Chit

Chat
PUPPET
PATTERN
 Chit Chat
PUPPET PATTERN
Puppets are magical. They’re the perfect vehicle for expressing
emotion and telling a story. Sometimes it’s easier to say something
through a puppet than it is in person, especially for kids.

With this sewing pattern you’ll be able to create unique open-

mouthed puppets that are easy to wear and fun to use. Mix and
match fleece colors, hair styles, ear sizes, and more to create what-
ever character you have in mind.

This puppet has a foam mouth and a foam skull that helps it to hold
its shape. I’ll also show you how to make a simple arm rod to help
your puppet interact with the audience.

TO MAKE THE PUPPET YOU’LL NEED:

• Materials: Finished puppet is 16 inches tall.
• Fleece for the body (1 yard)
• Fleece for the nose (small scrap) Notes
• Pink felt for the interior of the mouth (9 inch x 12 inch sheet)
• Black and red felt for the mouth details (small scraps) — A 1/4 inch seam allowance has been
added to all pattern pieces. Cut along the
• Sturdy cardboard for the mouth lining (8 inch x 8 inch square)
solid lines and stitch along the dotted lines.
• 1
 pair of comic safety eyes with washers (get them here) OR
white fleece and black felt (small scraps) to make plush eyes — Fleece is stretchy. Be sure to place the
pattern pieces so that the arrows are paral-
• Colorful yarn for the hair lel to the grain to ensure that the shape of
• Fiberfill stuffing the puppet will no distort when stuffed.

• ½ inch foam for the skull (18 inch x 18 inch piece) — For tips on making this pattern, find
• 1 wire coat hanger related blog posts, tutorials and videos at:
whileshenaps.com/tag/chit-chat-puppet
• 1 inch round wooden ball with a hole (such as this one)
including these topics:
• Coordinating all-purpose thread ›› How to tell which side of fleece is the
right side
›› Two essential tricks for sewing through
TOOLS: thick fabrics
• C
 ontact cement (not heavy duty contact cement) OR use a hot ›› How to sew a ladder stitch

glue gun + standard craft glue such as Aleens’s Tacky Glue

• S
 harpie or other permanent marker for tracing the pattern
pieces onto the foam OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:
• Wire cutter • Sand paper
• Hot glue gun for attaching the wooden balls to wire coat hanger • Unflavoured dental floss
• Disappearing fabric marking pen or chalk • Small amount of paint in the color of the
• Hand sewing needle puppet’s skin
• Awl or a small pair of sharp scissors • Paintbrush

The Chit Chat Puppet pattern is copyright Abby Glassenberg, 2018.

All rights reserved. It is illegal to distribute this pattern electronically or in hard copy without my permission. For questions email abbyglassenberg@comcast.net

CHIT CHAT PUPPET 2 © 2018

 Transfer all of the markings to the pattern pieces with
the disappearing fabric marking pen or chalk, especially
the marks for points C on the body back and D on the
body front.

When using contact cement it’s important to work in

a well-ventilated room or outside. Please be cautious.
Contact cement works differently than other glues. The
glue becomes sticky only after it is dry. Once you apply
a layer, let the glue dry for 5-7 minutes before adhering
it. If you’re not able to find contact cement, you can also
use a hot glue gun to glue the foam together.

CUT EVERYTHING OUT SEW THE ARMS

From the body fleece cut: Place two arm pieces right sides together. Stitch around
• 4 arms (reversing 2) the arm and fingers, leaving the straight edge at the top
• 1 body front of the arm open for turning and stuffing.
• 1 body back
• 2 heads (reversing 1)
• 4 ears

From the fleece scrap cut:

