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Monday, March 9, 2015

Bunny Face Bag Tutorial

Easter is almost here, and I'm gearing up for Spring by sewing a couple of Bunny Face Bags for my kids. My children love bunnies (what kid doesn't) and love bags (they take after their moma), so it was a no-brainer to put the two together to create these adorable tote bags for Easter.

The Bunny Face Bag is the ideal size for children, measuring approximately 11" x 11", and is perfect for holding books, crayons, Easter eggs, or candy! Have left over fabric from sewing your daughter's Easter dress or your son's new shirt? Then make them a matching Bunny Face Bag to complete the look.

Bunny Face Bag Tutorial by sewVery

It's a pretty simple bag to make. Here's how!

Bunny Face Bag with bow for girl

Bunny Face Bag Tutorial 


Supplies

Purchase the sewVery Bunny Face Bag Template pieces for the bunny face from my Etsy store
Outer Bag - cut 2 - 11.5" x 11.5" pieces of quilting cotton
Lining - cut 2 - 11.5" x 11.5" pieces of quilting cotton
Straps - cut 2 - 3" x 22" pieces of Lining Fabric or other coordinating fabric
Interfacing - cut 2 - 11" x 11" pieces of Pellon Shape Flex 
Inner Ears - Scraps of Lining Fabric
Outer Ears & Face - Scraps of white cotton flannel
Eyes & Nose - Cotton fabric scraps
Heat & Bond Lite
Fabric Marking Pen
Ruler
Pins & Needle
Scissors
Sewing Machine & Thread

Assembly

  1. Fuse interfacing to the wrong side of the Outer Bag pieces.
  2. Cut rectangles of the scrap fabrics for the Inner Ears, Outer Ears, Face, Eyes, and Nose and pieces of Heat & Bond Lite the same size as the scraps. Fuse the Heat & Bond Lite to the back side of the scrap fabrics according to the package directions.
  3. Using the pattern pieces, cut out the Inner Ears, Outer Ears, Face, Eyes, and Nose.
  4. Peel the paper backing off the Inner Ear pieces and center them over each Outer Ear piece. Fuse the Inner Ear pieces to the Outer Ear pieces only.
  5. Fold the front Outer Bag piece in half and lightly press to form a center crease.
  6. Fold in half again and lightly press along the top edge only. Unfold and mark the two creases either side of the center along the top edge with a fabric marking pen. Transfer these same two markings to the back Outer Bag piece. 
  7. Cut off the bottom edge of the Bunny Face Bag Template so that the bunny face is flush with the bottom. Fold the sheet of paper in half along the nose of the bunny. Match the bottom and crease of the sheet to the bottom and crease of the front Outer Bag. Hold in place or secure with Washi tape.
  8. Stick a straight pin through the paper and fabric at a minimum of 3 places along each ear. Gently lift the paper and mark the location of the pin using a fabric marking pen. Repeat for the other ear.
  9. Using the marks made in the previous step, position the Ears on the front Outer Bag but do not fuse them to it yet. Take the Face piece and position it. Holding the Face in place, gently lift the upper edge and mark along the bottom of the Ears approximately 1/4" away from the Face edge (so that the bottom edge of the Ears will be under the Face). Cut off the bottom edge of the Ears along your mark.
  10. Remove the paper backing from the Ears and position them on the front Out Bag and fuse in place. 
  11. Stitch along the edges of both the Inner and Outer Ears. I used a straight stitch along the Outer Ears and a zig zag stitch along the Inner Ears.
  12. Remove the paper backing from the Face and position it over the bottom edge of the Ears and with the bottom of the Face flush with the bottom of the front Outer Bag. Zig zag stitch over the rounded edge of the Face.
  13. Using the Bunny Face Template and a fabric marking pen, transfer the position for the Eyes and Nose as well as the markings for the mouth and whiskers onto the Face.
  14. Fuse the Eyes and Nose onto the Face and stitch each down.
  15. For the mouth and whiskers, machine stitch or hand stitch using embroidery thread.
  16. Fold each strap piece in half and press. Open and fold in each long raw edge toward the center crease and press. Fold along the center crease again encasing the long raw edges. Sew along each strap edge using a 1/8" seam.
  17. Center the raw edge of each strap along the marks made in Step 6. Pin in place and then baste.
  18. With right sides together, pin the Outer Bag pieces together along the sides and bottom. Sew using a 1/4" seam. Clip the corners and turn right side out. Press.
  19. With right sides together, pin the Lining Bag pieces together along the sides and bottom. Sew using a 1/4" seam but leave a 4" opening along the bottom. Be sure to backstitch at all stops and starts. Clip corners.
  20. Place the Outer Bag inside the Lining Bag so that right sides are together. Make sure the straps are in between the Outer Bag and Lining Bag. Match side seams and pin the top edges together. Sew using a 1/4" seam.
  21. Pull the Outer Bag through the opening in the Lining Bag. Press.
  22. Press the opening area and then sew it closed using a 1/8" seam.
  23. Push the Lining Bag inside the Outer Bag and press the upper edge.
  24. Topstitch the upper edge of the bag using a straight stitch or add a decorative touch by using a zig zag stitch.
  25. Stitch on a ribbon bow for a girl's bag, or leave it plain for a boy!



