cute. I want boots like these!
You can use laminated cottons for the outer shell of the raincoat and boots – but I really wanted to use these prints so I laminated them myself using Pellon Vinyl Fuse. It’s easy – just follow the directions on the package and then treat it like regular fabric. Just don’t try to iron it! And clips are better than pins because pins will leave permanent tiny holes.
That means the people who love babies need a go to, easy baby bib pattern.
This is it!
It’s a simple bib shape – very easy to make and customize with any appliqué (or other fancification) you like. This pattern includes that sweet bear. 🙂
Make it out of regular quilting cotton for a basic bib. Back it with laminated fabric for heavy droolers. Make the whole thing out of laminate for those learning to eat solid foods. (The fabrics I used are from Timeless Treasures. The crosshatch is my beloved Sketch collection and the swirly fizzy dots are from the appropriately-named Pop collection.)
Cut two bib pieces (one front and one back) on the fold.
Step 2
Print or trace the bear appliqué pieces (the last page of the baby bib pattern PDF) onto fusible adhesive. This is the brand I use.
Roughly cut out each shape and fuse them to the back of the fabric, following the instructions for the brand you’re using.
Step 3
Cut out the pieces neatly.
Cut right on the solid lines. Leave a little extra seam allowance past the dotted lines. See the extra at the bottom of the ears? That bit will tuck behind the head.
Step 4
Hold the face up to the window so you can see the markings through the fabric and mark the position of the eyes.
I just use a fine tip Sharpie – nothing fancy.
Do the same thing with the muzzle, marking the position of the nose and the key points of the mouth.
You can also trace over the whole line of the mouth, if you prefer.
Step 5
Peel off the paper backings and layer the pieces together so that the ears tuck behind the head and the bottom of the bear body is lined up with the bottom of the bib.
Here you can see it a little closer.
Fuse the pieces down according to the instructions of whatever brand adhesive you’re using.
Step 6
Stitch around the edges of all the pieces.
I like to use black thread and a simple straight stitch. You can use a zigzag or other decorative stitch if you prefer. If you want a little help knowing where to start and in what order to stitch the pieces, this post should help you out. And this one will help you with managing those tight curves. 🙂
Step 7
Embroider the eyes and mouth.
I did it by hand using this stitch for the eyes, and following the instructions for the mouth in the free Warren the Charity Bear pattern. I used a single strand of this thread. That’s the equivalent of two strands of DMC floss, but I love using a single strand of thicker thread so I don’t have to worry about the strands separating on that long stitch connecting the nose to the mouth.
You can also sew the face by machine. That’s what I did for this cat bib. You can find info about how I did the eyes here. The mouth and whiskers are just a simple straight stitch, going over all the lines twice to make them a little thicker. (For those I traced the whole line of the mouth and whiskers in Step 4, not just the endpoints.)
Step 8
Cut a 1-inch square of hook & loop tape (or use snaps or a button).
Sew it to the bib as shown. Both bib pieces are shown right side up. I attached the loop side to the bib front and the hook side to the bib back, but it doesn’t really matter.
Step 9
Layer the bib front and the bib back right sides together.
Using 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew all the way around the edge. Leave a few inches open for a turning hole in the straight part of one of the sides.
Step 10
Clip the seam allowance in the concave curve around the neck.
For more on the the how and why of clipping curves, watch this video.
It would be fun to make a whole set of them with lots of different faces!
Have fun with this pattern! I’d love to see what you make – and I’d really love to see them on some adorable babies. 🙂 Post photos in the Shiny Happy People group so we can ooh and aah over them.
Here are several free patterns that work with my basic 10-inch applique squares – no resizing needed!
Here are several free patterns that work with just some simple resizing. This post about making coasters has info about resizing an applique pattern that can be applied to any of these projects.
My initial thought was to make a sleeping bag almost exactly like a “real” one. The zipper was going to go down the side and across the bottom, so that you could open up the sleeping bag entirely. Here’s my first prototype. . .
And here it is zipped up. . .
Looks pretty good, right?
I loved the look of it – but sewing the zipper around the corner was not fun. Like – really, really unfun.
I try to make my patterns as easy and fun as possible – so I wanted to fix that.
I tried rounding the corner more and more, through a few different tries, but it was still pretty dang hard to wrangle. And it was starting to look ugly and not as sleeping-bag-ish.
