For my twin nephew's 3rd birthday, I wanted to make them each a set of puppets after seeing this Old MacDonald Puppet Tutorial & Pattern from Just Another Day In Paradise.Here are the set of farm animals I made for Ben:
For Adam, I wanted to make a set of zoo animal puppets. Using the existing Old MacDonald Puppet Tutorial & Pattern as a starting point, I've added/modified some pieces to make the zoo animals I wanted.
Here are the zoo animal patterns:
Notes on a few animals:
The Canadian Moose— except for the antlers, much of it is adapted from The Horse pattern
The Giraffe— The mane and face are adapted from The Horse pattern— The tail is from The Cow's tail pattern
— Spots are randomly cut, using The Cow's spot pattern as a guide
The Lion— The mane is from The Horse hair pattern
— On the front, hand sew the ears and mane in place
— On the back, hand sew the lion's mane, leaving 1/4 inch space around the head
— Before sewing the puppet together, I "tacked" the outer mane towards the center. You could use pins, but I find it's too "bulky".
— Once sewn together, cover up any "bald spots" by hand sewing on more mane.
The Kangaroos
— The adult kangaroo's face is a combination of The Horse and The Cat pattern
The Zebra— Identical to The Horse Pattern— Stripes are cut free hand, using The Cat's stripes pattern as reference
The Zoo Keeper and The Snake— The collar is made by cutting a small slit down the middle of The Farmer's shirt pattern, fold down, and sewn into place
— The felt is too delicate for the snake's tongue. I used a piece of ribbon I already had on hand.
Don't forget, you can also purchase my handmade zoo animal, barnyard/farm and bird felt finger puppets from my shop. I also sell a few felt finger puppet patterns.
