What to nibble and squeak first? Bunny ears? Bunny butt? Both? This easy sew DIY Easter bunny dog toy was one of the first DIY stuffed dog toys that I made for our boys. It was a special treat for a much younger Oli that his naughty new puppy brother Humphrey wasn’t allowed to steal and rip. The sewing is pretty rough by my current standards, but Oli definitely didn’t care. Look at that grin! And look at the well-nibbled drool patches on that poor bunny. Haha! He was so smitten that I decided to sew a matching felt mini bunny cat toy for Tiger, too.
Sewing Toys for Dogs
Stuffed dog toys follow the same basic principles as you would use if sewing (or buying) for a small child – no loose parts to nibble free and everything securely stitched into a sturdy toy. It is particularly important to know your pet and how they play before making or buying toy. Not all toys are suitable to all pets. Check out our post on toy safety for helpful links and resources.
DIY Stuffed Easter Bunny Dog Toy
Supplies and Materials
To make a toy similar to the Easter bunny shown here, you will need a piece of chocolate brown (or other colour of your choice) fleece twice the size of your final bunny toy, fleece scraps for embellishments, complementary coloured thread, stuffing, squeakers (optional) and basic sewing supplies, including scissors and a sewing machine.
- Fleece or alternative material (bunny body)
- Scraps of fleece (bunny embellishments)
- Stuffing (filling for the stuffed toy)
- Squeakers (optional)
- Complimentary coloured thread
- Sewing machine and general cutting / sewing supplies
I try to salvage squeakers in our DIY dog toy hospital for reuse when possible, but I also have purchased packs of replacement squeakers in different shapes, sizes, and sounds. Squeakers can be tricky to find in shops. Try the toy section of large craft shops or look online at specialist suppliers or large retailers like AliExpress or Amazon. You can check out the replacement dog toy squeakers on Amazon (affiliate link) for product examples and ideas.
Alternative Materials and Methods
The toy shown is machine sewn (except for the eye) with a straight stitch, hem out. Fleece doesn’t fray, so I opted for an easy exposed edge. Simple, sturdy, and cute! As I mentioned in the intro, this is a very old post. If I was making this toy again for a different dog (like wild Humphrey the ripper), I would likely swap the base fleece for something stronger. Many of our later toys were made with sturdy base fabrics that hold up much better to rough play than fleece. They still use layered fleece as embellishments, though. The DIY instructions below would need to be adjusted to sew with concealed edges instead. Check out some of our other DIY stuffed dog toys for examples.
Making the Easter Bunny Stuffed Dog Toy
- Cut two bunny shapes in the full size for your finished toy. If you aren’t comfortable free-handing, draw it first on paper to make your own template or download a free template.
- Cut any embellishments you wish to add. I used a round white circle for the eye, two strips of fleece for a collar, and an extra bit of brown fleece to accent the ear and tail.
- Using complimentary thread colours, securely sew your embellishments onto the front of one bunny. For bunny embellishments like the ones shown here on my toy:
- Sew your tail and ear embellishments into place.
- Pin and sew your collar. The ends can be left to tuck-in during joining.
- Sew your eye securely into place around the edge. Add an iris and/or pupil using a little extra stitching if you wish, mimicking the candy eyes of chocolate bunnies.
- Repeat if double-siding.
- Sew the two bunnies together, embellished side(s) out. Pause sewing with a large enough gap to add your stuffing and squeakers before fully closing the toy.
- Stuff and add (optional) squeakers. I included a squeaker near the ears and the bum.
- Sew the toy closed, trim any threads if/as needed, and enjoy!
DIY Easter Bunny Cat Toy
Tiger’s cat-sized bunny toy is made similar to above, but on a much smaller scale. It’s a great example to show how easy it is to scale soft toy ideas up/down to suit your needs. You can find other fun ideas in Tiger’s giant collection of DIY felt cat toys.
Supplies and Materials
To make a similar cat toy, you will need a small piece of quality chocolate brown (or other colour of your choice) felt twice the size of your final bunny toy, felt scraps for embellishments, complementary coloured thread, stuffing, catnip (optional) and basic sewing supplies, including scissors and hand sewing tools. The toy shown uses a blanket stitch throughout, and the stitches form part of the design. The exception is the flowered collar which is embroidered for a little extra embellishment. Totally optional, of course!
- Felt (bunny body)
- Felt scraps (bunny embellishments)
- Stuffing (filling the bunny toy)
- Catnip (optional)
- Complimentary coloured thread
- General cutting / sewing supplies for hand sewing
Making the Easter Bunny Cat Toy
- Cut two matching bunny shapes in the full size for your finished toy. If you aren’t comfortable free-handing, you can draw the bunny shape on paper to make your own template or download a free template.
- Cut any embellishments you wish to add. I used a round white circle for the eye, a strip of scrap felt for a collar, and a scrap of light brown fleece to accent the ear.
- Using a complimentary thread colour, sew your embellishments onto the front of one bunny. For the embellishments shown on my toy:
- Sew your tail and ear embellishments into place.
- Pin and stitch your collar. Embellish if you wish using a little extra stitching.
- Sew your eye securely into place around the edge. Add an iris and/or pupil using a little extra stitching if you wish, mimicking the candy eyes of chocolate bunnies.
- Repeat if double-siding.
- Sew the two bunnies together, embellished side(s) out, stopping around 3/4 of the way to add stuffing.
- Add stuffing and (optional) catnip. See note below on alternative fillings for cat toys.
- Sew to finish stitching the toy closed. Trim any threads if/as needed, and enjoy!
If you cat prefers jingly toys, you can sew a jingle bell to the inside of the heart before joining. If they prefer crinkly toys, I have heard people sometimes add a few candy wrappers to the stuffing, but have never tried myself. Whatever you use, make sure it is safely secured inside!
Toy Chocolate Bunnies Only, Furfriends!
Keep your mouths off the chocolate bunnies, furfriends. Remember that chocolate is toxic for pets, and keep your Easter bunnies and other human treats safely out of reach. A trip to the emergency vet not on anybody’s Easter wish list. Playtime and pet treats are much for fun.
Safety first, furfriends! Remember, no matter what a toy is made of or how it’s made, toys are meant for supervised interactive play. Know your dog before giving him or her any new toy. The same goes for cats, for any kitty bunny crafters. Some pets try to eat toys or parts (whether bought or handmade) and that’s dangerous. Toys are for playing, and playtime is always safer (and more fun!) with you involved. You can read more in our dog toy safety post, including tips and helpful links for safer playtime. Have fun and play safe!
