A Sew - Cute Easter Gift
Hi sewing friends!
My name is Valérie, and I’ve been sewing as a hobby for about six years. Most of the time I make clothes for my kids and myself, but I also love putting my sewing skills to use to create unique handmade gifts for the people around me.
Today I’m sharing a little project that my youngest absolutely loved last year. I decided to make it again this year to make her big sister happy too, because even at 10 years old, she was a little jealous! But keep it a secret…these are actually their Easter gifts.
In this post, I’ll show you how I adapted a few Ellie & Mac doll clothing patterns to fit the Plush Cuddle Bunny (Pattern) in the small and medium sizes. For reference, mama bunny is the medium plush and baby bunny is the small one.
Printing Doll Clothes at a Reduced Scale for Baby Bunny
Ellie & Mac Doll Patterns are almost a perfect fit for the medium plush size Bunny. Since I also wanted to make a baby bunny (size small of the Plush Cuddle Bunny Pattern), I printed the patterns at 75% of the original size.
However, printing at a reduced scale also reduces the seam allowance. To avoid sewing issues, it’s important to add the missing seam allowance back to each piece: ⅛".
Trendy Outfit
For this first outfit, I used the Trendy Mix & Match Doll Pattern, making few adjustments:
1. Adjust the shirt’s waist curve to better accommodate the plush toy’s stuffed belly (see the red line in the photo below).
2. Remove ⅜" from the scoop neck height to better clear the neck.
3. Cut the neckband the same width as the sleeve band. The baby bunny neckband should measure 7 ½" long.
4. Make the pants, shorts by removing 3 ½" from the leg length for baby bunny and 4 ½" for mama bunny.
Important information about the top
· Use a 5" length of elastic for baby bunny’s sleeves.
· Leave 1 ½" without hook-and-loop tape above the hem to create an opening for the bunny’s tail, and tack the hem just below the opening.
Important information about the shorts
· Fold the bottom of the shorts twice by ⅜" to create the hem.
· Leave 1 ½" unsewn below where the waist casing will be to create an opening for the tail.
· Use 7 ¾" length of elastic for baby bunny.
Easter Pajamas
Next up, a cozy set of pajamas, perfect for bedtime cuddles! I used Going Home Sweater Doll Pattern for the top and the shorts from Cape Cod Doll Pattern for the bottoms.
I only made one modification to the base pattern: I used the tunic cut line from the Going Home Sweater Doll Pattern and removed ½" for baby bunny and ¾" for mama bunny.
Important information about the shorts
· Sew ⅜" hems.
· Leave 1 ½" unsewn below the waist casing to create an opening for the tail.
· Make a ¾" waist casing for baby bunny and 1" for mama bunny.
· Use ½" wide elastic.
· Use 7 ¾" length of elastic for baby bunny.
Important information about the top
· Join the two back pieces by sewing only 1" at the bottom.
· Leave 1 ½" without hook-and-loop tape above the hem to create an opening for the bunny’s tail, and secure the hem with a small tack just below the opening.
· To stay on theme, I added a small Easter egg appliqué. Baby bunny’s egg measures 2", and mama bunny’s measures 2 ½".
Ruffle Dress
Next, I moved on to something a little dressier. With leftover quilting cotton scraps, I created pretty ruffle dresses for the bunnies. I used the Cape Cod Doll dress and removed 1 ¾" for baby bunny and 2 ¼" for mama bunny.
Note: I used the standard strap piece (100%) for both bunny sizes, since it was difficult to handle when reduced to 75%.
To create the opening for the bunny’s tail, sew a buttonhole ½" above the bottom of the center back.
Since the dress is fitted and made from non-stretch fabric, and the bunny sits, I added a ruffle at the hem to make the opening a bit wider.
1. For baby bunny, cut a piece 4" x 22". For mama bunny, cut 5 ¼" x 27".
2. Sew the short sides together, right sides together.
3. Fold the resulting piece right sides together like a waistband, press with an iron, then sew a gathering stitch all the way around to gather the ruffle.
4. Pull the threads and adjust the piece to match the opening at the bottom of the dress, then sew the dress and ruffle together, right sides together.
5. Press the seam allowance toward the dress and topstitch.
Twirly Dress
To finish, I chose my youngest daughter’s favorite pattern, the famous twirly dress: School Cool Doll Pattern. Even better, this doll pattern is free!
The adjustments to the pattern pieces are minimal:
· Remove ½" from the bottom of the bodice for baby bunny and ¾" for mama bunny.
· Use the knee cut line for the skirt and remove ½" from the bottom for baby bunny and ¾" for mama bunny.
· Do not cut sleeves or sleeveless bands.
For the armholes, serge (or zig zag stitch) the raw edges, then fold them ¼" inward to create a hem. Since the bunny’s shoulders are quite narrow, this helps reduce the width of the dress shoulders.
Sweet Bows for the Ears
For even more fun, why not add some matching accessories to these new outfits?
I made tiny bows for the bunny’s ears, and my daughters can also wear them in their hair.
Construction (¼" seam allowance)
1. Sew the scrunchie using the measurements above and following the same steps as in the free pattern Hair Scrunchie.
2. Fold the bow and the center bow pieces right sides together and sew along the long edge.
3. Turn right side out.
4. Fold the bow right sides together and sew the short edge, then turn right side out.
5. Position the seam at the center back of the bow and press.
6. Run a gathering stitch down the center and pull the thread to create the bow shape, then wrap the center piece around it to secure.
7. Fold the bow center right sides together and slide the bow and scrunchie inside the bow center.
8. Sew the bow center as close to the bow as possible, then turn it right side out.
Tiny Crossbody Bag
Finally, I sewed tiny crossbody bag where I could hide a few chocolate treats to complete my girls’ gift.
Construction (¼" seam allowance)
1. Place the lining pieces right sides together and, leaving the top open, sew around the edges while leaving a 1 ½" opening to turn the bag later.
2. Place the outer pieces right sides together and sew around the edges, leaving the top open.
3. Fold the strap in half and press to create a memory crease.
4. Unfold the strap, fold both long edges inward, and press again.
5. Fold in half once more and press.
6. Stitch along the opening of the strap.
7. Insert the strap into the lining piece, right sides together, and aligning each end with the side seams. The excess strap can stick out through the opening at the bottom.
8. Slide the outer piece into the lining, right sides together, aligning the seams, then sew all the way around the opening.
9. Turn the handbag right side out by pulling the strap through the opening from step 1, then close the opening with a hand stitch or using a sewing machine.
And that’s it!
These adorable little gifts are ready! I had so much fun making all these tiny outfits. I could have kept going for quite a while with all the other Ellie & Mac patterns that would work perfectly with this idea.
I hope this inspires you to create a little bunny wardrobe of your own. If you do, feel free to tag me. I’d love to see it!
If you’d like to see more of my projects, you can find me on TikTok and Instagram: @confections.lova
Happy sewing!
(Written by: Valérie Nolet)
Patterns used:
- Plush Cuddle Bunny
- Trendy Mix & Match Doll
- Going Home Sweater Doll
- Cape Cod Doll
- School Cool Dress Doll (free pattern)
- Hair Scrunchie (free pattern)
