What do you Call a Man with 50 Rabbits up his Bottom?

Warren!

Good Aussie joke if ever there was one. And rabbits are the theme of tonight's blog. For those of you who don't know, before MO I had another life as a maker of toy rabbits for children's clothing shops. You know the type, full of hand-smocked dresses and little woolly blankets with sheep on? Well that's what I did, and I must have made thousands of the rotten things over the years, both to sell and for my friend's babies, and also for my babies. In fact, that's how I made my first bunny, for my son Charlie, before he was born.

I went into the usual nesting frenzy pregnant women have, madly folding and refolding tiny singlets and embroidering bees onto muslin squares, until I decided that my unborn child needed a comfort toy, and needed it now. I found in a cupboard an old pattern my Mum had, which was hand written and hand drawn and came from who knows where. I made my first bunny entirely by hand, sewing love and drippy Mummy feelings into every stitch.

Unfortunately I made Bunny for a girl, so when Charlie was born he immediately attached himself to a pink rabbit, and my husband had a hissy fit. But that's all in the past.

Bunny looked something like this -

and Charlie did love him, so much so that after nine and a half years, Bunny looks like this -



having been sewn many times into a network of patches so extensive that it would take an historian several years to excavate. Never the less, Bunny goes to bed every night and Charlie can't do without him. So when I was pregnant with my second child, I made him a Bunny, and after nearly seven years, Oscar's Bunny (original names, I know), looks like this -

The thing about Bunnies I have decided, is their ears. Kids love to drag them around, and rub their softness on their little faces as they go to sleep. It's a fail safe combo. Trust me, I'm the expert.
And then, about four years ago, I was in a massive car accident and was nearly killed. I spent three and a half months recouperating in hospital, and trust me I was sick because I didn't sew a stitch the entire time. While I was there, a lovely friend was thinking of me and decided that as I had made so many Bunnies for kids of the years, I needed one to be made for me. Lindy is a sculptor who makes figures of various kinds, using cloth and bone and wire, amongst other things. While I was in the hospital, Linde sewed this Bunny for me. It was just about the nicest, most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me, and my Bunny sits in pride of place in my sewing room and watches every stitch I sew.



If you would like to make a Bunny for someone special, big or small, you can buy the pattern from us for $20 AUS. And no, I DON'T make them any more. Not for anyone!!! (Sorry, but I'm all Bunnied out!) If you would like to know more about Linde Ivimey's wonderful artworks, click on the link below and you will see some of her latest works. Happy quilting, and sorry about that vulgar joke :) Sarah
http://www.martinbrownefineart.com/Ivimey06Ex.htm