Creating Flat-Mouth Sock Puppets: A Fun Diy Guide

Making a flat-mouth sock puppet is a fun and creative activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. With just a few simple materials and a bit of imagination, you can bring your very own puppet friend to life! In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to create a sock puppet with a flat mouth, perfect for playtime or storytelling. So, let's get started on crafting your new fuzzy companion!

Creating the mouth

Now, it's time to make the mouthplate. You can use a provided mouth template or draw your own. The size of the mouthplate will depend on the size of your hand and sock, but it should be around 3.5" x 5". Start by tracing the pattern onto a piece of cardboard. You can use scissors to cut out the mouthplate, or if you have an X-Acto knife, you can carefully cut it out. If you want to get fancy, you can score the cardboard where you would like the mouth to bend. This will allow you to experiment with how the mouth will move and open.

Next, use the same paper template you used for the mouthplate to trace and cut two pieces of felt. This will be the inside of your puppet's mouth. You can use hot glue to attach the felt to the inside and outside of the mouthplate, but be sure to use it sparingly to avoid creating bumps and ridges.

Now it's time to attach the mouthplate to the sock. Take the sock off your hand and cut about a third of the toe off. Place the mouthplate into the toe hole, with the side you want to be the top of the mouth facing up. You can choose to fold the edges of the cut sock over as you glue, or you can simply glue them down. Start by gluing a third of the top edge, then do the same for the bottom third. Then, go back and glue the remaining edges a bit at a time.

Finally, you can add a tongue to your puppet's mouth. Use the paper mouth template as a guide to cut out the tongue shape from felt. You can use hot glue or non-hot glue to attach the tongue to the inside of the mouth.

And there you have it! Your sock puppet now has a mouth and is ready to start "talking"!

Cutting the mouth

To make a flat-mouth sock puppet, you'll need a sock, scissors, glue, and felt. You can use any type of sock, but a colourful or patterned sock will make your puppet more fun. You will also need a hot glue gun, so be sure to have adult supervision and assistance for this part.

The first step in creating the mouth is to slide your hand into the sock and find the 'mouth'. Notice the natural mouth that is created when the sock is on your hand. Mark this spot lightly with a pencil. Remove your hand and cut along the marked line, being careful not to make the opening too large. You can also cut about a third of the toe off the sock to create a larger mouth opening. This is the trickiest part of the process, so take your time and be careful not to burn yourself with the hot glue.

To give your puppet a more defined mouth, cut a piece of cardboard that fits just inside the width of your sock. Draw and cut out the desired mouth shape from the cardboard. You can make it short or long, round or pointy, or even give your puppet an overbite or underbite! Using the hot glue gun, carefully glue the cardboard mouth piece to a piece of felt. Cut around the cardboard, leaving a small border. Snip little lines into the felt along the edge to avoid buckling, and then glue this border onto the underside of the cardboard mouth.

Now, you can glue the mouth onto the sock. Place the mouth inside the toe hole, with the side you want to be the top of the mouth at the top. You can fold the edges of the cut sock over and glue them down for a cleaner look. When gluing, start with the top and bottom edges, letting the glue cool slightly before moving on to the sides.

You can also add a tongue to your puppet's mouth. Use the paper mouth template as a guide for the tongue size, and cut it out of red felt or foam. Glue the tongue onto the bottom of the inside of the puppet's mouth, positioning it so that the tip sticks out a little.

Adding the tongue

Now for the tongue! This is where you can get creative and decide what kind of tongue you want for your puppet. You can cut out a tongue shape from red felt or foam—or any colour you prefer, of course. You can also add some detail to the tongue with a Sharpie.

If you want to add some texture to the tongue, you can use white fabric to create the appearance of a rough surface. You can even add some teeth to your puppet's tongue by cutting out small triangles from white felt and gluing them onto the tongue.

Once you've designed and cut out your tongue, it's time to glue it onto the bottom of the inside of your puppet's mouth. You can position the tongue so that its tip sticks out a little. This will give your puppet a playful and mischievous look.

If you want to add some movement to the tongue, you can attach it to the mouth with a small piece of fabric or string. This way, when you move your hand inside the puppet, the tongue will wiggle and create a fun effect.

Don't forget to consider the size of the tongue in relation to the mouth. You want to make sure it's proportional and doesn't overwhelm the mouth. Use your paper mouth template as a guide to ensure the tongue fits perfectly inside the mouth.

With these tips, you can create a tongue that adds personality and charm to your sock puppet. Whether you go for a simple design or something more intricate, the tongue is sure to bring your puppet to life!

Gluing the eyes

Now for the fun part: gluing the eyes! You can use anything from buttons to googly eyes, or even make eyes from felt or pom-poms. If you're using googly eyes, you can glue them directly onto the sock. If you're using buttons, you can glue them onto felt first and then glue the felt onto the sock. This will give the eyes a nice backing and make them more secure.

If you want to get creative, you can make eyes from pom-poms. Take a larger pom-pom and flatten out opposite sides with scissors. Be very careful with this step, as your fingers will be close to the blades. You don't want to cut into the middle of the pom-pom, so be sure not to take off too much. Take a smaller pom-pom and do the same, but this time, think of making it look like a wheel. You will likely cut into the hard centre of the pom-pom, so be extra cautious.

Once you're happy with the shape of your pom-pom "eyes", it's time to glue them together. Put a blob of glue on the big pom-pom and press the smaller one into it. Then, add another blob of glue to the smaller pom-pom and press the googly eye on top. Ta-da! You've made some eyes!

Now, it's time to attach the eyes to your puppet. Put the sock back on your hand and hold the eyes onto the sock where you would like them. You can place them closer to the nose, farther back, or uneven—whatever you prefer! Once you've found the perfect spot, use a pen or marker to make a small mark on the sock. Then, take the sock off and glue the eyes onto the marks. Be careful not to use too much glue, as you don't want to glue the sock together.

And there you have it! Your puppet now has eyes, and it's really starting to come to life.

Styling the hair

There are many ways to style the hair of your sock puppet. You can use yarn, pipe cleaners, or even cut shapes out of felt.

If you want to use yarn, first decide how long you want the hair to be. Then, fold the yarn back and forth at the centre of the head until you have a nice pile. Cut all the loops at one end, and lay the hair on the puppet. Sew the hair onto the puppet's head, making a stitch over each piece of yarn. Then, go back over and make each stitch start and end in the middle of each piece of yarn.

If you want to use pipe cleaners, simply wrap the pipe cleaner around a book or your hand, depending on how long you want the hair to be. Slide it off and cut apart the loops on one end. Tie a piece of yarn around the middle to hold it all together, and glue this to the top of the head, right above the eyes.

If you want to cut the hair out of felt, simply cut the shape you want out of the felt and glue it onto the puppet's head.

Frequently asked questions