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Sew this Cute Kitten Puppet Today even if you are a Beginner
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Feb 23, 2024
This video will show you exactly how to make your own cute kitten puppet for your fingers. All the steps are included and you will love the result. Free pattern available to download at https://christines-crafts.com/sew-this-cute-kitten-cat-puppet-today-even-if-you-are-a-beginner/ If you enjoy crafting my blog is full of great ideas and tutorials. Plus if you subscribe you gain access to my free resource library, which includes a home crafts e-book, planners and much more, and get to hear about my latest projects first. Take a look at https://christines-crafts.com/ Enjoy watching and sewing your own kitten puppet. Please leave me a 'thumbs up' if you enjoyed this video and subscribe so that you get to see all my videos as they are posted. You can also find me across social media. To see all my information and ideas find me at https://linktr.ee/Christines_Crafts. If you are thinking of opening an Etsy store then use this link and get off to a great start with 40 free listings https://etsy.me/32xoPdg
View Video Transcript
0:00
So yeah, you're going to make one of these cute kitten finger puppets today
0:04
They're a lot easier than you might think and we're just going to go through it step by step
0:09
I mean, could there be any cuter? Whether a cat or a kitten. So the first thing you're going to need is some fur or felt or whatever you want to make yours out of
0:18
but they do work really well out of a nice bit of fur, any colour you like
0:22
You're going to need something just to stuff its head, so you might have some leftover scraps of fabric
0:27
or you might have some toy filling like I've got here. A little ribbon to go around its neck, that's pretty much optional
0:34
You're going to need the pattern. Now don't worry, the link's on the screen, it's in the description below
0:40
It's free on my website, christiescrest.com, so you can just go along, get the pattern, bring it back
0:47
Perfectly free. And also you're going to need some eyes and a nose
0:53
Now I'm using safety eyes, which have those little backs, but again you could use felt, you could use what you have available to you
1:01
I just like to use the safety ones so that I can let children play with it
1:06
And really that's all you need apart from your basic sewing supplies
1:11
So the first thing you're going to do is cut out your pattern pieces. There are only three of them
1:16
And then we're going to cut out your fabric. So you want two of the finger section
1:23
Now if you're using fur, you want to try and make sure you're using the pile the right way
1:28
So just if you are folding it and doing it double like I am, make sure that they're both going to have the pile the same way
1:35
Again, be careful with the head and the ears just the same
1:39
So you could pin them all on. I'm just going to pin these two and then do the ears in a moment
1:46
Now part of that is because as you've seen my channel is about crafting on a budget
1:50
And I like to reuse as much as possible and use up scraps. And those ears are perfect for getting out of little bits that you've got left over
1:59
So you're going to cut two of the finger sections and two of the head pieces
2:05
Then if you notice on your ears, you need to cut four out
2:10
So what you want are two pairs. So just be careful to get yourself two pairs
2:14
And obviously the easy way of doing that is to cut them in pairs like I'm doing
2:19
If you're very confident you might not pin your piece on, it's up to you
2:24
I chose to. But you're just going to cut round it so that you've got four and then you've got all your pieces all ready
2:34
And time to get making. So first thing we're going to deal with is the finger section
2:45
So you're going to take your two pieces and you're going to do a little hem on each one
2:50
So you're going to turn your hem on the right side of your fabric
2:56
From the right side, should I say, onto the wrong side. On the straight side
3:03
And you just want a little hem. I mean a quarter of an inch is more than enough
3:08
Now the reason I choose to do this before we sew them together
3:12
is because once you've sewn them together, it's quite tricky because it's small
3:16
But you could do it after you've sewn them together if that would suit you
3:20
But you'll see how much easier it is at the moment. You just go over to your machine, a little forward, a little reverse
3:27
And then run along that hem. You can see I'm having a bit of trouble getting it started
3:33
Fur can be a little bit tricky under your machine when you start off. Don't worry, just persevere
3:39
Just wiggle it. And then when you get to the end, another little reverse and you're sorted
3:46
And just quickly repeat that for the other one. So you're making sure you've got no nasty raw edge that's going to bother you
3:54
or whoever's going to use your puppet. So once they're both sewn, place them together with right sides facing
4:02
and match them up. And you're just going to pin round all those curved edges
4:07
Now as you can see, because I've got fur, I'm taking the time to push all the fur in
4:13
You don't want to see any of the fur on this side because you don't want to end up with any bald seams
4:19
If you're pushing it all in, you'll get really good seams that have got plenty of fur on them
4:24
and they're not so obvious. When you get down to that bit that's between your fingers
4:30
I recommend putting a pin right across because when you get onto the machine, it can be a bit tricky to work out where to turn and go back up
4:37
So that's how I make sure I turn in the right place
4:42
Keep pushing that fur in. And then when you get back to those hems, it should match up
4:49
and you're ready to sew all the way around that. So it's back to the machine
4:55
Start at one end. And again, we're going to do our little forward reverse start that we always do
5:02
And then you're going to just sew all the way around. Now, just be careful that your material or your fur stays lined up nicely
5:13
And as you're going round the ends of the fingers, it can be a little bit tricky
5:17
So if you find sometimes you need to put your needle in and just lift the foot and turn a little bit, that's absolutely fine
5:24
But you don't want any sharp turns. Your only sharp turn is going to be at the bottom here between your two fingers
5:32
And that can be as sharp or as curved as you want it to be
5:36
But when you're coming round the end of the fingers, you want a nice curve
5:41
And you'll notice that I sometimes lift the foot, but I don't turn it too much when I do
5:46
I just keep turning it a little bit. And if your fur's starting to pop out, just keep pushing it back in
5:56
