Felt Groundhog Puppet

Although it’s not as popular as the other winter holidays, Groundhog Day can still be a fun thing to celebrate, especially if the groundhog doesn’t see his shadow! This felt groundhog puppet is a quick little project that crafters of all ages can enjoy. It’s interactive, uses recycled materials, and is just plain adorable; take a look.

Image contains a plush felt groundhog popping out of a toilet paper tube covered in green felt “grass.”

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How to Make a Felt Groundhog Puppet

This interactive craft only requires a few basic supplies, and you can complete it in an afternoon. Just grab the materials below, and let’s get started!

Materials

felt: dark brown, light brown, white, black, and green
scissors
hot glue gun and glue sticks (or fabric/craft glue)
thin wooden dowel
small black beads or craft eyes
Poly-Fil
needle and brown thread (optional)
toilet paper roll
free pattern

Here’s a quick video of how I constructed this cute little craft. You can also find a full step by step photo tutorial below.

Instructions

Cut your felt pieces.

Print out the free pattern and cut the pieces from felt. You’ll need 2 body pieces from dark brown felt, 2 ears, a belly, and a muzzle from light brown felt, a nose from black felt, and two teeth from white felt. You’ll also need a rectangle cut from green felt for the grass.

download the free pattern

Glue the ears to one of the body pieces.

I positioned these on the sides of the head rather than the top.

Image contains Amy’s hand holding a piece of brown felt with two small pieces of tan felt glued onto the sides for ears. More felt pieces, including a large green rectangle, sit in the background on a white table.

Sew (or glue) the two body pieces together with the ears in between, leaving the bottom open.

I chose to hand stitch around the body shape with brown thread, close to the edge. However, you can use glue for this step if you prefer.

Image contains Amy’s hand holding the body pieces, which have been hand stitched together with brown thread. A piece of green felt sits on a white table in the background.

Stuff the body with Poly-Fil.

Image contains Amy’s hands holding the body pieces and adding Poly-Fil inside.

Insert a wooden dowel, then sew or glue the bottom of the body shut.

I left my dowel the original length, but you can cut it to any length you like for a shorter puppet.

Image contains the plush groundhog body with ears, and a dowel extending from below the body. A piece of green felt and a pile of Poly-Fil sit on a white table behind it.

Glue the other body parts onto the front of the groundhog.

Add the belly, muzzle, teeth, and nose. I tucked the tops of the teeth under the muzzle for a more finished look. Also, add a pair of eyes. I like to use a pair of tweezers when placing the eyes, so that I don’t have to worry about touching the hot glue.

Image contains the plush felt groundhog laying on a white table top next to a box of black beads. A pair of tweezers holds a black bead, ready to place it on the groundhog’s face as an eye.

Trim off about 1” from the top of the toilet paper roll. Wrap the green felt around the remaining tube and glue in place.

Line up one edge with the bottom of the roll. You will have excess felt on the top, which will become the fringed grass.

Image contains Amy’s hand holding a paper roll tube and covering it with green felt. The groundhog puppet sits in the background, out of focus.

Cut slits in the excess green felt to create grass.

Snip to the top of the toilet paper roll, cutting just the felt.

Image contains Amy’s hand holding a paper roll tube covered with green felt that is snipped at the top to look like grass.

Now your puppet is ready to use! Just slide the groundhog up through the bottom of the tube and he can pop in and out of his burrow. Make sure he doesn’t see his shadow, so that spring is just around the corner!

Image contains a plush felt groundhog puppet popping out of a toilet paper tube covered in green felt “grass.” Amy’s hand holds a dowel at the bottom of the tube.

Crafting Tips

Use tweezers when handling small pieces like the eyes and teeth to avoid touching the hot glue with your fingers.
While I used traditional colors for my project, you can certainly get creative and have any color groundhog you like.
The free pattern can also be used with cardstock. Just cut one body, and glue the other pieces to it, making a flat paper puppet instead of a dimensional felt one. Add a popsicle stick or dowel to the back, and you still have an interactive craft.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big is the groundhog?

The finished groundhog is about 2.5” tall and 1.5” wide.

Can I make this without sewing?

Absolutely! Just use glue to attach the front and back of the body instead! Or, make a flat version from felt or cardstock. Just cut one body piece instead of two, and glue the stick to the back.

More Felt Projects

If you enjoyed this project, check out these other fun crafts you can make using felt.

Embroidered Felt Cactus (free printable pattern)