It's a month of runners and look what Cherry has us hopping to ---Bunny Dreams Runner

Hello everyone!  I'm so glad to be back sharing my Bunny Dreams Runner with you all. Thanks Samm for inviting me!

I love bunnies (and the color orange) and this was the perfect time to play with this little design, and lots of orange too!! As I've mentioned before, I LOVE raw-edge applique, and today I'm using one of my favorite fusibles: Lite Steam-A-Seam 2, a repositionable adhesive that works like a Post-It note! You can move your applique pieces around and finger press them in place until you are pleased with the arrangement, then fuse them with a steam iron.

Bunny Dreams

Finished size: 32” x 14”

*WOF=Width of Fabric from selvage to selvage

Supplies:

Background fabric: ¾ yd white with dots

2^nd and 3^rd Borders, and grass in front of bunny: ½ yd green small print

1^st Border and grass behind bunny: 1 fat quarter green large print

Scraps for appliqués

3 different oranges for the large carrot, each about 1½" x 24"

Binding: ¼ yd

Lite Steam-A-Seam 2: 1 yd

Matching thread for appliqués

Cutting Instructions:

White Fabric:

(1) 12½” x 12½” for background – center appliqué

(1) 2½” x WOF strip. Cut this strip into (2) 2½” x 14½” for carrots border

(2) 1 3/8” x WOF. Cut these strips into (16) 1 3/8” x 4½” for pickets

(1) 1½” x WOF for pickets

Green Small Print:

(3) 1 3/8” x WOF. Cut (2) of these strips into (16) 2½” x 1 3/8” for pickets

                and (32) 1 3/8” squares for pickets

(1) 1½” x WOF for pickets

(1) 3½” x WOF strip. Cut this strip into (2) 3½” x 14½” for carrots border

Green Large Print:

(2) 1½” x WOF for pickets

A few words about Lite Steam-A-Seam 2

Lite Steam-A-Seam 2 fusible is sandwiched between two sheets of paper; the fusible is adhered to one side: this is the side you want to trace your templates onto; the other side is a liner that will be removed. So peal of a little corner to make sure you're tracing on the paper side with the fusible. Phew, that was wordy.... LOL

Trace your templates on the paper side of your fusible. Leave at least a 1/2" between templates, then cut them out about a 1/4" away from the traced line.

Remove the liner paper from the fusible, and lay the sticky side of the fusible onto the wrong side of the applique fabric.

Cut on the drawn line with sharp fabric scissors.

Alrighty, let's get going!

Trace all your templates onto Lite Steam-A-Seam 2

or your preferred paper backed fusible

and cut them out

The Dream Carrot...

Let's begin by working on that bunny's dream carrot

Cut (4) 1½" x 6" strips of each orange fabric

Sew these strips together and press the seams open

Lay your fusible large carrot onto the wrong side of your strips, fusible side down and press with a dry iron for 1-2 second. Cut on the drawn line 

Prepare the rest of your applique pieces and set aside

The Carrot Border

Sew (1) white 2½" x 14½" strip to (1) green small print 3½" x 14½" strip and press to the green

Arrange 7 small carrots onto the sewn strips, leaving at least a 1" seam allowance all around

Fuse in place with a steam iron

Now let's work on the bunny and his dream carrot

Fold the 12½" x 12½" background piece four-ways to find the center

Center over the layout diagram and pin in place

I used a light box for placement and finger pressed the templates onto the background

When happy with the placement, fuse with a hot-steam-iron

Here they are! Lucky bunny!

I did make a little mistake!!! Yeah, that bunny is a little pale and I will be changing that fab,

but ran out of time... 

Now stitch around all the applique pieces with a matching thread

I used a tiny blanket stitch with embroidery thread

I had to add something to make the runner a little longer,

so I made a little picket fence to keep that bunny out of my garden, lol

The Picket Fence

Let's work on the rail unit first!

Sew (1) white 1½" x WOF strip to (1) green small print 1½" x WOF strip and press to the green fabric

Cut this strip into (16) 1 3/8" wide segments

Sew a 2½” x 1 3/8" rectangle cut from the green small print to one of these segments

Repeat to make a total of (16) rail units 

And now the pickets 

Draw a diagonal line on the 1 3/8" green small print squares

Place over the 1 3/8" x 4½” white rectangles, and sew on this line

Trim the little corner off, leaving a 1/4" seam allowance

Open and press. Place another 1 3/8" square over this and 

sew on the drawn line

Trim, open, and press. You now have a picket. Make (16) of these 

Sew (2) rail units and (2) pickets to create a block that measures 4½” x 4"

Then sew 4 of these blocks to create the Picket Fence.

Repeat for a total of (2) borders

Now for the fun part!

Sew (1) 12½” x 1½” green large print to top of center

Repeat on bottom 

Sew a 14½” x 1½” green large print to each side

Add a Picket Fence to each side

And now the Carrot Borders

And it's ready for quilting!!!

I will add little buttons for the bow and eyes after I quilt it

(and after I replace the poor pale bunny...)

I had such a good time working on this little runner and hope you'll give it a try!

Visit my blog to get a copy of the Bunny Dreams templates

Hugs,