spring is here!

a peek inside the studio

creating with jules: bendable bunny ears

I have a cute Easter project for you today that will be sure to put a smile on some little ones faces :) I know they did with my girls!

You’ll need:

White felt

Patterned fabric

Headband

Pipe cleaners

Decorative bits & pieces: pom poms, tulle, felt balls, beads, pom pom ric rac, wool, fabric, stuffing, (depending on what decorations you’d like to make)

You’ll also need:

Needle & thread

sewing machine

craft glue (optional)

scissors

pom pom maker (optional)

Download and print out your template at 100%. 

download the bunny ears template HERE

Cut out both temple pieces along the outside lines. Place the outer ear template on the white felt and trace around two ears. Cut out the two ears *leaving seam allowance* on on both sides of the ears. (The bottom of the ears don’t need seam allowance). 

Place one ear shape on top of another layer of felt and cut another piece of felt. Repeat for other ear. 

Place your inner ear template onto your chosen patterned fabric, trace and cut around. You don’t need to add seam allowance here.

The white felt piece that you have the drawn template on is the wrong side of the ear. This is the side on which you will sew. Place a patterned inner ear on the other side of the ear, with the patterned fabric facing outwards. My trick here is to hold the ears up to a window so I get my inner ear placed in a nice centered spot. Pin. Repeat for both ears.

Now, sew the inner ear onto the felt, using a narrow, but slightly spaced apart zig zag stitch. Repeat for other ear.

Now you can place the other pieces of white felt against the sewn ones, with the patterned fabric sandwiched inside. Sew all around the edges of the ears along your line, leaving the bottom open. Trim excess felt near seam and turn right side out. Make sure the bottoms of your ears are cut along the template lines.

Take some pipe cleaners and join them together until you have enough length to make a bunny ear shape that will fit nicely inside an ear. Make two of these and place inside ears

Take your headband and a long strip of you patterned fabric about 1” wide and wrap it all around. I tacked mine in place with a few stitches at the start and the end, but you could also use craft glue here.

Now take your ears, fold over the two bottom sides, and stitch them closed, tacking the two folded sides into place. Place them onto your headband and pin and sew down. Sew all around the bottoms of the ears making them nice and firm.

Now for decorating! I made a pom pom, a tulle flower, a quirky stuffed sphere covered in beads, and then tied some other decorations on. Use artistic license here and decorate however you like.

I made a tulle flower by taking a piece of tulle 1 1/2” wide by about 20” long and sewing all along one side then gathering it together, then adding a few more secure stitches at the bottom.

I have nifty little pom pom makers, so I used one of these to make a pom pom. If you have one, use the instructions on your pom pom maker.

I also took a circle of some other velvet type fabric, around 3 1/2” in diameter. I sewed running stitch all around the edges, and gathered it together placing stuffing in the middle before tightening and securing with a few stitches. I then sewed on some sequins and beads to make a quirky little decoration

I had a little glitter flower with a wire stem that I twisted around the headband. I then tried out different arrangements for my decorations and sewed them on when I was happy with their placement. To finish, I took some pom pom ric rac, and twisted this all through and around the decorations, tacking at each end with a needle and thread.

To add pretty beads simply thread some wool through and tie them on.

You could also use some craft glue to place your decorations on. I like to sew my pieces on as I think it gives a better finish.

So, there you have it! Bendable bunny ears for the little cuties in your life, all ready for some exciting Easter egg hunts!

Enjoy!

Jules :)

To see more of my work or to get in touch, visit me at http://julesmadden.blogspot.com.au

happy weekend!

supplies that i'm excited to try

sennelier abstract acrylics   molotow one4all acrylic twin marker   sharpie hero pack  royal and langnickel essentials art bag   molotow aqua squeeze brush pen   sargent art liquid metals metallic marker   marvy uchida color watercolor twist set   finetec  artist mica watercolors 

paper plate flower wreath

If you are a long time reader, you will know that I love making wreaths and using them around the house year round. With the start of spring, I wanted to come up with a bright white floral wreath that I could use as a fun accent in our home. 

I used paper plates to create a variety of whimsical flowers for my wreath. The great thing about paper plates is that you can fold, bend and mold them and they are thick enough to hold their shape.

I wanted flowers in all kinds of different shapes so I started by cutting the edges of the paper plates. These edges are the petals of the flowers.

I used 4 paper plates each cut smaller and smaller.

Next, I used the end of a paint brush to lightly roll the petals to give them a little dimension.

I rolled all the edges of each paper plate and then using hot glue, I glued and stacked them on top of each other.

To create the middle of my flower, I used the outside strip of the paper plate. I made small cuts into the strip.

Next, I rolled and glued the strip.

Then I glued this piece to the center of the flower.

I repeated this process to create different flowers in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Using a large embroidery hoop, I glued all of those paper flowers to the hoop. 

The result is a whimsical paper wreath perfect for celebrating the beginning of spring!