Whether it’s used for collecting eggs during an Easter egg hunt or as an everyday carryall, this bunny crossbody bag is perfect for spring. Although this project will require a little bit more time, I promise that the extra work will be worth it when you see the smile on your little one’s face!.

Materials

• lining fabric
• main fabric
• metallic gold heat transfer vinyl
• Cricut
• weeding tool
• sewing machine
• scissors
• fusible interfacing

Hop to It

To get started, download and print the pattern for the ears. Cut the ears out and use them to cut two ears out of the main and lining fabrics, as well as the fusible interfacing. Next, cut two 10-inch wide by 11-inch tall rectangles out of both of your main and lining fabrics. Pin the sides and bottom edges of the lining pieces together with the right sides together and sew along these three edges with a 3/8″ seam allowance. Backstitch at the beginning and end. Repeat these steps with the main fabric.

To create a little depth for our bunny bag, we’re going to box the bottom of the bag. Draw a line 1 inch to the right of the left edge of the lining and another 1 inch from the bottom. Repeat on the right side. Cut out the corner on each side of the lining. To make life easier, iron the side and bottom seams flat. Now, pull the front and back apart and line up the side and bottom seams on each side of the bag. Pin the fabric in place and sew a seam on each side of the lining. Repeat these steps with the main fabric.

All Ears

Follow the directions on your fusible interfacing fabric and adhere it to the wrong side of the main fabric for the ears. Because my lining fabric is thin, I also used interfacing on the lining fabric for the ears. The interfacing will ensure that the ears are rigid enough to stand up. Pin the curved sides of the main and lining fabrics together with the right sides touching and sew. Trim the seam allowance, turn the ears right side out and iron flat.

Find the midpoint of each ear, and fold both sides of the ear so that the edges meet in the middle. Pin the fabric and baste together with a 1/4″ seam allowance. Next, turn the lining right side out and pin the ears to the lining. The pointy tips of the ears should be facing the bottom of the lining and the main fabric will be facing up. Baste the ears in place with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

Strapped

Cut 2 1/4″ by 36″ rectangles out of your main fabric and fusible interfacing. Attach the interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric. Fold the left and right edges toward the centerline of the fabric so that they meet in the middle. Iron the fabric flat and fold it in half. Pin the strap and sew a seam close to the edge. I used my edge stitch foot which helped guide the fabric so that my seam was a consistent distance from the edge of the fabric. Line up each end of the strap with the top of the lining, centering each end on the side seams of the lining. Baste the strap in place with 1/4″ seam allowance.

Insert the lining into the main, which should still be inside out. The right sides of each layer will be touching and the strap will hang down toward the bottom of the bag. Both the strap and the ears will be sandwiched in between the lining and main. Pin the fabric and sew using a 3/8″ seam allowance. Stop 3″ before your starting point and use this opening to turn the bag right side out. Iron along the seam, folding edges of the 3″ open seam toward the interior of the bag. We will topstitch the top of the bag to close this seam. Start at one of the side seams and sew 1/8″ from the top edge of the crossbody.

Let’s Face It

Congratulations! If you’re still with me, you have a bunny crossbody bag with missing facial features. To remedy this unsettling situation, download the face and upload it to your Cricut Design Space. Save the file as a Cut File and insert it in a blank canvas. Make sure that the face is scaled such that it is 6 inches wide. Place the heat transfer vinyl on the mat with the glossy side down and turn the dial to the custom setting. Select iron-on foil from the menu and cut your file. Use the weeding tool to remove the excess vinyl around the nose, mouth, and eyes. Also, remember to remove the small piece inside each eye.

Next, turn your iron to the wool setting and pass it over the front of the bag until it is warm. Center the face over the front of the bag with the glossy protective layer facing up and press the iron down. Unless you’re going for a Picasso-inspired bunny, you should resist the urge to move the iron from side to side, as this movement will cause your vinyl will shift. Instead, pick the iron up and place it down on a new area after approximately three 15 to 20 seconds. I learned from trial and error that this process works best on a hard surface such as your floor. Slowly lift a corner of the plastic to see if the vinyl is adhering. If not, continue to apply heat until the plastic peels off easily. If so, continue to slowly lift the plastic.

Your bunny bag is now ready to be filled by “some-bunny” special!