A few weeks ago my youngest needed a bunny costume because her preschool was having “Dress Like a Bunny” day. It was the perfect opportunity to use this bunny hat tutorial from the Purl Bee. I commented on Instagram that it might possibly be the cutest thing I have ever made!

I decided to make the outer portion from fleece instead of wool, since I didn’t have any on hand. This meant I wanted to finish the ear edges, so I doubled them, stitched around the edges and turned them before stitching them on. It fits my almost-four year old perfectly and is super adorable. The tutorial also includes a tutorial for mittens to go with the hat. Since it wasn’t practical to send her to school in them I didn’t use that part, but they would add so much to the costume!

My youngest decided that she most definitely needed a tail to go with the hat. So I was tasked with making one the night before. I started with the fleece blanket I had used to make the hat. I got it for about $5 at a big box store a while ago to make my oldest’s winter cat hat. I see a lot more white fleece in our future – the blanket is huge. It’s a pretty inexpensive way to purchase fleece, but make sure you check the quality before making something important. These blankets are not usually made to last!

We decided to attach the tail to the back of the gray & lace dress I made a while ago. Since it’s gray my youngest has decided it is not fun to wear… but it’s perfect for a little gray bunny! Especially since we already had some gray pants to go with it. Here’s a little tutorial on how I made the tail. You’ll need some fleece, scissors and a needle & matching thread + a shirt or dress to stitch the tail to. Since it is hand stitched it is really easy to remove when you are finished with the costume!

Step 1: Cut a long strip of fleece about 2 1/2″ wide and the width of your fabric. I think mine was at least 45″ long, since it was a throw size blanket. Cut vertical lines through 2/3 of the width of your fleece all along one side of the strip. If you are lucky you can just cut a strip from the end of the blanket – since mine already had the “fringe” detail on both ends.

Step 2: Start rolling one end of the fleece around itself. Once you have rolled it twice or so, stitch through the non-fringed side of the strip of layers to keep the centre of the tail together.

Step 3: Continue rolling and stitching, making sure to stitch along each side to secure the tail well. I alternated my stitches between the top and bottom and then the left and right sides of the roll as I went. With lots of hopping, you wouldn’t want your tail to come loose!

Step 4: When you have finished rolling the fleece, stitch around the entire edge, make sure your needle has passed through and secured each layer. Here it is from the front as well – so cute!

 Step 5: Figure out where you’d like the tail to be stitched onto the dress/top. Stitch around the entire edge of your bunny tail through the inside of the dress.

Step 6: Since the tail is still a bit floppy, separate 3 or so top layers of the tail and stitch them close to the dress near the bottom. This makes the the tail fluffier!

And there you are, a super-fast tail for your little bunny’s costume. Enjoy!

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