Mr. and Mrs. Easter Rabbit

Turn empty cardboard containers into rabbit candy holders for Easter decorating or gift-giving. These Easter rabbits are fun to make with felt and fabric. Project designed by Heidi Borchers.

Materials:

For each:

• Acrylic Paint
• Foam Brush
• Felt: White, pink, Black
• Aleene’s Thick Tacky Glue
• Pom-poms- white (1” diameter) 2
• Ice Pick
• Chenille Stem - 1

For Mr. Rabbit

• Cardboard container with plastic lid- 9-½” high , washed and dried
• Wiggle eyes (½”) 2
• Fabric-Blue floral- 1 (2-¼” x 11-¼”) piece, scraps
• Blue- 1 (6”x 11-¼”) piece, 2 (1” x 2”) strips, 1 (1-¼” x 11-¼”) strip
• Buttons (3/8”) 2
• Poster board scrap
• Cardboard white- 4” square
• Straw hat with flat crown- 4” diameter
• Ribbon- 2 (7-½”) lengths ¼” wide -blue
• Silk Flower-small

For Mrs. Rabbit:

• Cardboard container with plastic lid- 4” high washed and dried
• Wiggle eyes- (½” long)
• Fabric-Pink Floral 1 (1-¾” x 10”) strip, 1 (1-5/8” x 18-½“) strip
• Thread
• Ribbon- white- 16” length- ¼” wide
• Straw hate with round crown- 3-½” diameter
• Silk Flowers on wire- small

Instructions:

For each, paint the cardboard container white using the foam brush. Let dry. For Mr. Rabbit, cut 1 (2-¾” x 10-¼”)strip of white felt for head. For Mrs. Rabbit, cut 1 (2-3/8” x 9-¾”) strip of white felt for head. For each, center chin on 1 long edge of strip; trim excess along long edge. With straight long edge aligned with top edge of container, wrap and glue strip around container, leaving chin unglued.

For each, transfer patterns to felt and cut 2 cheeks from pink and 1 nose from black. Glue pom-poms side by side on white felt head above chin for snout. Glue nose on top of pom-poms. Glue felt cheeks and wiggle eyes on head. Let dry.

For Mr. Rabbit, with 1 long edge butted to bottom edge of felt head, wrap and glue 2-¼” x 11-¼” floral fabric around container for shirt, slipping fabric edge beneath edge of shirt, wrap and glue 6” x 11-¼” piece of blue fabric around container for bottom of body. Fold and glue excess fabric to bottom of container. Let dry. For each suspender, fold over both log edges of each 1” x 2” strip of blue fabric and glue. For waistband, fold over each long edge of 1-¼” x 11-¼” strip and glue. Refer to photo, glue suspenders on shirt, wrap and glue waist band around container, and glue buttons on waistband. Let dry.

Transfer large arm pattern to poster board; cut 2. Then transfer pattern to floral fabric scraps; cut 2 adding ¼” all around. Center and glue 1 poster board arm on each floral arm. Fold and glue excess fabric to poster board. Transfer pattern to remaining floral fabric scraps; cut 2, cutting just inside larked line. Center and glue 1 floral fabric on wrong side of each fabric covered arm. Let dry. Transfer hand patter to white felt; cut 2. Glue 1 hand to wrong side of each arm. Glue arms on body. Transfer feet pattern to white cardboard; cut 1. Glue feet to bottom of container. Let dry.

For Mrs. Rabbit, with 1 long edge butted to bottom edge of felt head, wrap and glue 1-¾” x 10-¼” pink print fabric around container for bottom of body, slipping fabric edge beneath felt chin. For skirt, turn under ¼” along all edges of remaining pink print fabric strip; glue for hem. Let dry. Run a gathering thread along 1 long edge. Pull to gather strip to fit container. With gathered edge butted to bottom edge of felt head and hemmed ends about 1-¼” apart below chin, glue skirt on body, adjusting gathers as needed. Let dry. Tie white in bow around body, covering gathered edge of skirt. Transfer small arm pattern to white felt; cut 2. Glue arms on body. Let dry.

For each, poke 2 holes about 1” apart through center of lid, using ice pick. Bend chenille stem in half; push one end through each hole. Working from inside, poke two holes in hat. Thread stem ends through holes in hat; glue hat on lid. Transfer patterns to felt and cut 4 ears from white and 2 inner ears from pink. With edged aligned, glue 2 white ears together, sandwiching 1 stem between. Glue 1 inner ear on ear. Repeat for remaining ear. Let dry. Cut 1 narrow strip of white felt to cover rim of lid. Glue felt strip on rim. Let dry.

For Mr. Rabbit, glue 1 blue ribbon around hat crown. Tie remaining ribbon in bow; glue to hatband, sandwiching flower stem inbetween.

For Mrs. Rabbit, shape wired silk flowers to fit crown of hat. Glue to hat. Let dry.