And then when you get all the way back to the end, a little reverse again
6:05
And now we'll think about the ears. So you've got two pairs
6:10
And you're just going to do the same thing again, that you're going to place the right sides together and pin round
6:17
But do not pin the straight side. You're only pinning the curved edge
6:23
And that's the only edge you're going to sew as well. We need the straight edge open so that we can turn it out to the right side
6:31
So for both ears, I nearly said both pairs, both ears, you're just going to sew round that curve
6:39
Now as ever, a little reverse at the beginning and the end
6:43
And just round that little curve. Now these are small, a little bit fiddly
6:48
But if you take your time, you'll be absolutely fine. So we're going to do both ears
7:01
And just get round them. If you're enjoying this video and enjoying making your kitten
7:06
or cat, depending on what you call it, please give me a thumbs up below so more people can make theirs
7:13
So before you turn anything out, you really want to clip round those curved edges
7:17
Now make sure you don't clip into your seam. But it will just mean it turns out so much better
7:23
And then it's up to you whether you do the same with your ears or not. But then you can turn those fingers out and you can see you've got your puppet
7:34
And you can always loosen some of the fur off on the seams and just get it so that it's less obvious
7:40
And those ears, we're going to turn those out as well. So as you'll see, because they're curved, I like to clip them
7:48
But it's not essential. And then turn them the right way out
7:53
So you'll see with my fingernail just running along the seam, just loosening that fur off, it just makes for a better finish
8:02
So now we're going to attach those ears to the head. So you've got your two head pieces
8:07
And ultimately we're going to sew them together. But to start with, we're just going to attach the ears to one
8:14
So I recommend positioning them where you want them, make them look how you want
8:19
and then fold it over onto that right side and pin it in place
8:24
It's really important you make sure you're going through all three layers
8:29
And we're going to do the same with the other ear. Now obviously because we're pinning, we can always redo it
8:36
So it's worth taking a moment to flick those ears up and say, oh yeah, that looks like a cat
8:44
And now I recommend sewing them in place. Now I do it by hand because I think I can do a little more careful work, to be honest
8:52
and just keep making sure I've got all the edges caught. But you could just as easily whizz them on the machine
8:58
And all we're doing is making sure those ears don't move when we sew the head in a moment
9:04
So once you're happy, you're going to get the other head piece
9:08
right sides together, pin your way around, making sure you're pushing all that fur in as you go
9:15
But obviously we don't want to pin or sew along the bottom because we need to be able to turn the head the right way out
9:22
So leave a gap at the bottom. And then it's over to the machine to sew that seam
9:28
So as ever, a little reverse at the beginning, and then just gently take yourself all the way around, following the curve
9:36
You've got that nice shape and you want to keep it. And you're keeping the bottom open
9:43
So just make sure you don't get carried away and go all the way around. OK, and then it's time to turn that out
9:53
And you can see your head. Again, you can use your nail to get those seams opened up
10:01
Get that fur loose. And you've got a cute little cat's head
10:07
And you can see how it's going to go on those fingers. So now it's a case of adding your eyes and your nose
10:14
Now, if you're doing them in felt, it's exactly the same process. You're just going to add felt instead of adding safety eyes
10:21
Now, where you place them is entirely up to you. There are no markings on your pattern, you'll notice
10:26
I've got some with wider eyes, some with the eyes closer together
10:30
And I just think they give them a bit more character. So just pop your nose on, but don't get it too close to the bottom
10:36
because remember we need to close the bottom. So if you're using safety eyes and nose, you need to make a small hole
10:44
And I do mean small. It's just to get the little stick of the safety nose through
10:50
And then you push the back on. Now, that can be a challenge
10:56
So if you have trouble pushing backs on, you're not on your own. So do I, as you can see
11:01
And then once it's secured, you can turn to the right side and you can see how it looks
11:06
And then you can position your eyes. So I'm quite happy with that
11:12
Yep. So, again, you just need to get those eyes in position
11:20
So for me, that's safety eyes. For you, it may be felt ones
11:26
And then once you've got that in place, you can put some filling into your head
11:35
So as much or as little as you like, but you do want enough to give it a bit of substance
11:41
And then once you're happy with your head, we're going to sew it closed and then sew it onto those fingers
11:51
So the first job is to sew it closed. And you're just going to use a ladder stitch all the way along
11:58
And that means taking a little bit from one side and then a little bit from the other and working your way all the way from one side to the other
12:05
so that the hole is closed and none of your filling can escape. And then I recommend fastening off your thread by doing a little knot
12:13
but leave your thread on. It's nice and secure. It's not going to come loose
12:19
And then to attach the head to those legs, you want to be just behind that junction there
12:27
And I recommend sewing all the way along from one side to the other at the front
12:33
and then repeating the process at the back. So you'll see, you're just going to take a little bit of the head and a little bit of the fingers
12:43
and just work your way across. And then once you're happy, you're going to do the same at the back
12:51
And the intention here is so it's not too floppy and so it doesn't flop forwards onto your fingers
12:56
You want the head to go back slightly, if anything, when it's resting. Once you're happy, you're going to finish off your thread
13:05
and you've got a little kitten or a cat. It's up to you
13:10
I think they're a little bit like a kitten. And then really it's complete, but I do recommend a nice little ribbon around the neck
13:17
and just with a little tidy bow, it just finishes them off, I think. So I hope you've enjoyed making your little puppet
13:24
and I hope you agree with me that they're absolutely adorable. And if you're looking for some more sewing projects, check out my channel
13:31
and check out the sewing playlist that's come up on your screen right now
13:36
Thank you for watching
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