Be sure to check out my other fun tutorials HERE! Thanks for stopping by and

Have FUN sewing! 

23 comments:

  1. Super fun bags, Veronica!!! The appliqued bunnies are so cute.

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  2. holy moley this is seriously the cutest everrrrrr! luuuurve it!

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  3. Those little bunny faces! Adorable!!! I've got a Craft Gossip post that links to your tutorial here:
    http://sewing.craftgossip.com/tutorial-bunny-face-tote/2015/03/10/
    --Anne

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  4. These are so cute!!! Perfect for an Easter egg hunt too! :)

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  5. Adorable! Thank you for sharing.

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  6. This is sooooo adorable! Looks like such a fun project too! Thanks for sharing a great tutorial!

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  7. It's a beautiful and simple bag! I like your blog and your posts. Thank you for sharing your ideas.

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  8. Thanks, Gene! So sweet of you to say. I have a plans to make several other holiday style bags along the same style as this, so keep an eye out soon for new designs.

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  9. Thanks your little bunny bag is adorable!
    Pauline
    perry94022 at hotmail dot com

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  10. Thank you for the cute bunny bag!
    It turned out adorable.....the only thing I would change next time I make it, I would not use flannel as it frays. I would use a cotton fabric :)
    Thanks again!

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    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed the pattern. Regular cotton will fray, too, but if you use the heat and bond lite to stabilize the fabric pieces, this will help minimize fraying on any type of fabric.

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  11. I just made this!! It turned out so cute!!! Your instructions were so helpful and easy to follow. I had never made a bag before and I'm so happy with the results. Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for letting me know how much my tutorial helped you. So glad you were able to learn something new!

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  12. Great bag tutorial. My daughter going to make some this Easter for her daughters. Thank you for the pattern.

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  13. Just made 10 of these! Ready for the grandchildren at Easter. Really clear instructions and such pretty bags. Think I will make another for myself! Great way of using up all those bits of material which were too big to throw away but have been sitting in the craft room for years...Thank you so much for the pattern.

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  14. These are ADORABLE! Thank you for sharing! I can’t wait to make a pair for my boys!

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  15. These are ADORABLE!
    Thank you for sharing! I cannot wait to make a pair for my kids for Easter!

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  16. Hello, I absolutely love this bag, I made some for my children last year but I wanted to make some more this year for other children however the link to the pattern isn't working. Can I find it any other way? thanks!

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    Replies
    1. The site I used to use to host the download no longer exists, so I added the template download to my Etsy shop for purchase. I charge $2 for it now since I have to pay fees for the product listing. The link to purchase the pdf is now updated in the blog post above.

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