Luna Lapin bunny rabbit!

A good few years ago at my WI’s subsidiary craft club, our host Pauline arranged with Sarah from CoolCrafting for us to all get kits to make the Luna Lapin rabbit. I am not naturally inclined to hand sew, as I am too impatient, so although I was rather enamoured with Luna, she was always going to be a project on the backburner for me. I started her that night, and packed her up, unfinished, into a bag, which I took on various holidays without looking at, took on other holidays where I would maybe spend half an hour making her, and one holiday where I forgot about her completely and actually left her behind! (Thankfully she was returned to me months later).

Last night when I was trying to decide what to do, I decided I’d get her out and see where I was up to. After an hour or so I was pleasantly surprised to be able to finish making her. My daughter and I spent this morning looking through hundreds of Instagram posts of all the different Luna Lapins out there, as well as some of Luna’s friends, and we were inspired to make her a dress today.

My daughter chose the fabric and traced the pattern from the book, then I helped her cut the fabric and we did the sewing together. I did the more fiddly bits (such as the collar) but she did quite a bit of the pinning and sewing too. She has already picked out some fabric for pyjamas for Luna, some denim dungarees and we want to make her some silly frilly lacy underwear, because it’s funny and cute 🙂 I am desperate to make Luna the coat from the book, which is totally adorable!

Our day of sewing was great and Luna very much enjoyed her photo shoot afterwards! My daughter would like to make her own Luna Lapin and we also have the other book of Luna Lapin’s friends. They are all so cute.

There are a few things I’d do differently next time I make a Luna Lapin. The main thing is that I wouldn’t attach her arms until the body is stuffed, sewn up and the head is attached. I’m not totally satisfied with her arm placement, although it makes no difference when she has her clothes on!

The other thing is that at first I sewed with such a teeny seam allowance, that by the time I had stuffed her legs, the felt started to pull apart at the seams. Having looked at hundreds of other Lunas online, I see that she looks just as beautiful with quite sturdy, noticeable seams, and must be much more hard-wearing that way. I don’t want to give my first Luna to anyone else because I’m not sure she’d withstand being played with and cuddled by a child, so she is going to live in my sewing room where I can admire her.

Luna’s dress fastens at the back with what looks like buttons, but is actually snap fasteners – clever eh! It meant I didn’t have to sew teeny tiny buttonholes!