Back to the drawing board.
Sewing a zipper around a corner was out, so I tried just a zipper going down the side.
My first attempt at sewing it inside out was kind of a mess because I didn’t use a separating zipper and I needed to sew it in a tube and it was hard to sew from top to bottom that way.
Next I tried a separating zipper so I could sew the two sides separately.
Much, MUCH easier!
I sewed it flat and sewed all the way around (leaving a little opening for turning) and it looked awesome. And then I zipped it up and realized I had made a nicely finished tube. 🙂 The bottom wasn’t closed!
Forehead smack.
I picked the bottom open and realized now I could sew the top and sides without needing any hand-sewing. The whole bottom became the turning opening.
Score!
I folded the sleeping bag closed and sewed up the bottom.
Terrific!
But then I realized it was impossible to zip it up. With the sleeping bag sewn up it was pretty much impossible to start the separating zipper. Just about impossible for me – definitely impossible for any kids trying to work it.
Aaargh.
Oooh – but then I realized that I could zip it closed first and then sew up the bottom. Now the zipper is together and it can’t come apart – a terrific bonus because separating zippers can be tricky for some little kids. I had planned to hand stitch the zipper permanently together as the final construction step, but now that wasn’t necessary!
Done! (Almost.)
I added a couple of elastic loops so it could be rolled up and secured without having to tie anything, and the design is finished!
Sometimes I get a design right on the first prototype, but usually it works like this – a series of attempts and revisions that get closer and closer to the final design – one that looks good AND is easy to make. 🙂
It’s a free bunny softie pattern! With a soft beanie body and small size, this Itty Bitty Bunny is just perfect for Easter baskets! And it’s super easy to make!
It can’t wait to hop into the pocket of someone special. 🙂
Here’s how to make it!
Materials
scrap bunny-colored fabric
scrap of pink satin for the bunny ears
less than a fat quarter of pajama fabric
embroidery thread for the face (I DMC #3371 and #601)
plastic pellets (I like PolyPellets Weighted Stuffing Beads)
polyfill stuffing (I like Soft Touch Polyfil Supreme Fiberfill)
Sew the two body back pieces together along the center back line, making sure to leave a few inches open for stuffing.
Don’t forget to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stuffing opening.
Step 5
Open up the center back pieces and press the seam nice and flat, including the edges of the stuffing opening. That will give you a nice clean edge to sew when you’re closing up that opening by hand.
The stick shows where the stuffing opening is.
Step 6
Fold the bottom of the head and the top of the body in half to find the centers. Line those centers up so the head is exactly centered on the body.
Sew the face to the body front and the other head piece to the body back.
Step 7
Fold the heads up and press.
The seam allowance should be pressed toward the head so the body remains flat.
Step 8
Lay the body front face up on a flat surface.
Lay the ears face down over the face as shown in the photo. Don’t worry about making them perfectly even crooked is cute. :-)
Pin in place.
Step 9
Place the body back face down over the front, sandwiching the ears between the layers. Pin or clip the layers together carefully.
I match the neck seams first, then the center bottoms, then the dips at the sides and then the tips of the arms and legs and the head.
Step 10
Sew all the way around the body using 1/4 inch seam allowance. Make sure you’re catching the ears.
Awwww! Isn’t that a cutie? Take a moment to admire your work so far. You’re almost done!
Step 12
Stuff the head pretty firmly with fiberfill but not past the neck.
Pour 1/2 cup of plastic pellets into the body and sew up the opening in the back using ladder stitch.
Finished!
All done! Give it an itty bitty hug and then slip it into a special someone’s pocket. :)
It’s a pocket-sized softie for your kids – and a snuggly bedtime softie for your kids’ dolls. Take a look at the Itty Bitty Bunny with one of the Dress Up Bunch dolls.
Because dolls need softies to play with, of course. :-)
Have a great weekend, everyone!
Best,
Wendi
The Dress Up Bunch is a collection of cute and cuddly rag dolls. Get patterns for the dolls, plus all their fun outfits and accessories!
Sometimes it’s really good just to play around with a crazy idea or set of rules and see what I come up with. Several years ago I was playing with some basic geometric shapes and I tried to see how many animals I could come up with, and how much I could simplify its features before it stopped looking like the animal I was trying to convey.
