{Free Pattern} - Bonita Bunny

Good morning lovely!  How are your Easter preparations going? It's only a few weeks away now and my shopping is done, the menus are planned and I've decorated the house.  I used a lot of neutral and natural decorations this year which is quite odd for me because there's usually colourful eggs and bunnies in every corner!

I do like this more subdued (grown up) style of decorating but it didn't feel right without a small pop of colour. I decided to sew an Easter mini quilt, and I loved it so much that I had to offer it to you as an Easter freebie. Say hello to the adorable Bonita Bunny:

Awww isn't she cute? No matter how old I get, family celebrations bring out the child in me and this sweet and simple bunny makes my heart sing. She was just what I needed to hang in our entryway and every time I come into the house I smile at her quirky innocence.

The kids are going to love this mini quilt and as its so quick and easy to sew so you'll be able to make lots and use them anywhere in the house - if my kids were still little they would want a family of these bunnies hanging in their bedrooms I can assure you. ;)

Bonita Bunny is a simple paper pieced block pattern and I found the block in the EQ8 library. It looked cute as it was, but I knew it would come alive with the addition of some buttons for eyes and a little bow for her ear.

I decided to sew an 8" block and then raided my Bonnie and Camille fabrics for the perfect prints. The aqua, pink and reds are gorgeous for Easter and how adorable is that little gingham bow? Just perfect!

Paper piecing the block is super easy and its constructed in two sections with no fiddly piecing. I've drafted the templates to include three sizes in the free pattern (6", 8" and 10" square) and you can either make them into a mini quilt like I've done or use the blocks in any other quilt project.

It takes no time at all to piece the block and there's also a colouring sheet to help you select your colours or fabrics prior to sewing, or give it kids as an Easter colouring page - they will have fun with that!

I added a couple of old buttons for the eyes and I whipped up a fabric bow to make her pretty! The block looks great as it is but its the little details that give her character and bring her to life.

The bow is very simple to make and you could add a strip to cover the gathering and securing stitches in the centre if you want, but its only tiny and I think it looks fine as it is. The bow should suit all three sizes of this block but you could make it bigger or smaller if you wanted just by adapting the size of the initial rectangle.

At one point I thought about using the bow as a bow tie at the bottom of the block and calling him Bonito Bunny so play around with your embellishments - a mix of Benita's and Benito's would look lovely as a large quilt or as a pair of cushions for the kids bed.

No matter how you use this block I think it will add something cute to your Easter decorating, and the kids will love her/him (even the big kids...like me!).

The free pattern comes complete with full sized templates for all three sizes and full step by step instructions and diagrams. I've also included swatches of the fabrics I used but go crazy and pick fabrics from your stash that make you happy.

Click below to grab yourself a copy of my free Bonita Bunny pattern:

I hope you have fun making this little quilt/blocks, and make sure you use the hashtag #bonitabunnymini on social media so I can see what you made using this pattern.

Alisha of SomeBunnySews has produced an awesome video tutorial on You Tube for constructing this pattern, so if you need some help, go check it out! Have fun :)

Happy quilting :)