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Today, we’re going to create a beautiful felt butterfly finger puppet! This project is perfect for kids ages 6 and up (with a little help from an adult!). It’s a wonderful way to introduce basic hand sewing skills without being too complicated for beginners.
What You’ll Need:
- Felt
- Free Butterfly pattern (link below)
- Markers (or similar) for tracing
- Embroidery floss (try to match the colors to your felt)
- Needle with the big eye / Embroidery Needle
- Scissors
- Stuffing (polyester filler, scrap felt, or even ripped-up plastic grocery bags)
Before we begin, be sure to grab the free pattern, print it out, and let’s get tracing! This pattern includes the butterfly’s body and wings along with an optional felt finger puppet backing piece.
Click Image to Download and Print
Step 1: Trace and Cut
Start by laying the pattern pieces on your felt and tracing around them with your marker. A sharpie works great on felt! Don’t forget to flip the pattern for any pieces that need to be traced twice, such as the butterfly body, to ensure they line up. Once you’ve traced everything, carefully cut out your felt pieces, trimming away any visible marker lines. Save your scraps—they’re perfect for stuffing!
Step 2: Start Sewing the Body
Grab the top and bottom pieces of the butterfly’s body. Align them all together and begin sewing just above the bottom of the tail. Using a blanket stitch, carefully sew the two felt pieces together.
How to Blanket Stitch:
- Insert the needle through both pieces of fabric, then pause before pulling it all the way through.
- Wrap the end of the thread around the top of the needle, then pull the needle fully through while keeping the thread taut.
- Move the needle down a little further along the edge and repeat the process, ensuring your stitches are evenly spaced.
- Continue sewing around the body until you reach the area where the wings will go.
Step 3: Attach the Wings
Once you’re at the body of the your butterfly, pause to add your wings. Pull apart your two layers of butterfly body and lay one of your wing pieces inside your butterfly, making sure you like the position of it, then put the body piece back over the top, like a layered sandwich.
If you are making a finger puppet add in the finger puppet piece to the bottom of your butterfly, making sure that the edge of the new piece matched up the edge of your butterfly’s body on the side we’re sewing. It will be longer than the body on the side we’re not sewing.
Sew all the pieces (body, wings, and puppet back, if using) together using a running stitch.
How to Do a Running Stitch:
- Start by bringing your needle up through the fabric from the back to the front and pull it all the way through.
- Move the needle slightly forward and push it back down through the fabric, making a small gap, then pull the thread tight.
- Next, bring the needle back up through the same spot, creating a small stitch.
- Continue this back-and-forth motion, moving slightly forward each time until you reach your desired end point.
Step 4: Blanket Stitch Around the Head and Add Stuffing
Use a blanket stitch around the head of your butterfly, and before attaching the second wing, stuff the head with small pieces of stuffing or felt scraps for a plush look. If you need help getting it into tricky areas, use the end of a pencil or a similar tool to push it in. Once you’re satisfied with how fluffy it is, continue sewing the wings into place using the same steps as in Step 3.
If you are doing the finger puppet, pause and push around the finger puppet piece so the unsewn edge is aligned with the unsewn body of the dragonfly. The middle of the finger puppet piece should be pushed up a little when you do this.
Step 5: Stuff the Body
Once the wings are attached, continue with the blanket stitch around the end of the body, pausing to stuff the body with felt scraps or poly fill as you go.
Step 6: Sew the Tail
Sew around the tail with the blanket stitch, making sure to pause to fill it with stuffing as you go. Finish off your butterfly when you reach the starting stitch by tying a knot.
And There You Go!
You’ve created your very own charming felt butterfly finger puppet! This fun and simple project helps kids learn basic sewing skills while encouraging creativity and imagination. Enjoy showing off your whimsical new friend—happy sewing! 🦋❤️
