MARY MACKAY
The Guardian

Ellerslie crafter Glenis Bowser releases her line of plush and woolen bunnies into the wild Easter market (and bestofpei Store)

At this time of year when Santa and his elves are enjoying a reprieve from the rigors of toy making, one Prince Edward Island crafter’s business is bursting with bunnies.

That’s because it’s prime Easter bunny time for Glenis Bowser of Ellerslie, who fashions bunnies from fabric, wool and the odd recycled fur coat. In fact, in one fell swoop she recently cleared out the last of her hutch of hares so they could head off to market at the bestofpei Store in Charlottetown.

“There are no such things as bunnies on P.E.I., the things that hop around in the woods are hares, they’re not bunnies. . . ,” Bowser says, noting that bunny still seems to be the most commonly used term when referring to her roster of floppy-eared critters.

Bears have been big at her Gain’s Creek Bear Studio and Gift Shop since she started in the mid-1980s. But every so often a brazen little bunny would pop up in the teddy bear populace.

However, in the past year since Bowser choose to create a line of items with children in mind, the bunny population has exploded, with more than 100 since January alone.

Some have made their way to markets in P.E.I., in Nova Scotia and as far away as Saskatchewan.

Bowser’s bunnies come in all shapes and sizes, and are made with plush fabrics as well as wool from the local MacAusland’s Woolen Mill in Bloomfield.

The flopsie models are styled after a doll that she’s made for a number of years. With a few alterations of that pattern and a couple of stuffed bunny cheeks, the bunnies are ready to go.

Another grouping of bunnies are nameless, awaiting their new name to be given when they arrive at their new home.

The woolen bunnies usually reflect the changing plaids and patterns of the woolen blankets produced by MacAusland’s.

And there’s nothing like a bunny puppet to connect with a child.

“A lot of adults buy them to interact with small children,” Bowser says. “Even people who teach (children with disabilities) have told me that the children will react to the puppet and speak to the puppet when they won’t speak to the person who’s trying to teach them because they connect with the puppet.”

Bowser’s trusty seamstress sidekick, Sharon Ellands, spends much of her time patching particular bunny pieces together. She says the bunnies’ personality hops forth when the final touches are done.

“It just seems that they come to life once you have them finished.”