It seems that the only people I know who love Marshmallow Peeps® are those that can't have them. My heart goes out to my vegetarian friends that are betrayed by that most evil of all compounds, gelatin.

So it's in their honor that I make felt Peeps.

I'll be up front and honest about this; I can't figure out how to make the chicks, only the bunnies. deal, okay? And enjoy my efforts.

Items needed:

• Peep-colored felt (lavender, pink, light blue, and yellow)
• coordinating-colored thread
• scissors
• black embroidery floss
• sewing needles; large eye for floss, regular eye for thread

• stuffing, like Polyfil
• paper and pencil to make pattern, or print mine out
• sewing machine is nice, but not necessary

1. Make your pattern/cutout 1/4" larger than the desired size of the finished Peep. (You'll use this up when sewing.)
2. Cut 2 Peep-shapes from the felt.
3. With the embroidery floss, make the eyes and nose; going through the wrong-side of one of the Peep pieces. Make simple French knots for these features.
4. With wrong-sides facing, sew the two pieces together; leaving a section open big enough to turn and stuff the Peep.
5. Turn Peep inside out. Felt is tough to turn, so use a pen (with cap on or tip disengaged) to help push the ears out.
6. Stuff; again using a tool like the pen to push the stuffing up into the ears.
7. Sew the hole closed.

Yeah! You've got a Peep.

Other ideas that have been suggested are to put a magnet in the back of the Peep while stuffing, or add catnip in the stuffing for a cat toy.

Update to this Peeps project: If you want/need to make them closer to the real size of bunny Peeps, you can stitch them together right-sides facing and not worry about trying to turn stiff felt (very difficult). Sure, you'll see the stitches, but that'll give it that great homemade look. Whatever you do, have fun with it.

# # #