Welcome to Art Group!

 

 Hi!  I'm Amanda and this is our first art group on our blog!  We are so excited to share projects and ideas with you every week. You'll notice all of us have different styles and are great at different things--and that's what makes Beehive Art Salon so awesome!

Spring is here! We're finally seeing blossoms on the trees and the daffodils are peeking out, so pull out your Easter and let's make something!

At Art Group this month we made these darling bunnies--they are the brainchild of our Julie!  She's always coming up with great stuff.  They'd be great grouped as a centerpiece on your Easter table or placed 'just so' somewhere in your home.  Last year our fabulous Lorraine had us doing these fun kitties for Christmas and we auctioned them off to help the victims of the Haiti earthquake.  The bunnies are another kind of version of them.  Here's what you'll need for our project:

fabric (we found that if you use an old vintage pillowcase or sheet it is SOOOO soft and works best)

scissors

knitting needle (or something pokey to turn it out)

stuffing

paint (some of us really like to use milk paint for this, but acrylic is fine too!)

paintbrush

wool scraps for the face

needle and embroidery floss

cotton scraps for clothes

pom poms for a tail

crepe paper for ruffles and bows

any little bit of ribbon, trim, or buttons you like

step one.  Draw your bunny pattern on a piece of paper.  Ours are about 9"x4".  I shrank the size a couple of times so I could get some variety.

step two.  Pin your paper pattern on your fabric (make sure right sides are together) and sew right over the lines of the pattern.  Just pull the paper off when you're done!

step three.  To turn it right side out, cut a line on the back from about the neck to where you're bunny tail will be and use a knitting needle or something pokey to turn it right side out.

step four.  Stuff your bunny, sew it up the back, and then paint it.  If you didn't use milk paint, sanding it a little with some sandpaper will give it a softer, antiqued effect.

Note: some of us didn't paint our bunnies but left the pattern of the fabric or just plain old white!  You choose.

step five.  Add a face!  We used wool scraps, beads and buttons for eyes, and some of us even painted the face on.  Embroider the nose and mouth.

step six.  Using crepe paper ruffle, add a collar and any other embellishments you'd like.  Don't forget to add a tail and whiskers!

Here are a few of our finished products.

Happy Spring Day to you and thanks for visiting art group!