'Tis a gift to be simple

You might have noticed the picture below lurking over there on the right side of the blog during recent weeks. My goal is to use the "What's Going On" section to document some of my many works in progress. Some of these works actually get finished, while others? Well, they get shelved for various reasons.  Let's just keep this positive, shall we :)

Soft, squishy non-bowling bunnies

The bunnies pictured are not my own design. They are a twist on a fabulous idea of Ellen's from The Long Thread. Please take the time to browse her awesome tutorials. Then come back here. That part's important!

I saw her bowling bunnies (through an Etsy post, actually) and loved them because I really like bunny toys. However, I wanted something more tactile and baby friendly. The first bunny I made from the pattern used fleece rather than canvas. The fleece was soft, baby snuggle friendly and washable. That washable part is a huge factor for me when considering baby toys. I then made a few in corduroy, like the ones in the picture, and was really happy with the outcome. A bold color, like the purple or green, paired with a fun cotton novelty print for the ears makes a super baby toy.

The neck and ears make great handles for little chubby hands, and the corduroy yields a tactile experience for exploring little fingers. Irish Jig can attest to the wonderful feel of bumpy corduroy on teething gums.

I tend to make these guys in groups and stockpile them for gift giving. The following picture is a small gift basket of goodies for a friend's newest arrival, a baby girl. I also added a few crochet wash cloths and some baby toiletries. The pattern for the wash cloths is from Little Crochet. I've made several of Linda's projects, including this mobile and  this tee shirt.

Surprise bunny for a sweet friend

What have you been crafting lately? What do you stockpile for baby gifts?