How to Make Easy Bear Paws for a Child

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Things You'll Need

  • 1 pair of mittens, brown or black

  • Felt

  • Scissors

  • Craft or fabric glue

Children often enjoy dressing as animals.

Many people enjoy wearing costumes, and children are no exception. Wearing an animal costume can be fun for a party or for everyday play. Adding paws to a bear costume makes the costume more complete, but sewing clothing for hands is often difficult due to the fingers. Fortunately, it is easy to buy gloves and decorate them, which makes the project much simpler. With some felt and mittens, it is possible to make bear paws so simple that a child can make his or her own pair of paws.

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Step 1

Turn the mittens over so that the thumbs on both face outwards. This way, you ensure that you will not accidentally make two right or two left pairs. If the mittens have a definitive underside, make the underside face up.

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Step 2

Cut ten small identical ovals, about an inch wide, from felt. The size can be adjusted to match the size of the gloves for a very young child; when four ovals are together, they must fill most of the space around the top of the mitten where the fingertips go without overlapping. These will be "toe" pads for the bear paws. Light brown is a more authentic color for a bear, but pink is also a good choice if you want the paws to be cute. (see References 1 and 3)

Step 3

Cut two long ovals from felt the same color as the small ovals to serve as the foot pads of the bear paw. They must be long enough to stretch most of the way across the mitten. Look at a picture of a bear paw for better accuracy. (see Reference 1)

Step 4

Arrange four small oval "toes" along the top of one mitten, not overlapping, and put the fifth on the thumb. Put one of the long oval pads underneath the ovals and stretching across the palm, again, not overlapping. Do the same for the other mitten. When you are satisfied with the arrangement, spread a thin coat of glue over one side of the felt and glue firmly into place. Do not use too much glue, or it will bleed through the mitten and glue the mitten to itself.

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Step 5

Cut ten thin triangles out of dark brown felt. These can be long or short, and will serve as the bear claws. (see Reference 2)

Step 6

Flip each mitten over. Glue the wide end of each triangle on top of the mitten and towards the top edge, with each triangle above one of the small oval "toes."

Step 7

Wait for the glue to dry completely before use.

Tip

To make a polar bear paw, use a white glove with black felt. (see Reference 2) The felt pieces can be sewn instead for better security, but this makes the project more difficult.

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references