The shape I had the most fun with was a triangle-based pyramid – so when Mollie at Wild Olive announced that she was playing with triangles all March long, I knew I had to share this idea with her.
Using the same pattern and much fancier/hard-to-work-with fabrics I also made a dragon.
That dragon even talks fancy. 🙂
In my book Creature Camp, kids made penguins and chicks using the same basic pattern.
Didn’t the kid sewists do a great job with these?
Today I’m going to show you how to make the mama and baby kangaroo like in the top photo.
First – hop over to Wild Olive to download and print the pattern and see the basic instructions.
Step 1
Modify the pattern.
Measure up 2 1/4″ from the base of the triangle. Draw a line parallel to the base.
Done!
Step 2
Cut out your pieces.
Cut out the triangle pattern piece. Use it to cut 3 triangles in the body fabric, and 1 triangle in the belly fabric.
Cut the pattern piece into two pieces on the line you drew in Step 1.
From the trapezoid bottom piece, cut 2 pouch pieces in the body fabric.
From the top triangle piece, cut 2 baby pieces in the baby fabric.
Step 3
Sew the pouch.
Put the two pouch pieces right sides together and sew along the top (shorter) edge using 1/4″ seam allowance.
Flip them right side out and press that finished top edge flat.
Step 4
Make the baby.
If you want your baby to stay attached the the mama (that keeps the baby from being a choking hazard) then sew a ribbon to keep them together. If not, you can skip the ribbon part.
Lay one baby piece face up on a flat surface. Pin one end of the ribbon to the center of one side of the triangle.
Lay the second baby piece face down of the first, with the ribbon sandwiched between the layers.
Sew all the way around the edge of the triangle, leaving a turning hole where the long end of the ribbon is coming out.
Clip the excess fabric off the corners.
Turn the baby right side out, stuff it, and sew up the opening.
Step 5
Put the kangaroo together.
For the most part the instructions will be just like what you see on Wild Olive. You just need to construct the belly piece.
Lay the belly piece right side up on a flat surface.
Lay the other end of the ribbon down the center of the belly. You can see where the edge is sticking out the bottom and pinned in place.
Layer the pouch piece over the belly with the ribbon sandwiched between them.
Lay one of the body pieces over the belly and pouch layers you just constructed and sew all the layers together along the bottom of the triangle.
Keep attaching triangles, just like in the Wild Olive instructions, until your four triangles look like this.
The stuffing hole is in the seam between the two left-most triangles.
Finish sewing up the kangaroo following the instructions at Wild Olive.
What other animals can you make from this same basic shape? My sketchbook has ideas for a horse, a mouse and a shark. 🙂
It’s an easy and fun accessory to add to any softie or doll!
This one fits most mid-sized softies – you can adjust the length of the strap pretty easily to fit whatever toy you’re trying to dress up a bit.
You can also leave the strap off and add a pin to the back to make a hair bow for a girl doll or softie.
Here’s the bow tie tutorial. . .
Cut out the pattern pieces as follows:
for the neck cut 1 piece 2″ x 14″
for the bow cut 2 pieces 4 1/2″ x 2 1/2″
for the knot cut 1 piece 2″ x 2 1/2″
Step 1
We’ll start with the bow part.
Place the two bow pieces right sides together and sew almost all the way around the edge using 1/4″ seam allowance. Leave 1-2 inches open in the center of one of the long sides so you can turn it right side out. Clip the corners.
Turn the bow right side out and press it flat.
You can hand sew the opening closed, but it will be hidden when you add the knot so you don’t need to. I didn’t.
Step 2
Now let’s prep the knot.
Fold the knot piece in half the long way and sew, using 1/4″ seam allowance.
Turn the piece right side out. Turn the tube so that the seam runs up the back and press it flat.
Step 3
Now for the neck band.
Fold the neck band in half the long way, pressing a seam down the middle.
Now fold the edges of the band in to that center fold and press. It should look like this.
Fold in the raw edges at the ends and press it flat, refolding and pressing that center seam.
Sew the folded edges together, as close as you can get to the edge. Sew a 1″ piece of hook and loop tape to each end of the band. Remember – one piece of the tape goes on the outside of the band and the other goes on the inside. I always try it out around a pretend neck to make sure I have it right before I sew the pieces in place.
