How to Make a Sock Bear Puppet

Convert an old sock into a sock bear puppet.

Making sock puppets can be a fun activity for children and adults. Whether you are putting on a puppet show or simply using the sock puppets as toys, there are several ways to use your puppets. Many of the most popular sock puppets are animals, and one of the most common sock animals is the sock bear. With a bit of time and effort, you can easily create your own sock bear puppet.

Things You'll Need

• Brown sock
• Yarn
• Thread
• Embroidery needle
• Sewing needle
• Scissors

Instructions

1. Wash the brown sock before converting it into a sock bear puppet. A long, thick, brown sock made of cotton or wool is best.

2. Make the mouth and nose of your sock bear puppet. Thread a long piece of dark brown yarn though they eye of your embroidery needle. Carefully thread the needle above and below the fibers near the top of your sock, creating a short line for the mouth and a triangle for the nose. You can change the direction of the embroidery to make your bear puppet smile or frown. Position your mouth closer to the closed end of the sock as opposed to the open end and position the nose approximately 1 inch above the mouth.

3. Make the eyes for your sock puppet. Use white yarn to embroider two circles above the nose. Replace the white yarn with black to embroider one small black pupil inside each of the two white circles you just created.

4. Fashion the bear's ears. Cut a small strip from the opening of your brown sock. This strip should be approximately 3 inches wide. Carefully cut two small half circles from the strip you have just cut from the opening of the sock. Using thread and a sewing needle, sew both ears on the top of the sock, above each eye.

5. Give your sock bear puppet arms. Cut two small holes on either side of the sock, a few inches below the mouth. This hole should be just big enough to fit your thumb into. Use the strip of brown sock you cut from the opening to fashion two arms. You can wrap the sock material around your fingers to shape the arms. Sew the arms to the sock bear so that they cover up the holes that you cut in either side.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a spare sock for the ears and arms instead of cutting a strip from the opening of your sock puppet.

References

• Craftster.org: Sock Animal Puppet Patterns