Bunny Patch

Designers: Vicki Bellino of Bloom Creek and Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill

• 18×22" piece (fat quarter) green tone-on-tone (hill, stem, and leaf appliqués)
• 18×22" piece (fat quarter) cream tone-on-tone (appliqué foundation)
• 9×22" piece (fat eighth) brown print (bunny appliqué)
• 18×22" piece (fat quarter) green floral (leaf appliqués; border Nos. 2, 4, and 5)
• 1⁄2 yard dark pink tone-on-tone (flower appliqués; border Nos. 2, 4, and 5; binding)
• 1⁄2 yard pink large floral (flower appliqués; quilt center; border Nos. 2, 4, and 5)
• 1⁄2 yard pink small floral (flower appliqués; quilt center; border Nos. 2, 4, and 5)
• 1-1⁄8 yards cream floral (border Nos. 1, 3, and 5)
• 2-1⁄2 yards backing fabric
• 45×53" batting
• Buttons: Two 1⁄2" pink, one 1⁄4" black
• 6-1⁄2" of 1⁄4"-wide pink ribbon
• Freezer paper
• Spray starch
• Water- or air-soluble fabric marker
• Permanent black marker
• 1⁄4" stencil brush

Finished quilt: 38-1⁄2×46-1⁄2"

Quantities are for 44⁄45"-wide, 100% cotton fabrics.

Measurements include 1⁄4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

Cut pieces in the following order. Click on "Download this Project" above for pattern pieces. Instructions for making templates and preparing appliqué pieces follow.

From green tone-on-tone, cut:

• 1--3⁄4×22" bias strip and 1--3⁄4×12" bias strip for stem appliqués
• 7 of Pattern I
• 1 of Pattern H

From cream tone-on-tone, cut:

• 1--13×17" rectangle

From brown print, cut:

• 1 each of patterns A, B, C, D, E, F, and G

From green floral, cut:

• 44--2-1⁄2" squares
• 7 of Pattern I

From dark pink tone-on-tone, cut:

• 5--2-1⁄2×42" binding strips
• 12-2-1⁄2" squares
• 3 each of patterns J and M
• 2 of Pattern K

From pink large floral, cut:

• 2--7-1⁄2×11-1⁄2" rectangles
• 34--2-1⁄2" squares
• 3 each of patterns K and  L
• 2 of Pattern N

From pink small floral, cut:

• 2--7-1⁄2 ×11-1⁄2" rectangles
• 38--2-1⁄2" squares

From cream floral, cut:

• 2--4-1⁄2 ×38-1⁄2" border No. 5 strips
• 2--4-1⁄2 ×30-1⁄2" border No. 5 strips
• 2--2-1⁄2 ×34-1⁄2" border No. 3 strips
• 2--2-1⁄2 ×26-1⁄2" border No. 1 strips
• 2--2-1⁄2 ×22-1⁄2" border No. 3 strips
• 2--2-1⁄2 ×14-1⁄2" border No. 1 strips

Designer Anne Sutton uses a freezer-paper-and-starch method for appliquéing. Instructions that follow are for this technique.

1.    Lay freezer paper, shiny side up, over patterns. Use a permanent black marker to trace each pattern once, leaving 1⁄2" between tracings. (You will be tracing on shiny side of freezer paper.) Mark the edges of areas that will be overlapped with a dashed line.

2.    Place the sheet of drawn shapes with its shiny side against dull side of an additional piece of freezer paper; fuse together with a hot dry iron. (This double layer makes a firm, crisp template, and the ink will be sandwiched in between sheets.) Cut out layered shapes on drawn lines to make freezer-paper templates.

3.    Using a hot dry iron, press a template, shiny side down, onto wrong side of designated fabric; let cool. Cut out appliqué piece, adding a 1⁄4" seam allowance to all edges.

4.    Spray a small amount of starch into a dish. Cover a firm pressing surface with a tea towel or muslin; set appliqué on surface with template side up. Dip stencil brush or cotton swab in starch and moisten seam allowance of appliqué piece. Anne recommends wetting a 2" area of the seam allowance at a time.

5.    Using tip of a hot dry iron, turn seam allowance over edge of freezer-paper template and press firmly until fabric is dry. (Anne recommends using an awl to help turn the edge.) Press entire seam allowance, adding starch as necessary and ensuring fabric is pressed taut against template. Do not turn under any areas that will be overlapped.

6.    Turn over appliqué piece and press lightly from fabric side. Carefully peel off template.

7.    Repeat steps 3–6 to prepare each appliqué piece.

1.    Fold under 1⁄4" along each long edge of green tone-on-tone 3⁄4 ×22" and 3⁄4 ×12" bias strips; press. (To prepare the strips more quickly, Anne used a 1⁄4"-wide bias tape maker.)