• 1 nose
To transfer the template shapes to foam trace around
them with a Sharpie or other permanent marker. Foam
can be cut with regular fabric or paper scissors.
Hint
From the foam cut:
• 1 foam mouth lining
I like to trace the arm pattern onto the matte side
• 1 skull of a sheet of freezer paper (available in the grocery
From cardboard cut: aisle in the US). Cut it out, than iron it to the wrong
side of a piece of fleece. Place on a second piece
• 2 cardboard mouth linings of fleece, right sides together, and use a few pins to
From pink felt cut: hold the two layers in place. Then, with the freezer
paper still affixed, stitch around the arm and fingers.
• 1 felt mouth This allows me to stitch very exactly.
From red felt cut:
• 1 tongue

From black felt cut:

• 1 roof of mouth

If you’re making plush eyes, cut:

• 2 eyes from white fleece
• 2 eyeballs from black felt
• 2 eyelids from body fleece

CHIT CHAT PUPPET 3 © 2018

Repeat to create a second arm. Clip the curves, being SEW THE HEAD
especially careful to clip close to but not through the Fold one head piece, right sides together, along the dart.
seams between the fingers. Turn the arms right side out Pin, then stitch the dart closed. Repeat on the other head
And push the fingers out completely. Stuff the fingers piece.
firmly and the hand and arms lightly, stopping about
2 inches from the top of the arm. To form the elbow
thread a needle with a doubled length of coordinating
thread and take a short straight stitch in the middle of
the arm at the elbow going through both layers of fleece
and the stuffing. Go over this stitch a few times, then tie
a knot in the thread and cut it off. Fold the open edges of
each arm inward 1/4 inch and baste.

Place the two head pieces right sides together and pin,
SEW THE BODY
being sure to match up the darts. Stitch from point A to
Place the body front on the body back. Pin, then stitch
point B. Then stitch from point C to point D.
along the straight edges on each side of the body. Note
that the bottom edge of the puppet is left raw and
unhemmed. Fleece will not unravel and I’ve found that
hemming the edge makes it curl.

CHIT CHAT PUPPET 4 © 2018

ATTACH THE MOUTH Coat the cardboard mouth pieces with a thin layer of

Fit the felt mouth inside the opening in the head, right contact cement or hot glue. When using contact cement

side of the fleece against the felt lining up point E on allow 5-7 minutes to dry. Center them on the foam

the mouth with point B on the head and point F on mouth, leaving a miniscule gap (less than 1/8 inch) be-

the mouth with point C on the head. Carefully pin the tween them to allow the mouth to fully close, and press

mouth to the opening, placing a pin every ¼ inch. Stitch in place. Let the glue dry completely.

the mouth to the opening. Clip the seam allowance

around the mouth every ½”.

Coat the other cardboard side with a layer of contact

cement and let it dry completely. With the puppet still
inside out, line the cardboard up with the pink felt
aligning the mark on the cardboard to points E and F.
Press the mouth, cardboard side down, onto the pink
felt. (If you don’t have contact cement you can use stan-
dard craft glue to attach the cardboard mouth to the felt
mouth because hot glue tends to be lumpy when dry.)

Hint

When sewing this by machine, I like to position

the fleece portion of the mouth on top and the felt
portion underneath because I find that it gives me
better control. You’ll need to sew slowly and ease
the curves. If you find this step to be too fiddly it’s
okay to hand sew instead. Use a small backstitch.

CHIT CHAT PUPPET 5 © 2018

 Hint

Again, this is a fiddly seam to sew. Use a lot of pins

to hold the layers together. If you’d prefer you can
hand sew this seam with a small backstitch.

Hint

Put your hand into the puppet and smooth the

felt from the inside so that there are no bubbles
between the cardboard/foam and the felt. Let the
glue dry completely. Turn the head right side out.
ATTACH THE ARMS

Turn the puppet right side out. Fold the top edges of
each arm inward 1/8 inch and baste. Position the arms
on the side seams 3/4 inch down from the top, being
sure that the hands are positioned with the thumbs up.
With the edges folded inward, pin, then ladder stitch the
arms in place.

