How to sculpt mice using cotton batting and dryer lint...

I've added the whiskers here to the mice.

       Learn to handcraft a few little mice for a Christmas tree or for play in a mouse house if you prefer. Children love them no matter what color they are or from what materials you choose to make them with. Every mouse has it's own character and you will enjoy dressing them for the holidays as well.

• Read mouse stories and craft more for them here
• Follow the church mouse companion here. 

Supply List:

• chenille stems
• cotton balls
• dryer lint
• white school glue
• acrylic paint: black and white
• Sculpey oven-bake clay
• thread for whiskers

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Shred white cotton balls into fluff and layer this with white glue onto the chenille stems, winding the cotton around the stems. Once the cotton batting and glue is evenly distributed, you can roll the wire between the palms of your hands to adhere it to the chenille better. This process will also 'even out' the application.
2. Now cut and bend the cotton coated wires into basic mouse armature. See and copy the photos below.
3. Don't forget to twist the mice tails to the armature from behind. 
4. Now layer cotton batting and white glue on top of the armature in order to 'flesh out' the delicate little mouse bodies.
5. Glue on large round ears and eyeballs made from Sculpey oven-bake clay.
6. Once you have fleshed out the bodies to the most believable shapes, dab on white glue and dryer lint to color the white fur further.
7. After the mice have dried completely next to a heating duct, ideally, paint the eyes and thread a needle with white or transparent thread to weave in and out of the mice cheeks. Clip the whiskers to a shorter length at the end.

More Makers of Mice Online:

• How to make mice tutorial by Rosanna makes here - these are painted afterwards
• Needle felted sleeping mice by Sarafina Fiber Art
• Learn to make traditional felt mice by Crumble Cottage here
• Read and see how I make sock mice at one of my other blogs here

Left, standing mouse, wire armature. Center, sitting mice, wire armature. Right, 'fleshed-out' mice
 before adding painted eyes and dryer lint for colorful fur.

Above you can see the grey mouse from different angles.

Above is my spotted mouse from different angles.

Detailed photos of seated mice posed together.

See the dryer lint in a bag. I collected multiple greys, black and browns over time.