Stuffed Bunny and Minky Blanket

I recently had a baby shower in the extended family and decided to try a stuffed animal.  

The girls named him Hoppity.  

We think he turned out pretty cute.  :) 

He is made from light mint green 'minky' fabric - that really soft cushy stuff with funny little raised dots on it.  I had never sewn with minky before and was pleased with the results.  It had just enough -but not too much - stretch and certainly makes for a soft stuffed animal.  I had trouble keeping Grace's little hands off the pieces and parts and she was begging for a bunny of her own to keep.   The inside of the ears and the footpads are a coordinating flannel. 

Its made from an Abby Glassenberg pattern.  More than one pattern, actually.  I own her book and I used the head and arms and legs of the Bunny in the book (though I slightly changed their proportions) and combined it with the body of the Teddy Bear.  I don't know why - it was just a different shape and I thought it looked better.  In that way, her book is really handy - you can pick parts you want and recombine them as needed.  

The face is embroidered.  No buttons on a baby toy.  :)  I freehanded a nose and two eyes in satin stitches.  I tried a few different mouths but thought they all looked goofy so I ended up removing them and leaving just the nose.  

He sits or stands, though neither of them totally on his own.  

He is filled with all polyfill - no beads or weights this time around.  

I found it interesting how stuffing the body parts smooths out the raised dots of the minky fabric, but since the ears are unstuffed, they have more texture.  It is near impossible to hold the bunny and not stroke his super soft ears.

I couldn't resist putting a little heart on his bum.  I have a vague memory of stuffed animals with hearts on their bottoms from when I was a kid - Care Bears maybe?  

It is wool felt stitched on by hand.

The tail drove me a bit crazy in that after it was marked with a Sharpie (what was I thinking?!) and stitched on I really felt it needed to be about another inch higher up his bum.  I couldn't move it without the Sharpie dots showing so it stayed where it was.  Lesson learned. 

It takes a mix of machine and hand stitching to make a stuffed animal.  I enjoyed both aspects and really enjoying seeing him 'come alive' over the course of a couple of days.  

I have a self-imposed rule for baby gifts that they must be practical.  I usually make bibs or bags or something else useful that won't just end up on a shelf.   Even though he's cute, the bunny didn't pass the test so the other part of the gift is a blanket.  More minky and coordinating flannel in a good snuggling or carseat covering size.  Let me tell ya'... SO soft.  

So, we hope that Hoppity and the green blanket are enjoyed by the newest baby in the extended family.  

I sure had fun making them and look forward to more stuffed animals.  Next time I'd like to experiment with more of a beany-baby style body - filled with pellets and less stuffing.  A cat, perhaps?