Glove and finger puppet galore


What to do with loads of scrap material, leftovers from various large projects? Glove puppets!

I have a friend who is crazy about owls and when I thought she could do with a surprise gift, I made her the owl above. Not that she would necessarily play with it, but a collector is always searching for unique items and I knew she didn't have one of these. It ended up as a decorative piece, covering a wine bottle, I think.

How to make it? It is simple. Find two pieces of sturdy material, preferably something that doesn't fray. If the fabric does fray, you need to stitch the raw edges on the inside as well. Measure the pieces according to your hand, leaving wriggle room and space for seams. Stitch it up, leaving the bottom open and hem the edge. Done!

I found it easier to decorate the puppet before stitching it up. On the owl I only left the wings to finish off at the end.


Another friend of mine contacted me with tales of being run ragged by her 3-year old grandson. He had her (a lady in her 60s) running up and down the hallway, roaring and pretending to be a dragon/lion/bear, depending on the game of the day. She pleaded with me to provide her with something to encourage less active games, well, less active for her.

This is what I made her, a glove puppet bear and lion. The young boy clearly liked roaring animals, so I thought they would be fitting and they were! Peaceful games every so often, while my friend rested her legs, although not her voice.

Having an interest in viking reenactment, I knew there are plenty of children accompanying their parents to shows during the summer months. Although sticks and stones are great toys, as well as wooden and leather viking weapons, sometimes a doll is called for and why not a glove puppet?


This viking girl with wild hair and long dress should be able to keep a little one occupied for a while. I think she may be Smirking Stella, considering her cheeky smile. She is part of a large family of boys and girls, all dressed as vikings and every one with a different face. Only a couple still live in our house, as several of the siblings have travelled the world to find new play mates. I know that one lives in the USA now and there are two in Sweden.


As you can see, I use whatever colour material I have at hand. We are all different and so are the puppets. Skin colour doesn't matter. The two I sent to Sweden were brown, just like Hunky Harald in the middle, and they were greeted as gingerbread men. Fair enough, they arrived at Christmas time, prime time for for gingerbread.


When you run out of hand sized pieces of scraps, make finger puppets! Rather fiddly, but fun. Meet the fierce mini viking warriors with their horse...


And the viking ladies in their silk dresses, also equipped with a horse.

Well, after reliving the memory of these puppets, I now fancy making more. Perhaps I should have a rummage in my scrap box for suitable material.

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