Make hand puppets yourself - making dolls / animals out of socks

• DIY hand puppets made of socks
  • Basics Guide
  • Make a snake as a sock puppet
  • Hand puppet tinker - Old cat
  • Princess as a sock hand puppet

Hand puppets are classic toys that give children even in times of computer games and television still much joy - especially if the funny characters are made to taste itself. With few means you have the opportunity to make cute soles or animals as hand puppets from lonely socks!

DIY hand puppets made of socks

First of all, we will introduce you to a short basic guide for all types of sock puppets. Based on the details to be attached, you can clearly identify your figure as a tiger, elephant or frog. Each animal has its own specific characteristics. Basically, make it easier to do your craft work, if you already select a suitable sock color beforehand: For example, use a green sock directly for your frog, which of course eliminates the need to paint later. Even models that are already designed in animal print, are excellent. Anyone who wants to decide completely freely what the future animal skin looks like will use white or natural socks. The brighter and more neutral the initial color, the better it can then be painted with animal stripes, polka dots or other patterns. In addition to your favorite animals, the simple hand puppets made of socks can also appear as humanoid figures or colorful fantasy creatures: As is so often the case with DIY, there are no limits to creativity.

Basics Guide

Time required: about 30 minutes
Material costs: Anyone who already uses existing materials in the household can get along completely free of charge
Difficulty: with some sewing experience very easy

You need this:

• a sock in the desired design
• an approximately hand-sized piece of felt
• Needle and sewing thread
• possibly pins
• cardboard
• scissors

Step 1: Find a sock that matches the color of the doll you are looking for. The sock should be long - so no sneaker socks.

Step 2: Cut the felt to the shape of an oval. The dimensions of the oval should not exceed the sock width. Then transfer this shape to a piece of cardboard and cut it too.

Step 3: Slide the cardboard into the sock and place the future mouth exactly where you want it.

Step 4: Then put the piece of felt on the outside and pin it with pins.

Step 5: Sew the "mouth" with a simple stitch along the outlines of your sock by hand. The cardboard prevents you from sewing the sock together.

Step 6: Then pull out the piece of cardboard again and fold it once in the middle. Now the cardboard is placed in the sock again. The stable mouth can now be easily opened and closed.

Note: Sewing professionals can also sew the piece of cardboard.

So the basic model is already finished. All other details depend on your chosen motif. We will then introduce you to some variants for inspiration. You can easily orient yourself to these, even if you opt for completely different species of animals. Because the procedure should hardly differ.

Tip: It is better to choose only those animals that have a rather rounded muzzle. A very pointed physiognomy would be difficult to visualize with the naturally round sock shape, and the animal might not be easily recognized. For example, crocodiles, seahorses or wolves are less favorable.

Make a snake as a sock puppet

Additional materials:

• sock
• Felt (mouth color, red, white)
• Needle and yarn
• scissors
• cardboard
• 2 big buttons and 2 small buttons
• hot glue

Step 1: Make a sock doll - as described in the basic instructions above.

Step 2: The characteristic feature of each snake is its forked tongue. So cut out about 5 cm long and about 2 cm wide strip from the red felt. At one end, let it be a little bulkier in A-line.

Step 3: Exactly at this wider area cut the typical gap in the tongue. This works quite simply by thinking of the outside edges as an upside-down V and cutting it as evenly as possible into the tongue.

4th step: Stick the red tongue with hot glue in the mouth.

Step 5: Now your snake needs two showy fangs on the front upper jaw. From your white felt cut two oblong triangles for it. For a dangerous snake, these may quietly be a bit bigger, while a friendly representative can manage with smaller teeth.

Step 6: Then also attach the teeth to the mouth with hot glue.

Step 7: The eyes have a distinctive function in a snake. Use two large, colored buttons and stick them on the sock. Then attach two more, smaller buttons with glue on just this. After the glue has dried well, the snake doll can also be used for playing.

Already by means of these few actions, your snake is easily recognizable as such. Other ornaments are your personal taste.

Hand puppet tinker - Old cat

For the following instructions you have to sew something - but it does not have to look really nice. The old cat has its rough edges and looks very funny. For a light sock color, choose a dark sewing thread and vice versa that you can see the seams correctly.

Materials:

• a pair of socks in the desired color
• matching felt for the mouth, pink felt
• Needle and yarn
• scissors
• Buttons
• something wire
• a pipe cleaner
• hot glue

Step 1: Start by making a model of the sock puppet, as described in the Basic Guide.

Step 2: Cut the second sock apart. Turn an elongated roll out of one piece and sew it up.

Attach it as a tail in the back area with a few stitches.

Step 3: Make two cat ears out of the wire. From the remaining fabric of the sock cut two equal triangles, which completely encase the wire. Beat the fabric around the wire and sew the triangle together on two sides around the wire.

4th step: Now sew the ears to the top of the head. For safety's sake, first tighten the hand puppet and mark the suitable places.

Step 5: Then conjure a face to the cat. Three buttons become eyes and nose, which you sew easily. Of course, you could also put on shaky eyes, embroider eyes or even paint. That's up to you.

Step 6: Then cut off a piece of the pipe cleaner and wrap it around the nose button. The small jagged whiskers look very crazy and funny.

Step 7: Finally, the cat needs another tongue. Just cut a piece of pink felt and stick it in the mouth with hot glue.

Done she is - the old cat! Meow!

Princess as a sock hand puppet

Additional materials:

• sock
• cardboard
• scissors
• needle and thread
• Wool threads as hair in desired color
• Wackelaugen
• Felt in red and pink
• foam rubber
• Buttons for decorating
• hot glue

Step 1: First you make a sock puppet, as we described in the basic instructions.

Step 2: Human-looking hand puppets need great hair. First cut some wool threads to the same length of at least 10 cm.

Step 3: Fix the threads with hot glue - if you need to go fast. The result is better and more robust when you sew them in the middle of your head - the seam is then the crown.

Step 4: Now you can style the doll to your heart's . Either you cut her a sporty short haircut and twirl the threads then something up. Otherwise, you could braid her pretty braids or just leave the wild mane like that.

Step 5: The princess now gets a cape and a crown. The cape consists of a piece of felt and two glued felt strips that serve as a closure. Make the crown either from felt or sponge rubber.

Now stick the crown to the princess' head with hot glue.

Step 6: Would you like to give your figure kiss lips ">

Step 7: As eyes you choose either simple button eyes or you paint on the fabric. We used wobbly eyes. In female hand puppets, you can let off steam with eyeshadow, eyelashes and eyeliner.

Now only the cloak is tied and the princess is ready to be rescued!

Further notes on the decoration:

• Pipe cleaners are ideal as small croissants or stubby tails
• As an alternative, you can use robust springs as ears. This looks good with cats.
• Noses often play a minor role. For cat species, just indicate them with a triangle with the tip pointing down. Otherwise, two points are enough. An exception is, for example, pigs whose nose has a characteristic shape with. This helps to recognize the animal.