How to Sew Bath Mitt Puppets: Cute Animal Washcloths to Make for Kids

How to Sew Bath Mitt Puppets

Cute Animal Washcloths to Make for Kids

Nov 6, 2008 Christy Jones

You can download free patterns for six different bath mitt puppets, including a duck, bunny, bear, dog, cat, and sheep, from Puppetpub. Although it’s easiest to sew the puppets by machine using a zigzag stitch, you can also sew them by hand.

To make one bath mitt puppet, you’ll need two washcloths, or one hand towel sized dish cloth. You can often find inexpensive washcloths at discount stores and sales.

To add faces and pink ears to the bath mitt puppets, you’ll also need scraps of non-raveling fabric, such as fleece or velour. You can also buy cheap pieces of colored felt at most fabric and craft stores.

Supplies:

Read on 

• How to Make Hooded Towels
• Cleaning a Ferret Without a Bath
• How to Give Your Baby a Bath

• two washcloths
• matching thread
• scraps of dark fabric for eyes
• scraps of pink fabric for nose and ears (optional)
• scrap of orange fabric for duck bill (optional)
• pins
• scissors
• sewing needle
• sewing machine

Cut Out the Bath Mitt Puppets

1. Download, print, and cut out the free bath mitt puppet patterns.
2. Line up the lower edge of the bath mitt puppet body with the finished edge of the washcloth or towel.
3. Pin the pattern to the washcloth and cut around it. Cut a second bath mitt puppet body the same way.

Note: If your material doesn’t have a finished edge, you’ll need to zigzag stitch along the lower edge of each puppet piece, or hem the lower edges.

Make the Bath Mitt Puppet Faces

1. Cut two small squares of dark fabric the size you want the eyes. Round off the corners of the squares to turn them into small circles.
2. Position the eyes on the face of one of the bath mitt puppet pieces.
3. Cut a nose from pink fabric, or a duck bill from orange fabric, and position it on the puppet’s face.
4. Hand stitch the eyes and nose or duck bill to the puppet’s face using a whipstitch, or stitch around them using a narrow zigzag stitch on a sewing machine.

Make the Bath Mitt Puppet Ears

1. Cut two ears from scraps of leftover washcloth fabric. Flip the pattern over and cut two more ears for the other side of the puppet’s head.
2. Cut one inner ear from pink fabric (optional) for the bunny, bear, cat, or sheep puppets. Flip the pattern over and cut a second pink inner ear. Position the pink ears on two of the washcloth ear pieces, and zigzag stitch around the edges of the pink fabric.
3. Place the ears with the pink on top of the plain ear pieces and pin them together. Zigzag stitch around the edges of each ear to hold the layers together.

Sew the Bath Mitt Puppets

1. Place the front and back of the bath mitt puppet together, lining them up along the edges, so that both the front and back are right side out. Insert the lower edges of the ears, if any, between the layers of the puppet’s head.
2. Pin the front and back of the puppet together. Make sure to catch the ears in the pins.
3. Zigzag stitch around the sides and top of the bath mitt puppet, close to the edges, leaving the lower edge open.

You can use the bath mitts during tub time just like regular washcloths, or you can use them as puppets to tell a story. Kids can also play with the bath mitt puppets as they learn to wash themselves and enjoy time in the tub.

Copyright Christy Jones. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

via sewingneedlework.suite101.com

For more great ideas on puppets for preschoolers visit http://www.preschool-puppets.com