Make a Stuffed Bunny from a Sweater

Remove buttons and shoulder pads from a 100 percent wool sweater. Place the sweater in a pillow protector bag (to prevent the wool fibers from clogging the washer) and pin the bag's zipper shut.

Wash the sweater in hot water using a gentle detergent. After washing, check whether the sweater has felted — it should shrink to about half its original size and lose most of its stretch, and the wool will be from 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. If not, run the garment through another wash cycle or two.

Dry the sweater in the dryer.

Cut apart the sweater along the seam lines and then press the wool flat, if needed.

Print the pattern for the stuffed bunny and cut out the paper pattern pieces. Pin the pattern pieces to a single layer of wool, reversing the pattern pieces as indicated on the pattern. Cut out each piece carefully.

Pin the body pieces together with wrong sides facing (the right side, the prettiest side of the fabric, should be to the outside), carefully matching up raw edges.

Thread a handsewing needle with a double strand of matching buttonhole thread. Sew the seam with a running stitch, poking through the fabric one stitch at a time. (If the wool is lightweight, you can instead use a sewing machine.) Stitch around the body 1/8 inch from the edge, leaving a 2-inch opening along the belly for stuffing.

Stuff the body firmly with polyester fiberfill. Use small pieces of fiberfill and push them into place with a stuffing tool — a chopstick works well. You can manipulate the shape by how you place the fiberfill. Stitch the opening closed.

Fold a leg in half with wrong sides facing, carefully matching up raw edges, and pin. Stitch around the leg 1/8 inch from the edge to the toe. Stuff the leg firmly with fiberfill.

Fold over the foot flap and pin to the bottom edge of the leg. Handstitch around the foot flap from the toe toward the heel. Before closing the heel, add fiberfill to shape the foot nicely, then stitch the rest of the flap closed.

Repeat for each leg.

Pin the completed legs in position on the body. To check the position of the legs, stand the stuffed bunny up. Adjust the leg position as needed.

Hold 3/4-inch buttons at the top of each front leg. Using a 5- or 6-inch soft sculpture needle (also called doll needle) and a doubled strand of buttonhole thread, sew through all layers (button, leg, body, leg, button). Pull the thread to tighten the buttons against the legs and knot the thread under a button to hide the knot.

Repeat for the back legs, using 1-1/4 buttons.

Fold each ear in half lengthwise with wrong sides facing. Position an ear in place on each side of the head and pin. Using a 3/8-inch button on each side, stitch through the head to secure the ears in place.

Sew 1/4-inch black shank buttons in place for eyes. Stitch through the head, pulling tight to slightly indent the buttons.

Stitch the stuffed bunny's nose using pink pearl cotton or embroidery floss.