Mr. and Mrs. Cottontail Snack Mats

Greetings friends! It’s Belinda from Blue Ribbon Designs, here with a brand new project tutorial featuring an assortment of my favorite HeatnBond products. Today, I am excited to share my “Mr. and Mrs. Cottontail Snack Mats” with you.

As springtime rapidly approaches, I find myself wanting to work on projects that reflect the season. With Easter just a little over a month away, I thought it would be fun to create a couple adorable bunny snack mats. These snack mats come together quickly and use minimal supplies. To make these mats perfect for little ones, I added a couple coats of HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl Gel Coating, making them waterproof and stain resistant.

Let’s get started! Simply gather the materials/supplies listed below, then download the pattern with PDF templates and layout images.

*NOTE*: This tutorial requires basic sewing/appliqué knowledge. If you need additional assistance, search/visit the Internet, or look at a basic appliqué quilting book to learn the fundamentals.

What you need (for one snack mat):

HeatnBond Lite EZ-Print Iron-On Adhesive Sheets, 8.5 in x 11 in
- 2 sheets
HeatnBond Fusible Fleece
- 1 – 9” x 9”
HeatnBond Fabric Fuse PeelnStick Fabric Adhesive Tape, 5/8 in
- 3″ piece
Pressing Paper Fabric and Craft Sheets
- 2 sheets
HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl Gel Coating
Optional: HeatnBond Medium Weight Non-Woven Fusible Interfacing
- 1 – 9” x 9”
Cotton Fabrics: model uses solids (Painter’s Palette Solids from PBS Fabrics)
Scraps work great!

- 2 – 9½” squares of red or blue (one for background and one for backing)
- 1 – 9” square of white (bunny)
- 1 – 6” square of light pink (bunny ears, bunny cheeks, flower centers for flower wreath)
- 1 – 3” square of red (bunny nose, flower centers for flower wreath)
- 1 – 3” square of charcoal gray (bunny eyes and mouth)
- For Mr. Cottontail
  - 1 – 4” x 2½” dark blue (bow tie)
- For Mrs. Cottontail
  - 1 – 4” square dark purple (flowers)
  - 1 – 3” x 2” light purple (flowers)
  - 1 – 4½” x 1½” green (leaves)

Soft bristles paintbrush or foam brush
Oliso Iron
Olfa Cutting Tools (cutting mat, rotary cutter)
Sewing Machine
Basic Sewing Supplies/Tools (small sharp scissors, wonder clips or pins, sewing thread, finger presser or spoon, pencil, etc.)

How to Make Mr. and Mrs. Cottontail Snack Mats (9″ x 9″)

Download and print the Mr. and Mrs. Cottontail Snack Mats PDF.

Mr. and Mrs. Cottontail Snack Mats – A Project for the Therm O Web Blog

Print actual size – do NOT “fit to page” or “shrink to fit.”

- Print page 1 (cover/layout) on regular printer paper.
- Print page 2 and 3 (appliqué shapes) on HeatnBond Lite EZ-Print Iron-On Adhesive (no tracing necessary).

Prepare background and backing fabrics.

Center and fuse the 9” x 9” piece of HeatnBond Fusible Fleece to the wrong side of the 9½” x 9½” background fabric (top), following the package instructions.
- Pre-heat iron to a cotton/high setting, no steam.
- Place the rough side of the Fusible Fleece on the wrong side of the fabric.
- Cover with a lightweight, dry pressing cloth.
- Press and hold iron with medium pressure for 10-15 seconds. Repeat by lifting iron to new area, slightly overlapping previous area until the entire surface is bonded.
- Allow it to cool.
OPTIONAL: Fuse a 9” x 9” piece of HeatnBond Medium Weight Non-Woven Fusible Interfacing to the wrong side of the 9½” x 9½” piece of backing fabric. I did this to provide more stability, you may prefer a softer finish.
- Pre-heat iron to a high setting, no steam.
- Place the rough side of the fusible interfacing against the wrong side of the backing fabric.
- Cover with a lightweight, dry pressing cloth.
- Press and hold iron with medium pressure for 10-15 seconds. Repeat by lifting iron to new area, slightly overlapping previous area until the entire surface is bonded.
- Allow it to cool.

