Ballard Inspired French Bunny Pillow

I know I always say that I am excited about my latest project, but I love this one! He’s just in time for spring, but can live at my house all year long…my frenchy bunny pillow! I’ve had him on my mind ever since I saw…



…these pillows at the Ballard Designs web site! I immediately fell in love with all of them, but especially the bunny! They are hooked wool and a little pricey for me at $54, so I decided to make my own version.

My main problem has been finding the just right bunny, but when I saw these little guys in this vintage print at Reusable Art, I knew that with a little work, I had found him!



And after some tweaking, here he is! I added the frenchy label as well. He is backwards so that he can be used as an iron-on transfer. Now I've got my bunny graphic, so I am ready to make the pillow! 
First, I printed the graphic on transfer paper in 8 x 10 size using Photoscape. I trimmed closely around the bunny and cut the lettering away so that I could space it a little higher for my pillow.

Next, I cut my fabric one inch larger than my pillow form. On one of the pieces I drew a pair of stripes around the edges with a pencil. I taped the edges of the stripes and filled in between my tape with a fabric marker. NOTE: For a no-sew pillow, just use a pre-made pillow cover in a neutral fabric such as those sold at Hobby Lobby. Be sure to place wax paper inside the cover while you are adding the stripes.

Then, with a little help from my handsome co-host Baby Kitty, I sewed the pillow cover on three sides with wrong sides together, turned it right-side out, pressed it and ironed on my transfers, following the package directions. For the no-sew version, remove the wax paper and then follow the directions on the transfer paper package to iron on the bunny graphic.

Finally, I popped in a down insert (a Goodwill find for under $3.00), hand-stitched it closed and voilà! What do you think? Not bad, huh? And for waaaay less than $54!
Note: Since I created this pillow, I have begun using envelope-style closures to finish them. This allows me to remove the covers to store them and saves lots of space since I seem to have a pillow addiction as well! You can find a tutorial for envelope-style closures here.

Isn’t he just the cutest bunny ever? He looks right at home on my frenchy chairs on the patio! Now I am thinking about that cute sheep and the duck…hmmm…

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed a little peek at my frenchy bunny pillow! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Stephanie Lynn at Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party
Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday (first Monday of the month)
Mary at Boogieboard Cottage for Masterpiece Monday
Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Beth at The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday
Linda at Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
Anita at Cedar Hill Ranch for Cowgirl Up on Tuesdays
Kristin at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday’s Treasures
Kim at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays
Judy at DIY by Design for Swing into Spring and the Bunny Blog Hop
Debbie at Debbiedoo’s Blogging and Blabbing for the Copycat Challenge  
Gina at The Shabby Creek Cottage for Transformation Thursdays and Spring Linky Party
Cindy at My Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Courtney at French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
Jen at Tatertots & Jello for the Weekend Wrap-Up Party
Heather and Vanessa at At the Picket Fence for Inspiration Friday
Debra at Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday
Sherry at The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Donna at Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
French Country Cottage for the Six Days of Spring Party
See you next time! A la prochaine!