Washcloth Bunnies

I didn’t realize how hard it was to find small stuffed toys for my niece and nephews for Easter. So many of the cute little things that are obviously made for small children have tags that specify they are not for children under 3. Really?! The ones that are made for children that young are usually more expensive, too. So I started looking for alternatives.

While at the store I remembered seeing animals made from folded towels and wash clothes, so I opened Pinterest on my phone to see what I could find.

Three Wash Cloth bunnies for Easter

There are a lot of variations on folded animals out there on the Internet. I found this version which only needs a washcloth and a rubber band. I didn’t add anything extra, like eyes or tails or neck ribbons, which would have been cute, I  kept it very simple.

I chose three different colors for the bunnies: blue for the oldest boy (about 5), pink for his little sister (most 3 year-old girls like pink at least a little bit), and aqua/teal for this littlest (less than 1-year-old). My thought is they are cute as a gift but are useful. They don’t have to be just one more cute little fuzzy toy to be played with for a short time and then forgotten. And if they want the bunnies back they are simple enough to remake.

Two Wash Cloth bunnies for Easter

I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t see the kids get them. Several family members were under the weather including the kid’s grandma and mom. I sent them the bunnies and a few other Easter basket goodies home anyway. Their mom texted me thanks and that they liked the bunnies.

Though we missed a few of the family and had to change the venue (from my sister-in-law’s house to ours) Easter was a wonderful day. It was cold outside but my grandkids insisted they wanted an egg hunt. We didn’t hide them very well but they got to go out and look for them. They also got to go to the neighbor’s place and see the baby chicks. That was a high light of the day. We were so blessed to have as many come as we did.

The tatting the bunnies are sitting on is a piece I started maybe 15 years ago. I got almost done with this part and decided I didn’t like it for table clothe I was wanting to make. The pink bunny is hiding the unfinished edge where I ran out of thread and never went back to finish. With a little strategic planning, it is still pretty enough to use.

“Having someone to love is Family
Having somewhere to go is Home
Having both is a Blessing”
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Bunny Bookmarks

I didn’t get as many bunnies tatted as I hoped I would, but I finished enough to make bookmarks for a few special people.

Tatted bunny bookmark

A little green thread worked well as grass to support the tatted bunnies and a few flowers.  They look very bright and spring-y, don’t they?

3 tatted bunny bookmarks

I made these for my mother and her sisters.  They are the same but different 🙂 They were well received when I delivered them Easter afternoon.

My husband and I were fortunate to have several days of holiday from work Easter weekend.  We did a little yard work, had some family time, and still had time to just relax and enjoy our time off.

I’m still working on the UFOs (Un-Finished Objects) that I’ve located.  Okay, maybe just thinking about working on them.  I keep coming up with new things I want to make.  How do I decide what to work on first?

How do you decide what to work on?

“Do it now! Today will be yesterday tomorrow.”

Here Be Bunnies

Spring is here and Easter is in a few days.  This year, to get into the spirit of the season, I’ve made a few bunnies.

Spring Bunny

I had brown Lizbeth #698 size 10 on shuttles already, so I used that and white Lizbeth #601 size 10.  The bunny head is a ring, the body are chains, and the tail is a Single Shuttle Split Ring.

Field of tatted bunnies

The brown bunny without a tail is the first one I made.  Those are feet instead of a tail, so he’s facing front instead of back.  The hardest part of the ones with tails is not seeing the white at the top of the body when finishing off the bunny. I plan on using these on bookmarks or cards so used a bit of glue on the back after tying a knot at the back.  That way I didn’t have to hide the ends of the white thread.

These were fun and easy to make, though I haven’t done as many as I’d like. I had a few days off from work last week but I hardly tatted at all.  My sister and I took a little trip for a little sister time. I did a lot of driving and a lot of talking.

Our little trip included a visit to one set of grandchildren this last weekend.  We decorated Easter eggs together.  It was a lot of fun, though they had to finish all the eggs we started with their mother.

I plan on seeing the other set of grandchildren this next weekend.  Not sure if we’ll color eggs or not.   If we can’t all get together at the same time for Easter, this will have to be the next best thing.

“May your Easter be filled with lots of Easter eggs, presents from the Easter bunny, blessings from Jesus Christ and most of all happiness that lasts for a life time. I’m sending lots of love on your way. Happy Easter to you.”
Unknown

A Bunny and Two Hearts

TIAS 2016 © Jane Eborall

Look! Look!  I got the TIAS done!  Yay!

This Burgundy thread (Lizbeth #672 size 20) was a little too dark - I couldn't see what I was doing when I made a mistake.  He did come out pretty cute - love the teeth and carrot!

Tatted Heart adapted by Barbara Foster from design by

Mrs. J.M. Blackman, appearing in Modern Priscilla magazine in 1917

One of my aunts ended up in the hospital Saturday, so instead of taking her real flowers I took her some fake ones Sunday (no worries about spilling the water or flowers drooping before she could enjoy them).  It was a hurry-up job.  The 'vase' is a spice jar with a piece of burlap ribbon and a piece of smaller, white ribbon wrapped around it and the tatted heart - which I tatted up on the way from our house to the hospital.  I took the with me and attached the heart to the ribbon while we were in the parking garage.  This was the best of the pictures I took of it before we left.

