craft handmade Social Justice

:: Get Making For The Mirabel Bun-anza

February 8, 2015

 

by Loobylu

bunny by Loobylu

Hello!

I have something very exciting to tell you about!

Every year The Mirabel Foundation throws an Easter party for the families they support. Janine from Mirabel told me all about the party last time I saw her. There are egg hunts and delicious food and games and things.

There are also bunnies. Handmade, soft toy/softie/plushie kind of bunnies. In fact, each year they save all the bunnies from Softies For Mirabel and they become treasured presents, gifted to the kids at Easter! How good.

I think it would be SO GREAT to get bunnying along and sew or knit or crochet rabbits just for this important Easter celebration. The more bunnies, the better. The kids will love it (and apparently the grandparents really love the toys we all make too!)

Janine said that the softies we send start some very sweet conversations between the Mirabel kids and the family members who are looking after them. (Mirabel children have lost a parent or are no longer in the care of their parents due to illicit substance abuse). Those conversations seem like a really good thing to me. I feel proud that we are a tiny part of the good that Mirabel does. So let’s keep doing that!

If you’d like to join in the Mirabel Bun-anza, by making and send a bunny, here’s what you need to know:

1. It needs to be handmade – any kind of handmade will do, as long as it’s something you think a child would like to cuddle.
2. The deadline is March 15th, 2015.
3. Send to : Mirabel Bun-anza c/- PO Box 1126, Collingwood, 3066, Victoria, Australia
4. I’ll share the bunnies via Instagram as they arrive – check the hashtag #mirabelbunanza
5. Mirabel and Meet Me At Mike’s would love you to share this project around!
6. If you know of any great bunny patterns or tutorials, add them in the comments below!
7. Yes! You can link to this post or copy and use the badge or details about the Bun-anza to help spread the world!

You can find out more about  what The Mirabel Foundation does here. And you can get some inspiration over here.

Please help us to make the Mirabel Easter Party even MORE rad!

x Pip

 

bunnies copy 2

img001-71

 Vintage bunny illustrations by Richard Scarry

17 Comments

  • Reply Marj March 12, 2015 at 1:02 PM

    Two bunnies in the mail today. My daughter Pips Splatt gave me your details. Hope you get lots of bunnies.

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes March 12, 2015 at 1:53 PM

      Marj! Thank you so much! I will photograph them all next week before they head off to Mirabel’s kids! Keep your eye on the blog to see your bunnies with their new bunny friends! x

  • Reply Kate March 9, 2015 at 9:18 PM

    Hi Pip,

    My first ever bunny sewing project didn’t go so well :/
    I have ordered a ‘handmade’ bunny through Oxfam (http://www.oxfamshop.org.au/products/5560316/17626193) that should arrive before March 15th, hope this is ok.

    Thanks,

    Kate

  • Reply sheila cousins March 3, 2015 at 10:55 PM

    Sent two bunnies last week,plans to make more had to be abandoned because naughty Bunny no. 2 broke my machine! Grannhy Sheila from Perth.

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes March 4, 2015 at 6:56 AM

      Oh my gosh! That is no good! I’m so sorry that happened. 🙁

  • Reply Lucy March 3, 2015 at 10:15 AM

    I’ve just finished Mr Rabbit…just waiting for a little something extra to arrive that I have ordered to go in the parcel with him.
    https://followthatchild.wordpress.com/2015/03/02/rabbit-for-mirabel-bun-anza/?preview=true&preview_id=646
    Great idea Pip. Talk about feel good factor!

    • Reply Meet Me At Mikes March 3, 2015 at 10:19 AM

      You are the best! Thank you so much, Lucy. It makes a BIG DIFFERENCE to the Mirabel families. It really does. x

  • Reply Cath February 12, 2015 at 11:32 AM

    posted mine off to you today!!

  • Reply Charm February 10, 2015 at 8:59 PM

    I’ve made a few that are probably beginner-intermediate from this pattern http://aliceandlois.com/diy-stuffed-bunny/#more-1486 and these felt bunnies are on my list http://purplepetunialife.blogspot.com.au/2011/04/felt-bunny-tutorial.html

    For beginner crafters looking for a free and easy pattern to start with, http://craftycupboard.net/2013/03/bunny-softies-with-free-template/ is probably the simplest of all bunny softies I’ve found.

    Other free and easy ones are http://ninimakes.typepad.com/stitch_vill/2010/03/this-is-sunny-a-free-bunny-pattern.html and http://chezbeeperbebe.blogspot.com.au/2010/03/tutorial-and-pattern-recycled-mooshy.html

    There’s also Hillarys Wee Bunny at Wee Wonderfuls, http://weewonderfuls.typepad.com/wee_wonderfuls/store/wee-bunny.html – sooooo adorable!

    I might be a little bunny obsessed!

  • Reply Deanna February 9, 2015 at 3:45 PM

    I think this bunny is the one I will try 🙂
    http://www.craftpassion.com/2014/03/sock-bunny-lop-eared.html/2
    Or maybe this fellow… http://www.larkcrafts.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/hoppy.pdf.

  • Reply Carol D February 9, 2015 at 2:20 AM

    Lion Brand has at least one (maybe more) pattern for cute bunny. I’ve seen them on Al lFreeCrochet as well. I don’t have specific links at the moment, but I know I’ve seen lots of free patterns out there.

  • Reply Jenny Jones February 8, 2015 at 3:58 PM

    What a lovely idea-would love to make a bunny 🙂

  • Reply Lila February 8, 2015 at 12:28 PM

    Love this idea, especially seeing I could make one to send and one to keep for our little chocolate free easter!

  • Reply Deb Baker February 8, 2015 at 11:31 AM

    How wonderful. I’m in and will get my craft group on board again. Will share any tutorials that I come across. x

  • Reply Carly Findlay February 8, 2015 at 10:05 AM

    Such a good cause – thank you for being involved and promoting this Pip. I can’t make a bunny (I am creatively challenged when it comes to making stuff) but can I donate some pretty fabric and you make one on my behalf?

  • Reply Robyna February 8, 2015 at 9:24 AM

    Oh I love these softie projects so much! Looking forward to making three bunnies – two for my little boys on earth and one for the kids at Mirabel (in honour of my little boy who is no longer here)

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