SEW THE HEAD TO THE BODY

With the head right side out insert it into the neck opening
on the body so that the side with the mouth is facing the
Front Body. Align point D with the center front seam on
the head and point C with the center back seam. Pin, then
stitch around the neck. Turn the puppet right side out.
Hint Ladder stitch

I like to go
around twice
with my stitches
to be sure that Watch a video
the arms are about the
very securely ladder stitch at
attached. http://bit.ly/
1u8NgnC

CHIT CHAT PUPPET 6 © 2018

MAKE THE SKULL
Paint contact cement on all of the edges of the foam
skull with the exception of the bottom edge. Let the
glue dry, than press the edges to one another to create a
rounded skull. If you’re using hot glue apply the hot glue
to the foam a few inches at a time, then squeeze to hold
in place while the glue dries. Continue by gluing small
sections at a time.
Note that the curved edge of the bottom edge will
point towards the back of the puppet when the skull is
inserted (the curved cut out is to give your wrist more
room inside the puppet). Insert the assembled skull
into the head of the puppet pushing it all the way in and
wiggling it down until the front of it is flush with the
foam of the top of the mouth. Pull and stretch the fabric
around it until smooth.
CHIT CHAT PUPPET
ADD THE FACIAL FEATURES
Sew and attach the facial features with the skull inside
the puppet. This will help you ensure you’re getting the
look you want, and the stitches will go through the foam
layer helping to secure it in place.
To make the nose thread a needle with a doubled length
of thread and take a running stitch around the perime-
ter of the nose 1/8 inch from the edge on the wrong side.
Pull the stitches a little bit to begin to gather the nose,
than add a ball of stuffing. Pull the stitches completely
then tie off the thread with a double knot.
Hint
There is no one right position for the features! The
placement of the eyes, nose, and ears on the pup-
pet with determine its character. Play around with
them so that you can get the expression you want.
If you’re using comic safety eyes hold them over the
puppet’s face to determine where they should go, then
use an awl or the tip of a small pair of embroidery scis-
sors to poke a hole in the fleece and foam for each eye.
Push the eyes through the fleece and foam from the
front of the face to the inside of the puppet, than reach
your hand inside the puppet to push each washer firmly
onto the shank of each eye.
7 © 2018
If you’re making plush eyes thread a needle with a dou-
bled length of thread and take a running stitch around
the perimeter of one white fleece eye 1/8 inch from the
edge on the wrong side. Pull the stitches a little bit to be-
gin to gather the eye, than add a ball of stuffing. Pull the
stitches completely then tie off the thread with a double
knot. Place the black felt eyeball on the eye and use a dab
of contact cement to hold it in place. Put a dab of glue on
the center of the straight edge of the eyelid and place it
over the eye to hold the lid in place. Then take running
stitches along the curved edge of the eyelid and pull the
stitches to gather the eyelid and make it fit around the
eye. Place the eye on the face and ladder stitch firmly in
place. Repeat for the other eye.
To make the ears, place two ear pieces right sides
together. Stitch around, leaving the straight edge open.
Clip the curves, then turn the ear right side out. Fold the
raw edges inward by 1/8 inch and baste. Repeat for the
other ear. Position the ears on the sides of the puppet’s
face. Pin, then ladder stitch the ears in place.
Hint
I like to go around twice with my stitches to be sure
that the nose and ears are very securely attached.
Coat one side of the tongue and the roof of the mouth
with contact cement. Press in place on the mouth align-
ing the straight edges with the crease.

Hint

Consider adding eyebrows or eyelashes to your

puppet for even more expression. Cut shapes out
of black or brown felt and either stitch them to the
puppet’s face with a whipstitch or glue them in
place with contact cement.

Position the nose where you’d like it. Pin, then ladder
stitch the nose in place.

CHIT CHAT PUPPET 8 © 2018

CREATE THE HAIR If it is, sand it with some sand paper. To finish the

Puppet hair can be silly and colorful so have some fun other end of the rod, squirt hot glue into the hole of the

with it! Essentially you’ll create a pompom, but leaving wooden ball using a hot glue gun. Insert the other end

the yarn strands long and shaggy rather than trimming of the arm rod into the hole and hold in place until dry.

them into a ball. Then you’ll sew the pompom to the top If you’d like you can paint the wooden ball to match the

of the head. puppet for a more finished look.

