butterflies

A few weeks ago I made some butterfly brooches.  Looking at them, I kept thinking that the little felt wings would also make perfect finger puppets.  And so, of course, I had to make some. 

MATERIALS

Wool felt: green, tan and a pretty color for wings

Embroidery needle & floss: green, brown, red and floss to match the wings

To start, cut 2 pieces of wool felt, 1/4 inch wider than your finger all around. You will also need to cut a small oval for the face and a pair of wings.

Embroider eyes and mouth, then stitch the face to the body of your butterfly.

Sew the wings to the back of the butterfly, and if you wish, add some embroidery.  You can also make antennae from embroidery floss, knotted at the ends

A few years ago I made ladybug puppets and we had fun singing ladybug songs, so, after I finished sewing, I went in search of songs to sing with our new butterfly puppets.  Here's what I found:

I love this Spanish song.  The words translate to English as follows: Little butterfly is in the kitchen making hot chocolate for her Godmother. Poti-poti... Some little wooden legs, a glass eye and the beak of a macaw. (This is quite the recipe -- I wonder whether her Godmother appreciated her ingenuity?)

I'm not fond of the animation in this video, but the song is really sweet.

For more butterfly projects, you can have a look here to see how I made flutter-kites, or here to see how these children made fluttering marionettes.  Plus, over at Twig & Toadstool you can find tutorials for both this hanging mobile and this gorgeous finger puppet.

Do you have any favorite butterfly art projects?  Favorite butterfly songs?  If you do, I'd love to know!