How to Make a Towel Giraffe

I’ve had a few google hits from people looking for instructions on how to fold a towel giraffe, so I thought I should write a post on that.  Since I’ve never actually seen a towel giraffe I had to make up my own.  This towel giraffe is entirely My Cruise Stories original creation.

towel giraffe

Supplies Needed to Make a Towel Giraffe

1 Bath Towel                                              Googly Eyes or other eyes

1 Hand Towel                                             Pipe Cleaner (AKA chenille stem)

Yarn                                                             Piece of Pipe Cleaner  (AKA fuzzy stick)

rubber band

How to Make a Giraffe Tail

hook the pipe cleaner over the circle of yarn loops

Loop a few strands of yarn around your fingers or some other object to make even loops.  Hook one end of a pipe cleaner over all the loops and twist it tight.

finished towel giraffe tail

Cut through the loops at end farthest from pipe cleaner to make single strands.  Even up ends of strands with scissors.

How to Fold a Towel Giraffe Body

Use the closest color towel you have to the color of a real giraffe.  If the pattern on these towels had been solid rather than outlines these would have been perfect, but they were the best I could find.

tightly roll each short end to the center after folding over the long edges

Lay the bath towel out flat with the side you want on the outside down.  Fold a couple inches over on both long sides of the towel.

put the tail between the rolls and then roll them tightly together with just the end part of the tail sticking out

Tightly roll each end of the towel to the middle from the short ends.  Put the finished tail between the rolls and place the body in a standing position, rolled side up.

stand the body up with the rolls on the outside and the tail in place

Try to make the front end taller than the back because that’s how real giraffes are.  Any extra pipe cleaner between the rolls and not sticking out for the tail can help with shaping the body.

How to Fold a Towel Giraffe Head

lay the hand towel out flat with the good side down and fold over one end

Lay a long hand towel down flat with the side you want on the outside down.  Fold one short end partway over the towel.  About 1/3 of the length of the towel after folding should be single and about 2/3 double.   The amount left in a single layer at the first fold should just come over the end of the folded over part after the corners are folded down.

from the center of the unfolded end, fold over each corner

From the center of the unfolded end, fold over each corner into a triangle.  The two triangles should meet at the center, but not cross over each other.  The edges of each triangle should just cover over the end of the original fold.

fold the tip of the towel so it comes halfway to the edges of the small triangles

Fold over the pointed end of the towel so the new fold comes halfway to the ends of the two triangles.

fold the folded point over again so it comes to the edge of the other folds

Fold the end over again.  It should sit even with the edges of the two triangles.

pick up the towel as you fold the folded part in half

Fold the folded end in half.  You can pick the towel up as you do this, making sure none of the other folds come undone.  Fold with all the prior folds on the outside and bring both sides of the folded end together, don’t worry about the rest of the towel for now so long as nothing comes unfolded.

pinch the edges together under the center of the folded part so it looks like a head

Hold both sides of the towel together tightly underneath the folded center so it resembles a head.  While holding the folded end together with one hand, find the points of the two triangles underneath the fold with the other hand and carefully pull them out for ears without disturbing the rest of the head.

tuck the giraffe head tightly under your chin

Tuck the head under your chin with the ears at the back toward your neck and the nose at the front toward your chin.  Your chin needs to keep a tight hold on the head while your hands gather hanging towel on both sides.

there should be a hand on each roll, but my other hand is on the camera

Take one side of the towel in one hand and the other side of the towel in the other hand and roll them toward the center as tightly as you can.  Make sure the top part is tight and then work your way down until the whole thing becomes two tight rolls.

hold the rolls together

While holding the neck so it stays tightly rolled, take the head out from under your chin.

put a rubber band on the neck

Put a rubber band around the bottom end of the rolls so they can’t come undone.

you will probably need to shape the head and ears

Shape the head and ears as desired.

How to Make Horns for a Towel Giraffe

fold over each end of a little piece of a pipe cleaner to make horns

Giraffes have knobby little horns.  To make horns for the towel giraffe, take a small piece of a pipe cleaner and fold over each end.

Finishing the Towel Giraffe

decorate the giraffe head with eyes and horns

Use a bit of double stick tape under the bit between the horns to stick the horns to the top of the giraffe’s head.  If you have googly eyes use double stick tape to add those to the head as well.  If you don’t have eyes you can make some with bits of felt or paper.

place the head between the leg rolls at the front of the body

Carefully place the head between the rolls at the front of the body.  Push the rolls back together as much as possible after inserting the head.  Adjust the body, head, and tail positions as desired.

finished towel giraffe

If you are a first time towel animal folder you may want to try something easier, like the penguin.   The head of the giraffe is rather tricky, making it one of the more difficult towel animals to fold.

For instructions on how to fold lots of other towel animals visit My Cruise Stories towel animal page.

Copyright My Cruise Stories 2015