To make short hair, wrap the yarn around your hand

15-20 times. For longer hair wrap the yarn around a
book instead. Slide the yarn off of your hand and use
a length of yarn or dental floss to tie a tight triple knot
around the center of the bundle. Clip the loops to create
a fluffy pompom. Position the pompom on the top cen-
ter of the puppet’s head and sew through the center tie,
the fleece and foam several times to hold the hair firmly
in place.

MAKE THE ARM ROD

An arm rod is optional, but it’s a fun feature that al-
lows you to move one arm of the puppet intentionally
when the puppet is performing. To make an arm rod
use a wire cutter to cut the long, straight bottom edge,
plus four additional inches off of a wire coat hanger.
Straighten the length of the wire out, then 3 ¾ inches
from the top, bend it downward. This end will slip over
the palm of one of the puppet’s hands so that you can
control it. Check to make sure the tip isn’t rough. Your puppet is finished. Put it on and let it introduce
itself to you!

CHIT CHAT PUPPET 9 © 2018

 This is an original sewing pattern by Abby Glassenberg. Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.
It is illegal to distribute this pattern electronically or in hard copy without permission. For questions email abbyglassenberg@comcast.net.

COVER PHOTOS BY PAGE+PIXEL

YOU CAN SELL ITEMS MADE FROM THIS PATTERN AS LONG AS YOU FOLLOW THESE REGULATIONS:
1. Keep a copy of your receipt as proof of purchase.

2. The items cannot be mass-produced. They must be made by hand, one at a time.

3. Items must be made only by the individual who purchased the pattern.

4. C
 redit is given to Abby Glassenberg as the pattern designer on a tag affixed to each item and, if selling online,
the listing (on Etsy, etc.) must contain a direct link to where the pattern can be purchased.

5. Y
 ou may make alterations to the pattern, but you must still link to the original pattern and credit Abby
Glassenberg on the item’s tags and listings.

FIND ME ONLINE
FACEBOOK ETSY BLOG

facebook.com/ whileshenaps.etsy.com whileshenaps.com

AbbyGlassenbergDesign

Post pictures of your finished project to my Facebook page. I’d love to see it!

CHIT CHAT PUPPET 10 © 2018

 Tongue
O
Cut 1 PE
N

Nose

Cut 1
ple
Dim

Arm )
i n g2
ers
( rev
t4
Cu
page 1 of 9
CHIT CHAT PUTTEN

Cardboard
Mouth

Cut 2
 Attach to remainder of
skull pattern piece
Attach to remainder of
skull pattern piece
Cut 1

Foam Skull
Foam Skull
Cut 2
page 2 of 9
Eye CHIT CHAT PUTTEN
Plush
 Attach to remainder of the head pattern piece
Head
OPEN
Cut 4
Ear

A
D
D

Roof of Mouth
Cut 1
CHIT CHAT PUTTEN
page 3 of 9
Body Front
Cut 1
Attach to remainder of body front pattern piece
Plush Eye Lid
CHIT CHAT PUTTEN
page 4 of 9
Cut 2

Attach to remainder of body front pattern piece

Body Front
 C
CHIT CHAT PUTTEN

Body Back
page 5 of 9

Cut 1
Attach to remainder of body back pattern piece
CHIT CHAT PUTTEN
page 6 of 9

Attach to remainder of body back pattern piece

Body Back
 B

CHIT CHAT PUTTEN

page 7 of 9
Head
Cut 2 (reversing 1)
C
Attach to remainder of head pattern piece
CHIT CHAT PUTTEN
page 8 of 9

Foam Mouth

Cut 1

Fold

F
CHIT CHAT PUTTEN
page 9 of 9

Felt Mouth
Cut 1

Fold