Create appliqué.

Choose Mr. or Mrs. Cottontail and use appropriate applique templates.
Loosely cut out the appliqué templates printed on HeatnBond Lite EZ-Print Iron-On Adhesive and apply to the back of coordinating fabrics following the package instructions.
- Loosely cut out all shapes, leaving the paper in place.
- Pre-heat iron to medium heat, no steam.
- Place loosely cut apart template(s) on the wrong side of fabrics (printed paper, smooth side, should be face up).
- Place and hold the iron on the paper for 2-3 seconds. Repeat, overlapping slightly, until the entire surface is bonded.
- Allow it to cool.
- Cut or trim the pieces on the solid lines printed on the paper to create the desired shapes. Leave paper in place until ready to fuse in place.
Center and fuse the bunny shape, just shy of a ¼” from the bottom of the background fabric with fusible fleece on the back (you don’t want to add bulk to the seam allowance). Use the layout diagram for the bunny you are creating for placing and fusing the additional shapes.
- Pre-heat iron to medium heat, no steam.
- Peel off paper.
- Center/arrange shapes, adhesive side down on top of the 9½” background fabric square.
- Press and hold iron for six seconds on each section, overlapping slightly, until the pieces are bonded.
Using your favorite appliqué stitch (machine or hand) and coordinating sewing thread, sew the pieces in place. I chose to use a machine blanket stitch and a machine straight stitch. The fusible fleece will stabilize the block nicely for sewing.

Assemble the snack mat.

Place top unit and backing fabric right sides together and sew around the perimeter with a ¼” seam allowance, leaving an approximate 3” opening for turning.
Clip corners and turn right side out through opening. Push out corners and press well.
Use HeatnBond Fabric Fuse PeelnStick Fabric Adhesive Tape, 5/8 in, to seal the opening left for turning closed (no sew, no heat).
- Adhere the tape inside the opening along the edge.
- Peel off the paper liner.
- Press opening closed with firm pressure. Try using a Clover Finger Presser or the rounded side of a metal spoon and press down with your thumb while applying heavy, consistent pressure. The harder you press, the better the bond. Repeat steps on the back side of the item.

Apply HeatnBond Liquid HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl Gel Coating

Place completed snack mat on a protected workspace (Pressing Paper Fabric and Craft Sheet). Using a soft brush or foam brush, apply a thin layer of HeatnBond Liquid Vinyl, using the package instructions. This will keep your jar wrap nice and clean. I applied two coats, making the wrap waterproof and stain resistant.

- Paint on a thin layer of Liquid Vinyl using a soft-bristled paintbrush or foam brush. Be sure to rinse the brush and wipe off the rim of the jar before recapping.
- Let fabric dry 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat iron to medium heat, no steam.
- Next, place the project on a firm, heat-proof surface (not an ironing board) on top of a piece of parchment paper or a non-stick pressing sheet to also protect the surface
- Cover the project with HeatnBond Pressing Paper and press for 45 seconds, moving the iron slightly. For larger pieces, slightly overlap areas until the entire surface has been pressed. For best results, replace parchment paper and Pressing Paper as they become wrinkled from repeated use.
- Repeat previous steps to apply additional coats of Liquid Vinyl, pressing after each coat.

Your Mr. or Mrs. Cottontail Snack Mat is now complete. This happy mug rug is perfect for a child or adult and makes a great gift – simply add to an Easter basket or May basket and/or package with drink mixes and snacks.

Thank you for joining me today for my Therm O Web blog tutorial. I hope this post inspires you to create a pair of Mr. and Mrs. Cottontail Snack Mats, using scrap fabrics and materials you have on hand. To see more of my projects and patterns, stop by my blog, website, and/or Instagram – I would love to visit with you and see what you create!

Greetings! - I'm Belinda from Blue Ribbon Designs. I am a needlework and sewing/quilting designer from Spring Hill, KS. I specialize in original counted thread cross stitch designs, quilting and sewing patterns, specialty hand finishing of needlework smalls, custom sewing/quilting, and teaching handwork/sewing techniques. Etsy Shop: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com Blog: https://blueribbondesigns.blogspot.com