Do It Yourself: Flutter Butterfly Puppets

One bright and sunny butterfly floating on the breeze.

This is a great project to make while you are waiting and waiting and waiting for spring. These cheerful little butterflies make great puppets or even a fun bouquet. Do this as an afternoon activity or make these as a craft at a birthday party! Perfect for children old enough to use markers up to adults.

Supplies:
basket style coffee filters
food coloring
spray bottle filled with water
washable markers
chenille stems (some traditional style and bump stems)
scissors


All of our supplies ready to go.

1. Beautify the wings (coffee filters). We started by wetting a filter on top of a towel and dropping food coloring onto the filter. You can also draw on a dry filter and them wet it to make the colors run. We hung ours to dry using a hanging laundry carousel. We did this part of the project on one day and finished it the next. Filters should be dry before continuing.

2. Further beautiful your wings if desired. After our dye job dried, we drew patterns and lines on them with markers.

3. pinch the center of the filter, trying to keep an even amount of "wing" on both sides of the pinch.


Pinching the wings into shape.

4. Take one of the bump chenille stems (cut in half) and wrap the thin middle around the pinched wings twice.


Ready to wrap the bump stem around the middle of the wings.


Wrapped and ready for antennae.

4. Take a regular chenille stem cut in half and wrap both ends around a marker to curl. Fold it into a "V" shape.


Curling the antennae.

5. Center the bottom of the "V" on the top of the butterfly's head.


Lined up and ready.

5. Fold the tip over and wrap around the antennae a few times to secure.


Folded over and ready to wrap around the antennae to secure them to the head.

6. At this point you have a butterfly. You can attach them to gifts, or tie a string to suspend. But we like to make butterfly puppets. Taking a whole chenille stem (not the bumpy ones) sneak the tip of it under the center back of the butterfly's body.


Attaching the controls.

7. Twist to secure and you now have a butterfly puppet. Hold the far end of the stem and allow your butterfly to gently bob and sway with the breeze. If your stem gets bent, you may need to replace it. Gather together a handful of butterflies for a bright and cheerful bouquet!


Fly little friend!

Project designed by Lara Newsom of Handmade Pretties