How to Make Kitten Hand Puppets

Hand puppets have been used to entertain and enhance play for decades. With very few supplies, make a kitten hand puppet that can create hours of fun for your little ones. Gather together some fabric scraps leftover from other projects or take your child to the store to buy fat quarters to design their own kitty. In less than 20 minutes, craft time can turn into play time.

Things You'll Need

• Paper
• Pen
• Scissors
• Two pieces of fabric, 10 x 10 inches
• Iron
• Fabric pen, different colors if desired
• Sewing machine (optional)

Instructions

1. Fold a sheet of paper in half and leave folded. Place your hand on the paper so the center of your hand, in the palm, and the center of your middle finger run up the fold of the page. Keep your ring finger with your middle finger and extend your pinky finger out onto the rest of the page. Trace a dotted line around this half of your hand.

2. Starting from the wrist end of your pattern, draw a solid line about one inch away from your dotted line up the side of the pattern and around the pinky. Create the ears of your puppet by continuing upward past the ring finger tracing, and form a point about 2 inches away from the traced line. Come back down at an angle toward the middle finger area and then continue your line up to the fold of the paper. This creates your seam line. Cut out your pattern by cutting about ¼ inch away from the solid line.

3. After washing and drying your fabric, iron it smooth and then fold in half and press to create a crease. Lay your pattern on top of your fabric with the folds aligned and cut out your pattern piece. Do the same for the second piece of fabric.

4. Draw out the face of your kitten with a fabric pen on the right side of your front fabric. This is your opportunity to bring your kitten puppet to life. Practice on paper first if you need to and create the right facial expression. Now is also when to add any drawn-on jewelry, shirts or watches.

5. Place your fabrics right sides together and sew ¼-inch seam around all sides except the bottom. Be sure to take a backstitch in the tips of the kitten's ears to secure the stitch.

6. Fold the base of the fabric up ½ inch and then fold again to create a hem. Stitch all the way around to secure--no pressing is necessary.

7. Turn the kitten hand puppet right side out and smooth the seams outward. Use a pencil to try to push out the seams of the ears out as well as the paws.

Tips & Warnings

• If your fabric is sheer enough to see through, such as muslin or a light calico, then skip cutting out the pattern and trace the seam line lightly directly onto your fabric's wrong side.