Step 4
Let’s put it all together!
Pinch the center of the bow together. Wrap the knot around the pinched bow and the neck band. Fold the raw edge of the knot under and sew it in place.
This doesn’t have to be super neat – it will be on the back of the bow. While I’m at it (especially if this is for a child), I also tack a couple of stitches into the bow and the neck band to keep things from sliding.
Done!
You can easily make a whole bunch of bow ties in a range of colors and sizes to dress up all your toys and softies! Make some up in fun holiday prints to dress up for the different holidays!
Here’s a free doll pattern to make a sweet Itty Bitty Sleepy Baby – a cuddly beanbag doll.
She’s a sleepy little girl who wants to curl up and take a nap in a special someone’s pocket. :)
She’s super easy to make - great for beginners. And she’s just the right size to be a mini doll for the dolls in The Dress Up Bunch. Fun!
Want to make her?
Here’s how!
Throughout the pattern, the links go to online video tutorials demonstrating the techniques used, or to sources for the materials. All seams are 1/4 inch seam allowance.
Happy sewing!
Materials
• scrap of people colored fabric • scrap of wool felt for the hair (I used black) • less than a fat quarter of pajama fabric (I used Mini Pandas in pink flannel from Timeless Treasures) • embroidery thread for the face (I used Sulky 12wt. cotton thread in black) • plastic pellets (I like PolyPellets Weighted Stuffing Beads) • polyfill stuffing (I like Soft Touch Polyfil Supreme Fiberfill)
Cut out all materials as directed on the pattern pieces. You should have:
1 body front piece
2 body back pieces
1 head cut from people-colored fabric
1 head cut from felt
1 front hair cut from felt
2 pigtails cut from felt
Step 2
Trace the face onto the people-colored head piece.
Embroider the eyes, nose and mouth using backstitch and a single strand of Sulky 12 wt. embroidery thread (the equivalent of two strands of regular embroidery thread).
Step 3
Sew the hair to the face piece.
Stitch very close to the edge and use matching thread.
Step 4
Sew the two body back pieces together along the center back line, making sure to leave a few inches open for stuffing.
Don’t forget to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stuffing opening.
Step 5
Open up the center back pieces and press the seam nice and flat, including the edges of the stuffing opening. That will give you a nice clean edge to sew when you’re closing up that opening by hand.
The stick shows where the stuffing opening is.
Step 6
Fold the bottom of the head and the top of the body in half to find the centers. Line those centers up so the head is exactly centered on the body.
Sew the face to the body front and the felt head piece to the body back.
Step 7
Fold the heads up and press.
The seam allowance should be pressed toward the head so the body remains flat.
Step 8
Lay the body front face up on a flat surface.
Lay the pigtails over the face as shown in the photo. Don’t worry about making them perfectly even - crooked is cute. :-)
Pin or clip in place.
Step 9
Place the body back face down over the front, sandwiching the pigtails between the layers. Pin or clip the layers together carefully.
I match the neck seams first, then the center bottoms, then the dips at the sides and then the tips of the arms and legs and the head.
Step 10
Sew all the way around the body using 1/4 inch seam allowance. Make sure you’re catching the pigtails.
I changed the thread color when I got to the hair. I didn’t want specks of pink colored thread to show at the seam.
Awwww! Isn’t she a cutie? Take a moment to admire your work so far. She’s almost done!
Step 12
Stuff the head pretty firmly with fiberfill.
Pour 1/2 cup of plastic pellets into the body and sew up the opening in the back using ladder stitch.
Finished!
Give her a big hug and then slip her into a special someone’s pocket. :-)
I designed her to be just the right size to work as a sweet baby doll for everyone in The Dress Up Bunch. Because dolls need dolls to play with, of course. :-)
Like all Shiny Happy World designs – you’re welcome to sell items you make with my patterns, but please don’t sell or distribute the patterns themselves. 🙂
If you like this free doll pattern, sign up for the Shiny Happy News! Subscribers get a weekly newsletter with updates, special offers and links to happy things. Sign up here.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
The Dress Up Bunch is a collection of cute and cuddly rag dolls. Get patterns for the dolls, plus all their fun outfits and accessories!
plastic pellets (I like PolyPellets Weighted Stuffing Beads)
polyfill stuffing (I like Soft Touch Polyfil Supreme Fiberfill)
Use 1/4 inch seam allowance for all sewing.