My aunt liked it.

Joy's Heart Cross Bookmark © Wanda Salmans 2016
in Lizbeth #147 Red Burst size 20

This has been my take-along tatting project this last week.  I needed something without beads or too complicated (like the TIAS) and one that I wouldn't worry about messing up (like the Round Robin doily I'm working on).  I made the rings of the arms a bit bigger than I made the bookmark I gave my brother-in-law; I think this looks better.  My plan was to frame it and give it to my mother for Valentine's day but I haven't gotten that done yet.  I'll just give it to her when I get all the finishing touches done.

Now on to other things: the Round Robin doily I still have; a wedding gift for next month; the pincushions I want to make...  It feels good to be getting over the funk I've been in.

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts."
Eleanor Roosevelt
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Tatted Horse Picture

I finished the horse picture, yay!

After much thought and trial I finally decided on Kraft paper as the background.  It was very hard to come up with a background that showed off the silver horse and the brown saddle without making one or the other disappear.  This choice looked the best of all the colors that were tried.  

Then, of course, what to put with the horse?  Flowers, yes, but how many and what colors?  How about grass? Yes, but long strips? short strips? Critters?  And then how should they be put together?

A lot of time was spent debating and trying out different ideas.  Some worked, some didn't.  I finally took a break from it all and just worked on my vest.  Which really helped, as when I went back to the horse things came together a lot faster.

This picture was taken before the glass went on and I debated about leaving it this way.  But putting the glass on would keep the dust off the tatting, so on it went.  

I'm very happy with the results.

Now I just have to give it to the planned recipient.

About two months late.

Horse (Foal) by Inga Madsen from "Tatted Animals" in Lizbeth  Silver #605 and Mocha Brown Dk #692, size 20

Lady Bug by Sue Hanson in #671 Christmas Red, size 20

Bunny doodle* Mocha Brown Dk #692, size 20

Dandelion and collage ideas from "Tatting Collage" by Lindsay Rogers

*can't remember where I saw this. If anyone knows, please let me know!

"The horse I bet on was so slow, the jockey kept a diary of the trip"

Henny Youngman

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Bunny Face

I've decided I like the bunny face.  I've made a few more, playing around with it a little, mostly with the ears.  I think the bottom one looks a little more like a dog than a bunny, but still has potential.  I don't think this will become an edging, at least not without a lot more work, but it looks pretty good as a bunny face. 

I've been trying to find out if there is another bunny that is made like this.  I've found several really cute bunnies: 

Tatman has a couple of cute bunnies here and here. I also hear he has a pattern for a bunny in an egg, but I don't know where to find the pattern.  I saw it on Steph's Stuff; very cute!

Bella OnLine has several bunny patterns, including a few edgings, found here.
[the first link on the page, Brenda's Bunnies, does not contain tatting. It looks to have been hacked]

Nancy has a cute one on her be-stitched site, here.  

I checked Dianna Steven's book 'Animal Bookmarks, a Tatted Zoo', which has a really cute bunny bookmark, but it doesn't look like this either. 

So, if anybody is interested, I have put the pattern up on my sidebar.  The pattern has the rounded ears like the top two in the picture. I made the bottom one today while I was sipping my Tatting Tea Tuesday tea, after I had the pattern 'finished'.  I might make an addendum for changing up the ears later.

This time of year thinking of bunnies makes me think of Easter, so I'll leave you with another Easter poem.

Sky Bunnies

The sky is full of bunny clouds

So soft and fat and white,

I wonder if they're hiding eggs

For stars to find at night.

Because it's Easter Eve, you know,

And there's no reason why

There shouldn't be an Easter hunt

In meadows in the sky.

From http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/songspoems15.html

Looking for the Bunny

I usually don't think to make seasonal things until much too close to the actual holiday, but I'm actually thinking Easter already.  It's already Lent so there are only about 40 days left to get things made before Easter.

My first (only?) Easter-themed tatting this year is a bunny face.  I did this while riding in the car without a pattern but I'm pretty sure I've seen this, or a close variation, somewhere.  I have Dianna Steven's book 'Animal Bookmarks, a Tatted Zoo' which has a rabbit in it, so that may be it; I'll have to check.  I already checked Jane's patterns and didn't see it there. This one is made in Victorian Red #670 Lizbeth thread, size 20 and you can see it's not very big.  I've already thought of a different way to make this - my original plan for the bunny was an edging for the hem of some pants for my grand-daughter. Some adjustments will need to be made to resemble the idea in my head.

I wasn't sure I liked this bunny, but I like the picture of him ☺.

Secret Information

Would you like to know a secret?

Well, I'll tell you one I know:

The Easter's Bunny's coming,

My mama told me so.

He'll bring a basket filled with eggs

And leave it in my yard,

And I will find it Easter morn,

If I look very hard.

I shouldn't tell my secret,

But I think it should be shared.

You ought to know that Bunny's coming,

So you can be prepared!