Fabric Easter Egg Instructions

Supplies:

• Scraps of cotton quilting fabric (2 1/4″ x 4 1/4″ each, 4 different coordinating prints–for these instructions, we’ll assume that you selected 2 light and 2 dark fabrics).  NOTE: The shorter (2 1/4″) side should run parallel to the selvedge of the fabric.  If you’re not sure which way the selvedge is, gently tug the fabric.  One direction will not be as stretchy.  This is the selvedge edge of the fabric.  You want the NARROWER side of your egg to run along the grain of the fabric that is LESS stretchy.  It helps keep your eggs from looking like lemons and makes sewing around the gentle curve of each piece a lot easier.
• Thread
• Fiberfill
• Pencil
• Walnut bird cage litter (available at pet stores)
• Kitchen funnel
• Scissors
• Pins
• Hand sewing needle
• Pattern (Print on Cardstock)

Step #1–Cutting out the pieces:

Print the pattern piece on heavy cardstock & cut it out along the solid black line.

Take your four pieces of fabric and place a dark piece in front of you, right side up.  Now, take a light piece and lay it on top of the dark piece with right sides together.  At this point, you’ll be looking at the WRONG side of the light piece.  Now, take another dark piece, and lay it right side up on top of the the other two pieces.  Before you add your final piece of light-colored fabric to the stack, turn it over so that the wrong side is facing you, lay the pattern piece on top, and trace around it with a pencil.  It’s important that the short/narrow end of the pattern piece (the side that measures ~2″) runs along the straight of grain parallel to the selvedge.  See note above.  Lastly, lay the remaining light-colored piece on top of the dark piece, right sides together.  Again, you’ll be looking at the WRONG side of the light piece.  Cut through the four egg pieces with a good pair of sewing scissors.

Transfer the ‘dot’ and ‘+’ on the pattern to each piece of ‘light’ fabric.  The ‘+’ is bottom of the egg.

Step #2–Sewing the pieces:

Take the top two pieces from your fabric stack.  You should have a dark piece on bottom on a light piece on top, with the right sides of each piece together.  Using a 1/4″ seam, sew along the right side of one set of egg pieces, from top ‘dot’ to bottom ‘+’, backstitching at the top and bottom. Repeat with the second set of pieces.

Trim the seam allowances in half.  Gently press the seam toward the DARK fabric.

Put the two halves together, right sides facing each other.  Match the ‘dots’ at the top and the ‘+’ at the bottom of the egg and pin to secure.  A single pin at the top and bottom should be sufficient.

Starting approximately half of the way down on one side of the egg, sew the two halves together around the outside edge.  Stop 1″ away from where you started so that you have a hole for turning and stuffing, and don’t forget to backstitch at the beginning and ending of the seam.  The trick to a well-shaped egg is to carefully maintain the 1/4″ seam allowance and to always have your needle in the DOWN position if you have to stop and readjust your fabric as you sew the seam.  Also, to prevent the top of your egg from being too pointy, ease around the point at the top, taking 1 horizontal stitch at the very top of the point.

Trim the seam allowance down to 1/8″–EXCEPT for the 1″ section around the hole.

Turn the egg inside out (a pair of hemostats works GREAT for this step, if you have them).

Step #3–Stuffing the egg:

Using a kitchen funnel, place a small amount (1-2 T.) of walnut litter in the bottom of the egg.  This provides some weight to the egg and helps it stand up.  Fill the egg the rest of the way with fiberfill.  Don’t skimp on the fiberfill.  Make sure that you stuff your egg so that it is nice and firm.  A chopstick or the end of a wooden spoon helps with pushing the stuffing in.

Step #4–Closing the hole:

Using the ‘ladder stitch,’ stitch the hole closed.

I found cute little bowls and green moss at my local Dollar Tree store.  A basket or twig nest would also be perfect to place the eggs in.