Start Your Sewing Adventure - Make a Handmade Bunny Doll

My goal was to recreate the lost doll of my childhood. I was given this handmade bunny doll for Christmas, and I still remember her perfect size and the pink ribbons tied in her ears. She quickly became my best friend and the inspiration for many sewing adventures.

The original Ms. Bunny had been handmade by an elderly woman and sold at consignment store. In a surreal recreation of the Velveteen Rabbit story, my doll was lost on a camping trip. I searched for a replacement, but I could never find a replacement the same size and shape as my special rabbit doll.

While writing the fantasy adventure novel, Mally the Maker, I brought Ms. Bunny back to life as a character within the book. Creating this rabbit doll pattern and series of tutorials was the natural next step.

I know the love, warmth, and specialness of a handmade bunny doll and I sincerely hope this tutorial inspires you to create many to love, gift, or sell. There are no restrictions for use on my doll patterns. Please make as many as you like and sell them so more kids can grow up with handmade bunny dolls to love.

Here's everything you'll need to create your Ms. Bunny. Affiliate links to Amazon are used in this post to link to relevant, tested products at no additional cost to you.

Fabric Requirements:

• ½-yard light to dark brown fabric for Ms. Bunny body (choose woven 100% cotton fabric for best results)
• Doll Fabric Panel Alternative – Create this bunny doll even faster and with perfectly coordinating colors with this Spoonflower fabric panel! Choose 1 yard of the Signature Petal cotton for best results.

Embellishment Supplies:

• Light pink embroidery floss for creating the distinctive bunny mouth
• Black embroidery floss OR two doll safety eyes for facial features

Construction Materials:

• Cotton piecing thread to match your fabric color
• High-quality polyester fiberfill for consistent, washable stuffing
• Chopstick or similar tool for precise stuffing placement

Essential Tools:

• Hand sewing needles in various sizes
• Embroidery needle for facial detail work
• Tapestry needle for specific construction steps
• Fabric marking pen or pencil for accurate pattern transfer
• Basic sewing supplies including patchwork foot and zigzag foot

Do you like to listen to audiobooks while you sew? I recorded the first three chapters of Mally the Maker, the quilt fantasy story about Mally and Ms. Bunny and their wild adventure in the world of Quilst. Listen to these tracks in order using the player below:

Want to keep reading? Find a softcover copy of Mally the Maker and the Queen in the Quilt below:

For best results, and especially for your first rabbit doll project, use woven 100% cotton fabric. This is commonly called Quilters Cotton and it provides the right stability for this sewing project.

After getting familiar with the pattern and making a few handmade bunny dolls, you can also try thin cotton flannel, sateen, thin suede or velveteen. I had to try my hand at with a green Velveteen Rabbit and she turned out gorgeous, though some seams were quite bulky.

How to Prepare Fabric for Doll Sewing

Washing your fabric before cutting is optional, though encouraged. You may need to one day wash your rabbit dolls, and if the fabric is washed ahead of time, it will be less likely to shrink or distort after washing.

If you are using the 1 Yard Ms.Bunny Spoonflower doll fabric panel, do not wash the fabric before cutting.

If you'd like to make this project much easier to sew, apply a layer of starch to the fabric, flip it over, then press from the opposite side with a hot, dry iron. Starch will stabilize the fabric, adding a subtle stiffness that makes matching seams much easier.

Click Here to find a detailed tutorial on fabric preparation.

Pattern preparation is the key to success with this rabbit doll! Start by cutting out all pattern pieces according to the layout guide provided in the sewing pattern. Take extra time to transfer all markings accurately – these dots, notches, and alignment marks are your guide to professional results.

When working with this handmade bunny doll pattern, precision matters more than speed. Double-check that you’ve arranged the fabric properly, especially when cutting out the ears, legs, and arms to ensure you’re cutting the correct number of each shape.

If you plan to make multiple rabbit dolls, consider making freezer paper templates. With an inkjet printer, you can print the pattern pieces directly onto the paper side of this heavy weight freezer paper, then cut out the shapes with sharp scissors.

If your printer can’t handle freezer paper, you can trace the pattern shapes onto the paper using a lightbox, then cut them out.

The thicker freezer paper makes it easy to cut multiple Ms. Bunny dolls. Place the waxy side of the paper against the fabric, then press with a hot, dry iron to stick the templates in place. Then move the fabric to your cutting table and cut out the shapes quickly with a rotary cutter or scissors.

Our first sewing task starts with the smallest pieces. Start by sewing the ears, arms, and legs according to the pattern instructions.

The key to professional-looking limbs on your rabbit doll lies in careful seam allowance management. After stitching each piece, trim seam allowances to a consistent ⅛-inch. This step reduces the bulk in the seams and allows the natural curves of the limbs to be fully expressed.

Pro tip for handmade bunny doll construction: Turn limbs right side out slowly and completely. Use a chopstick or similar blunt tool to push out corners and curves fully. Well-turned pieces contribute significantly to the overall appearance of your finished rabbit doll.