2.    Cut prepared bias strips into 3"-, 7"-, and 20"-long stems.

1.    Fold cream tone-on-tone rectangle in half twice. Lightly press folds to create an appliqué foundation with placement guidelines; unfold.

2.    Tape Pattern O to a light box or sunny window. Aligning fold lines with dotted lines on pattern, position appliqué foundation over pattern. Using a water- or air-soluble marker, lightly trace Pattern O onto appliqué foundation. (Do not cut out.)

3.    Referring to Appliqué Placement Diagram, lay out shapes and prepared stems within traced oval on appliqué foundation. Baste, glue-baste, or pin all pieces in place.

4.    Using threads that match the appliqué shapes and working from bottom layer to top, machine-appliqué pieces in place.

5.    Trim foundation fabric behind appliqués, leaving 1⁄4" seam allowances. Press appliquéd oval from wrong side.

6.    Using Pattern O, trim appliquéd oval.

1.    Sew together two pink large floral 7 -1⁄2×11-1⁄2" rectangles and two pink small floral 7 -1⁄2×11-1⁄2" rectangles in pairs (Diagram 1). Press seams toward pink large floral rectangles. Join pairs to make quilt center background. Press seam in one direction.

2.    Center appliquéd oval on quilt center background; baste. Using cream-color thread, machine-appliqué oval in place to complete quilt center (Quilt Assembly Diagram). The quilt center should be 14-1⁄2×22-1⁄2" including seam allowances.

1.    Sew together one dark pink tone-on-tone 2-1⁄2" square, one pink small floral 2-1⁄2" square, and two green floral 2-1⁄2" squares in pairs (Diagram 2). Press seams in opposite directions. Join pairs to make a Four-Patch unit. Press seam in one direction. The Four-Patch unit should be 4-1⁄2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make four Four-Patch units total. Set aside for border No. 5.

2.    Sew cream floral 2-1⁄2 ×14-1⁄2" border No. 1 strips to short edges of quilt center. Add cream floral 2-1⁄2 ×26-1⁄2" border No. 1 strips to remaining edges. Press all seams toward border.

3.    Sew together nine assorted green floral, pink large floral, and pink small floral 2-1⁄2" squares to make a short border No. 2 strip. Press seams in one direction. The strip should be 2-1⁄2×18-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second short border No. 2 strip.

4.    Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, join two dark pink tone-on-tone 2-1⁄2" squares and 13 assorted green floral, pink large floral, and pink small floral 2-1⁄2" squares to make a long border No. 2 strip. Press seams in one direction, pressing ends of strip toward dark pink tone-on-tone squares. The strip should be 2-1⁄2×30-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second long border No. 2 strip.

5.    Sew short border No. 2 strips to short edges of quilt center. Add long border No. 2 strips to remaining edges. Press all seams toward border No. 1.

6.    Sew cream floral 2-1⁄2×22-1⁄2" border No. 3 strips to short edges of quilt center. Add cream floral 2-1⁄2×34-1⁄2" border No. 3 strips to remaining edges. Press all seams toward border No. 3.

7.    Sew together 13 assorted green floral, pink large floral, and pink small floral 2-1⁄2" squares to make a short border No. 4 strip. Press seams in one direction. The strip should be 2-1⁄2×26-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second short border No. 4 strip.

8.    Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, join two dark pink tone-on-tone 2-1⁄2" squares and 17 assorted green floral, pink large floral, and pink small floral 2-1⁄2" squares to make a long border No. 4 strip. Press seams in one direction, pressing ends of strip toward dark pink tone-on-tone squares. The strip should be 2-1⁄2×38-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second long border No. 4 strip.

9.    Sew short border No. 4 strips to short edges of quilt center. Add long border No. 4 strips to remaining edges. Press all seams toward border No. 3.

10.  Sew cream floral 4-1⁄2 ×30-1⁄2" border No. 5 strips to short edges of quilt center. Sew Four-Patch units to ends of cream floral 4-1⁄2×38-1⁄2" border No. 5 strips; press seams away from Four-Patch units. Add pieced border No. 5 strips to remaining edges of quilt center to complete quilt top.

1.    Layer quilt top, batting, and backing; baste.

2.    Quilt as desired. Designer Vicki Bellino machine-quilted a grid pattern behind the appliqués and a scallop design in the appliquéd grass (Quilting Diagram). She quilted a feather design around the appliquéd oval. In the first four borders she quilted a cathedral window-style design. In the final border she repeated the feathered design from the quilt center, quilting a single wreath in each corner unit.

3.    Bind with dark pink tone-on-tone binding strips.

4.    Referring to photo, hand-sew two pink 1⁄2" buttons and one black 1⁄4" button on bunny appliqué. Tie a bow with 1⁄4"-wide ribbon and tack in place at bunny's neck.