Happy New Year! I am so glad to be back! How were the holidays at your house? Did you make any New Year resolutions? If you resolved to craft more (I did) and try a new crafting technique (or two), then today’s Felted Snow Bunny by Debra Quartermain is for you. This adorable Snow Bunny is a sweet alternative to making a wintertime snowman. The Bunny is made by placing wool roving on the shapes of STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam, and then punching into the foam with a felting needle. It’s not hard, and I can’t imagine a cuter way to learn how to needle felt.

Felted Snow Bunny by Debra Quartermain.

To make a Felted Snow Bunny, you’ll need:

• STYROFOAM™ Brand Foam: 4-7/8” x 3-½” egg; 1-½” & 2″ balls; 3” disc; small scrap of 1” sheet
• Wool roving: 2 oz. each of natural and cotton candy pink
• Felt, 6” x 18” in cotton candy pink
• Wood skewer
• Embroidery floss, 2 yds. in ivory
• Crystal glitter
• Hair spray
• Round toothpicks, two
• Brads: two black & one pink
• Pink chalk or blush
• Acrylic craft paint in white
• Thick white craft glue
• Tools needed: Felting needle; embroidery needle; scissors; serrated knife; pencil; ruler
  

To make the Felted Snow Bunny:

A note about needle felting: Felting needles are extremely sharp and should be handled with care. To felt, place wool roving onto your foam shape and then punch the felting needling into the foam shape. The needle will bind together the wool fibers and the foam shapes. Continue punching the needle into the foam until the roving is completely “attached” to the foam shape.

 1. Flatten the wide end of the foam egg and one side of the 2″ ball by pressing against the tabletop.

2. Squeeze a dab of glue onto both ends of a toothpick. Insert toothpick into narrow end of the egg and flat side of the ball. Press firmly together.

3. Loosely cover the head and body with natural roving. To felt the wool, punch the needle through the wool roving and into the foam. Start felting where the head is joined to the body, creating a neck. The needle will bind together the wool fibers and the foam shapes. Continue felting the body and the head.

Felt just the edges on the arms and mittens so the centers remain “puffy.”

4. Place small amount of natural roving onto the foam scrap. Using the felting needle, felt fibers together to create a piece of felted fabric. Cut two ears from felted fabric. Gently apply a small amount of blush to insides of ears.

5. Needle felt ears to top of head, and slightly curve the tip of each ear.

6. For the arms, make two small, 2-1/2” long ovals from natural wool. Place on either side of the body where the head and neck join together. Needle felt arms to the body along the edges, and do not needle felt the centers. Make two small balls of pink wool and needle felt around the edges at the end of each arm and do not felt the centers.

7. Cut a 2” x 16” scarf from pink felt. Cut 1” fringe into each end. Randomly felt very small dots on the scarf.

8. Cut a 7-1/2” x 3” strip of felt for the hat. Turn under ¾” along each long edge so the strip measures 7-1/2” x 1-1/2”. Using three strands of floss, add French knots to the hat.

Super sweet!

9. Cut skewer to 8”, paint it white, and let it dry. Cover foam disc with natural wool felt and needle felt both sides and edges. Cut six 2” thin strands of pink wool. Place one at a time on disc, needle felting into snowflake. Take tiny pieces of pink wool to needle felt pink dots around snowflake.

10. Felt a smaller snowflake on the bunny’s body, following Step 10.

12. Cover 1-1/2″ ball with natural wool and needle felt in place. Add glue to both ends of a toothpick, and insert the toothpick into the ball and then into the back of the bunny. Position the tail to help the bunny stand.

11. Blush bunny’s cheeks. Wrap hat around head and glue at the back or pin. Tie scarf around neck. Press black brads into head for eyes. Press pink brad into place for nose. Insert skewer into disc and insert other end through the mitten and into body. Spray with hair spray and sprinkle with glitter.

A bundled-up bunny.

I’m going to share another cutie by Debra tomorrow, so you don’t want to miss Friday on Crafts ‘n Coffee.

Does anyone care to share their New Year resolutions?

Happy crafting!

Sharon