The Ms. Bunny Doll Sewing Pattern includes plenty of written instructions and high contrast photos to guide you through sewing your rabbit dolls. If you get hung up on something, I don’t want you to get stuck, so here’s a detailed video you can follow step-by-step through this sewing project:

The skills we’ve gained from sewing two legs, two arms, and two ears will now pay off as we tackle the head – the trickiest part of this sewing project. This section is composed of three pieces – two side head pieces with darts and a head center, which come together to form a “Y” seam to create a classic bunny doll head shape.

When fitting the center head piece to the side head pieces, use plenty of pins to ensure accurate alignment. The key to success lies in following the pattern markings precisely – start stitching exactly at the nose dot and continue around to the back of the head without deviation.

Critical technique note: When beginning and ending at marked dots, ensure your needle drops into the exact same spot when starting your seam line. Even one stitch off can create small gaps that compromise the professional appearance of your rabbit doll.

But as you’ll see in the video, even though my bunny doll ended up with a hole in the nose, it wasn’t ruined. The nose area is covered with embroidered stitching so don’t panic if your bunny doll face isn’t perfect.

If you’re planning to give your Ms. Bunny doll to a young child, I recommend using safety eyes. These are plastic snaps designed to lock together securely and permanently. This reduces the risk of buttons or beads popping off and becoming a choking hazard.

Click Here to find doll safety eye kits on Amazon

Poke a hole where the eye dots are marked on the fabrics and insert the safety eye from the right side. Place the plastic back on the wrong side. I find using the hole in a small spool of thread works perfectly for popping the safety eye pieces together

Make sure you pick two eyes the same size / color because once they are placed, they are almost impossible to remove!

The neck seam on Ms. Bunny often intimidates beginning sewists, but understanding the technique makes it manageable. This circular seam requires patience and careful fabric manipulation, as you're working in a confined space with limited visibility.

Break this seam into small sections, taking only a few stitches at a time before stopping to reposition your fabric. Consider basting this seam first, especially if you have large fingers. I found a hand basting stitch can often hold the pieces more accurately than pins, and you’re much less likely to stick yourself, too!

Remember that this challenging seam teaches valuable skills applicable to many advanced sewing projects. The techniques learned while creating your handmade bunny doll will serve you well when sewing Ms. Bunny’s dress, so don’t give up, even if the seams don’t match up properly.

The final body seam brings all elements of your rabbit doll together in one crucial step. Before stitching, carefully position all limbs according to the pattern instructions, paying special attention to leg orientation. Double and triple-check positioning – it's much easier to correct placement now than after the seam is sewn.

Pin all limbs securely in place, ensuring they won't shift during sewing. Again, hand basting or machine basting the legs onto the body front is a great idea if you don’t want to hassle with pins or legs ending up crossed awkwardly.

When stitching around the body, maintain a consistent seam allowance and take your time sewing around curves and corners. The quality of this final seam significantly impacts the overall appearance and durability of your Ms. Bunny. Trim the body seam allowance in half (reducing it to 1/8-inch from the stitching line) to reduce bulk and ensure smooth curves around the rabbit doll body.

Proper stuffing transforms your sewn pieces into a cuddly, professional-looking handmade bunny doll. The goal is achieving the right balance of firmness and softness in different areas to create both durability and huggability.

Head stuffing: Pack the head firmly to maintain shape and provide support for facial features. A well-stuffed head prevents sagging and ensures your rabbit doll maintains its intended proportions over time. Over time I have noticed a few well-loved dolls showing more wear around their safety eyes. Pack the head firmly to ensure this area doesn’t move after the doll is finished.

Body considerations: Stuff the torso firmly, particularly in the hip area, while leaving shoulders slightly softer to allow for natural arm positioning. This variable stuffing technique creates a more realistic feel and improves the doll's posability.

Limb finishing: Keep upper arms and thighs slightly softer than you might initially think appropriate. One quilter wrote in with this tip – if you’d like your Ms. Bunny doll or Mally rag doll to sit upright without falling backward, don’t fill the upper leg sections. The dolls will sit upright unaided if the upper legs are left unstuffed!

One of the final steps to our rabbit doll project is to add her face details. This is where her personality takes shape with simple stitches and pink thread.

Before embroidering Ms. Bunny’s nose and mouth, practice your stitches on fabric scraps first. The small scale of doll face and tightly woven fabric leaves little room for error, so confidence in your technique is essential. Use the light pink embroidery floss and a simple satin stitch to create Ms. Bunny's distinctive nose. Use a running stitch or back stitch to create her mouth.

If you didn’t insert safety eyes before, stitch a small circle with embroidery floss or sew on buttons. If the doll is intended for a child under 3, make sure to use safety eyes or embroidery floss - not buttons - for the eyes.

Another option always open to you is to draw the face on your doll with fabric markers. I did this for my Mr. Bunny doll shown below. Using a Micron Pigma Pen, I lightly colored the nose and mouth to create the desired look. Then after I had a nice outline, I made the marks darker until the face looked just right.

Once you've completed your first Ms. Bunny, I’m sure you’ll be ready to make even more. This doll can be customized with different fabric choices, varying the ear shape, or alternative facial expressions to create unique personalities.

The Ms. Bunny rabbit sewing pattern includes patterns for doll clothing, allowing you to create complete outfits that transform your rabbit doll into different characters. No one wants a naked bunny doll, so you’ll need to sew her a doll dress!