I did not use a pattern to make Miss Lulu Belle Bunny, but I did turn to Pinterest for inspiration and a bit of direction. I found an awesome rag doll tutorial here (http://www.ohsewdollin.com/pages/dollmakingtutorial.htm) so I worked off of her insight and went from there. I started with some scrap heavy duty linen I had purchased to make a Pinterest insprired Christmas wreath that turned out horribly and I never finished. I originally wanted to do a sweet flannel to make her more snugly but all of my flannel in my stash is bright and loud and has too much pattern for what I was going for. I did, however, sneak in some cute teal gingham flannel for her ears. I am very happy with her though she may get dirty when played with by a 1 year old. Good thing she is washable!
In order to keep Lulu symmetrical I drew my design on a folded over scrap then doubled it.
I did the same for her ears, arms and legs. Be careful though to leave plenty of extra space for a good sized seam allowance, especially for the extremities so that the bunny will wear well and not split at the seams after being loved on. Not to mention turning them will be a pain and your bunny will have sticks for arms and legs. My first sketch was too thin. Thankfully I realized this before I started sewing. The bottom is my first sketch and the top is what I used. This is why I really should make a pattern first on paper.....
Here is everything cut out. Notice the cute teal for her inner ears?
(I should note that the fabric I used works perfectly either side but you may need to be cautious about how you cut your fabric so you can sew with right sides together.)
Now start sewing. I used a very small stitch length to keep it nice and tight so hopefully Lulu will last a very long time with lots of loving. And as mentioned before give yourself a good seam allowance. I had thought I would do 5/8, but when I got to my machine I felt that would make her too skinny so instead of recutting I just went with a 1/2 inch instead. I think she will be just fine. I might also in the future cut the pieces with my pinking shears to reduce fraying inside to give the seams an even stronger finish.
You will notice that I sewed my seam down to the bottom because I was going to use my gingham flannel and give her flat feet but I ended up deciding against it at the last minute because I want her to be nice and clean since she is a gift and my method for feet is a little messy--as in they wouldn't end up being the same size or shape.
Then I started to turn the pieces and ugh! They aren't that thin but they are thin enough to be a pain!
My amazing inspiration tutorial uses medical tools to turn and it looks so easy, but I am stuck with what I have so I used a stuffing stick--you know that little stick that comes in a bag of cotton fill?
It definitely helped, but then Little Man got tired of scootching around and wanted up and then it went like this.
Which was impossible.
I finally got them all turned and this started to happen thanks to the Big.
So we took a break until the next day.....I said crafting with kids is tough.
Once the arms, legs and ears were all turned, it was time to stuff them. The little stuffing tool was essential to get the stuffing all the way in and get it nicely packed. You want stuffed animals fairly firm so they keep their shape even with lots of love. I also stitched arms and legs closed to make it easier to sew in and to keep it contained just in case any of them ever get ripped out. 
Then it was time to sew her head and body up! You will notice that I do not use pins. Well I do on rare occasions where they are unavoidable, but 90% of the time I use my Wonder Clips. I LOVE my Wonder Clips. They are essentially tiny plastic clothes pins. They are fabulous for use near little people--no pricked fingers--and for use with the thick/tough canvas I use for bags.
In order to get optimal placement of Miss Lulu's ears I folded her head in half and placed them equidistant from the middle. I also made a little tuck in each ear to give them more dimension.
I then grabbed a clip and clipped the ear tips together to keep them from being accidentally sewn into a seam.
Then it was time to leave for Mother's Day Tea for the Little, so we took a break. :)
When we got home and everyone was fed, I placed the arms and legs tucked in between the pieces for the body and facing inward. It is important to remember to face her ears and toes in the same direction. Inside of ears go the same direction as toes. Or you could have her toes point out to the sides in which case make sure they are pointing out; although pointing in might give her a cute bashful look. :)
Then I sewed around. Because I make it up as I go, I decided I didn't want her to be so pointy on the bottom and gave myself a larger seam allowance at the bottom.
I left a gap between her legs to pull through and stuff. I also found the fabric had pulled more than I'd like on one side so I zigzagged it to make it more secure. I also discovered my hole was way too small so I pulled it apart some with my seam ripper. Again planning ahead would avoid these things but planning ahead isn't my MO. ;)
And here she is!
But upon commencement of stuffing I discovered her arms were uneven....grrrr....
So out came the stuffing; she was turned inside out again; seams were ripped and the arm was sewn back in. Now she's better!
Remember when I said that I am not good at hand sewing? Well it is unavoidable when finishing a stuffed animal, but then this started happening.
So we took a break again. Then I did this.
Then Miss Lulu needed a face! I decided to draw her face on with fabric markers rather than embroider it because....well....because I could and I thought it would turn out much nicer with much less fuss! But I definitely needed to practice before doing something so permanent. Plus we needed to decide on nose color. So I practiced.
And we decided that the soft pink way up top would be best, so meet Miss Lulu Belly Bunny!
I then made her a swaddling blanket, a little dress and a cloth diaper so her new mama can take care of her in fine fashion! Sorry no tutorial on those--I started getting tight on time and stopped taking pictures. :)
But here she is in all her glory.
My girls are head over heals for Miss Lulu Belle, so I may be making more of her very soon--or for Christmas. If you make her, please share a picture! Miss Lulu Belle should be for personal use only please.
Happy Krafting!
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