Step 1
Cut out all materials as directed on the pattern pieces. You should have. . .
2 head pieces (1 reversed)
2 bandana pieces (1 reversed)
1 shirt front piece
2 shirt back pieces (1 reversed)
2 pants pieces
4 foot pieces (2 reversed)
4 hand pieces (2 reversed)
4 bandana knot pieces
Step 2
Trace the face onto one head piece.
Embroider the nose and mouth using backstitch and a single strand of Sulky 12 wt. embroidery thread (the equivalent of two strands of regular embroidery thread).
Fold the ends in half, stack the two pieces mostly on top of each other and sew them together 1/4 inch from the raw edge.
It doesn’t have to be pretty - it just has to keep them folded and together. :-)
Set the bandana knots aside.
Step 6
Sew the hands to the shirt pieces.
Press the seam allowance open.
Step 7
Sew the feet to the pants.
Press the seam allowance open.
Step 8
Sew the bandana pieces to the top of the head pieces.
Press the seam allowance open.
Step 9
Sew the two shirt back pieces together along the center back line, making sure to leave a few inches open for stuffing.
Don’t forget to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stuffing opening.
Step 10
Open up the center back pieces and press the seam nice and flat, including the edges of the stuffing opening. That will give you a nice clean edge to sew when you’re closing up that opening by hand.
The stick shows where the stuffing opening is.
Step 11
Sew the shirt pieces to the pants.
Press the seam allowance open.
Step 12
Fold the bottom of the head and the top of the body in half to find the centers. Line those centers up so the head is exactly centered on the body.
Sew the face to the body front and the other head piece to the body back.
Flip the heads up and press. The seam allowance should be pressed toward the head so the body remains flat.
Step 13
Lay the body front face up on a flat surface.
Lay the bandana knot over the face as shown in the photo. It should be right at the seam where the bandana meets the head, with the folds face down and with the raw edge hanging off the edge of the head by about 1/4 inch.
Pin or clip in place.
Step 14
Place the body back face down over the front, sandwiching the bandana knot between the layers.
Pin or clip the layers together carefully, matching all the seams first (the white pins) and then pinning as needed around them (the red and yellow pins).
Step 15
Sew all the way around the body using 1/4 inch seam allowance. Make sure you’re catching the bandana knot in your stitching.
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I’d like to have a few words with whoever invented the Tooth Fairy.
Seriously.
Let’s start a tradition where a child places a teeny, tiny tooth under their pillow and parents have to retrieve it in the middle of the night without waking the child.
This is madness.
The night after Jo lost her first tooth she caught me frantically scrabbling around under her pillow in the dark, looking for a tooth the size of an apple seed.
She (naturally) asked me what the heck I was doing.
“Ummmmm. . . nothing. Just checking to see if the tooth fairy came yet. I. . . ummmmm. . . couldn’t wait until morning.”
Which she bought, but only because it was her first tooth and she was six years old.
After that somebody gave her a tiny little tooth fairy box that hung from her bedpost. It was just the right size for holding a tooth, but the money still had to go under the pillow.
I kept thinking about making a tooth fairy pillow that would hold tooth and money, but I couldn’t figure out exactly what I wanted to do. By now she’s lost all of her baby teeth, but as soon as I saw this cute new fabric I knew right away that it would make a perfect tooth fairy pillow.
Luckily, you all give me an excuse a reason to keep designing things that Jo outgrew years ago. 🙂
The pocket is big enough for grown-up fingers to reach in and find a tiny tooth. It’ll hold paper money or fun coins (Jo got a dollar coin for every tooth). And being snug up against a plump pillow means teeth and coins won’t just fall out.
The pillow is also big enough that it won’t get lost in the mountain of stuffed animals that help our kids hide those lost teeth. 🙂
If you have an especially light sleeper, you can add that ribbon loop so you can hang the pillow from a bedpost or door handle. It’s easy and the pattern has instructions.
The best part of the project is that you can position the tiny pocket anywhere on the pillow you like. Make sure not to cover up your favorite bit! I especially like this little block showing how many teeth dogs and cats have.(Sorry – this fabric is discontinued now.)
Jo would have latched right on to fun facts like this! She also would have liked the grossness of the picture of tooth decay. 🙂
