Being March birthdays, both my boys end up having birthdays around Easter. Which in my opinion is the best time to have a Birthday! Several years ago I bought some glittery eggs and hid them around the house for him and his friends to find. We decorated some paper bags with stickers so everyone could collect the eggs they found. They loved it! After a few hours of being battered by 2 year olds, they weren't much good for another use and my house was glittery for weeks. That got me thinking about an alternative and I thought up the idea of an egg hunting game that can be used year after year.
These fabric eggs are easy to make and have used up some of my ribbon stash. I have added an optional ribbon tie in the middle so a little chocolate can be tied to them too. The little bags are super easy to make and they all loved having their own bag last year.
YOU WILL NEED
Roughly 1 metre of Easter fabric
Coordinating fabrics anything from 2" x 4" wide upward
Egg Template
Various ribbon and ric rac
Sewing machine
Iron and Ironing board
Rotary cutter and ruler
Scissors
Cardboard template
Fabric pen
Fusible interlining foam
Free motion foot for your sewing machine
Buttons
METHOD
THE EGGS
1. Cut out strips of fabric - I had a selection of fabric left overs in some of my basics in pastel shades. I mixed in a few florals and some of my Easter fabrics. Cut strips between 1-2.5" wide. I did mine different widths.
2. Sew strips and cut out your eggs- Make a template 6.5" tall and 4.5" wide. I have aimed for roughly that height when sewing all the strips together. My strips came from scraps so were different lengths. I paired them all up to make the most of them and cut the eggs out as I went, pressing seams open. I have used a fabric pen that disappears when wet to draw around the template I made and then cut out the egg shapes.
3. Add ribbon - I emptied out my ribbon stash and used some of my smaller bits. I have just used a straight stitch on the edges to sew them down. I have also used some of my decorative stitches to add some pretty detail too. For the centre of the egg, sew the ribbon up to just before the middle, back stitch and leave a tail. Repeat this on each side. This can be used to tie a chocolate to the centre or as just a decorative bow.
4. Add backing - Cut out the same number of eggs in the backing fabric as you have made out of the strips. I have made 9 but I think I will add a few more. Sew the right sides together and leave a gap to turn them out. Be careful not to get the ribbon stuck in the seams.
5. Press and top stitch.
TIP - to stop the ribbon from fraying, use the flame of a lighter to lightly and very quickly run across the edge of the ribbon. It shouldn't catch fire but will melt the ribbon edge and keep it from fraying. Keep a bowl of water next to you while you do it to be safe.
THE BAGS
Now to make the bags. These simple bags are a good one to have up your sleeve. Kids love to have their own handbag and I have made similar bags for little ladies and they have loved it.
1. Cut out fabric - For each bag you will need 4 pieces measuring 6.5" x 7.5".
2. Add a bunny - Although this bit can be skipped I wanted to add a little special Easter twist. I have used some felt to create a bunny silhouette and sewn around it using a simple straight stitch on my sewing machine.
My little man asked to do some sewing and this was the project I had on the go so he helped make a few with me.
3. Sew bag main fabric and lining - Place your right sides together of the main fabric, one with a bunny and one without, sew along the side and bottom edges. Repeat with the lining fabric.
4. Add box corners - so that the bags can stand up and will be easier for little people to put things in and out, I have added boxed corners. Mark a 1" point from the corner as pictured.
Join these two points so the seams match, still with right sides together. Sew.
And trim.
Repeat on the lining and all other bags.
5. Insert lining - Cut 2 pieces of ribbon measuring 8" for each bag. Pin and baste the straps an inch from the seam. With the lining the right way out and main fabric inside out, insert the lining inside so right sides are together. Match up at the seams and sew all the way around, leave a gap to turn it out.
6. Finishing the bag - Turn the right way out and push the lining into the main bag. Press and top stitch the edge, ensure you catch the opening.
In one of my jar of goodies I found some pom poms and used my glue gun to stick them on as bunny tails.
THE SIGNS
Although they aren't an essential part of the game, I think they add a nice touch. I also had some small pieces of iron on foam interlining left over which I wanted to make use of.
1. Iron strips onto the interlining - The strips of interlining I had left over from another project were 2.5" wide. I had left over strips of fabric from making the eggs so I used them and ironed them onto the back of interlining. Follow the instructions for the product you use.
Use a water soluble pen to write on your instructions. I have gone with - warmer, cold, THIS WAY, Colder, CLOSE, that way. Cut the strips down to size after you have written your words on. Ensure you leave enough space for your seam allowance.
2. Free motion stitching - When doing detailed stitching like this I find it is worth using a good quality thread. This Aurifil cotton thread was a dream to sew with. I used my free motion foot and just had fun sewing the words onto the signs. I have gone over the letters around 3 times so they are nice and bold. As you can see they are nice and rustic and in no way perfect, just how I like it.
3. Sew backing fabric - Match up the backing fabrics with the signs. I just used a mixture of what I had left over. Sew a 1/4" seam allowance all the way around, leave a gap to turn it out. I have done some as rectangles and some with arrows. Trim the corners.
4. Turn them to the right way and press.
5. Top Stitch - Top stitch around the edges, ensure you have captured the opening.
6. Add buttons - I have added buttons to half of the signs to allow me to tie ribbon to hang them. Sew a button to the top corners to which ever ones you want to hang.
7. Tie ribbon - Tie ribbons around each button. This is a little fiddly. The first one is easy but you can only do one loop on the second one.
With all your elements now complete, all you need now is some chocolate (optional) and some kids! I left a bag by the door ready for when I picked up my little man from nursery. I hid a few around so he could do an egg hunt as soon as he got home as a test run. He loved it and I am sure we will get many years of egg hunts out of this.
Thank you for reading my blog. I would love to hear from you if I have inspired you to create your own egg hunt game. For more free tutorials, inspiration, new fabric arrivals and special offers, you can join my mailing list.