Regardless of your goal or the kind of puppet you choose to make, they can be a lot of fun for everyone involved. The best part about creating a puppet is that it is a great activity to bring the family together. If you have never created a puppet before, it is a good idea to start with something basic like a sock puppet to help you get the feel of it. Once you have mastered your first puppet then you can use that experience to create others. Here are the basic steps to creating an easy puppet.
What You Need
The great thing about starting small is the fact that you don’t need much more than a used sock, or a new one if you prefer! You will also need some strong thread and a larger than normal needle. Look around the house or head for the arts and craft store and grab any loose shiny items to set your puppet apart from the rest. It is not required that you go out and buy anything, used or discarded items in your sewing chest have a tendency to satisfy almost any need.
Better To See You With
It is important to remember that your puppet needs character, not to mention the fact that it should take on the appearance of a living thing. For this to work, you will need to give it a couple of eyes, nose, mouth and anything else that would make it appear that there is a face at the end of your sock. You can either use a needle and thread to sew on two buttons to look like eyes, or pull out the hot-glue gun and affix a couple of items that actually look like eyes with movable googly eyeballs.
Stage Two
With the eyes firmly positioned at the end of your sock, insert your hand completely. Make a fist first to ensure that the eyes line up properly and then go ahead and sew on a red piece of cloth on the inside of the sock. This latest addition will represent the tongue, and therefore it should not be too large. Your thumb should sit under the tongue, and the rest of your fingers should be able to come down on top of it. When you cover the tongue, it should not be seen unless your puppet is carrying on a conversation.
Bringing Your Puppet To Life
Completing the head of your puppet will be as simple as adding some facial hair such as eyebrows just above the eyes and a head of hair which can be created with wool. Your puppet should be looking like it has a life of its own, and you can take your creation even further. If you have a long enough sock like a plain white tube sock, it is easy to make the rest of the sock look like a shirt or a dress. If you are working with a short sock, then you can add some more material to the area of the sock that lands at your wrist and use your imagination from there. Your simple puppet will be capable of impressing your family and friends, and you will be ready to look ahead at more challenging projects.