How To Make a Toilet Roll Paper Turkey

November 1, 2023

Time to read 3 min

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Learn how to make a cute Toilet Roll Paper Turkey. This craft is a cute way to use a toilet paper roll and make something to display in your house during the month of November or give as a gift.

The best part? If you ever need the cardboard tube back, you can take the turkey apart and recycle the roll—though we think you'll want to keep this little guy around! You can learn how to make it through the step-by-step directions, pictures, and a short video at the end of this post. Let’s get started and make a truly gobble-worthy creation!

For this craft you will need

Toilet paper roll (or paper towel roll cut to size), the sturdy base of your turkey.
Brown fabric or tissue paper (felt works great too!)To wrap the body. Make sure it's opaque enough.
Red, cream, and orange foam paper for the facial features and feet. Cardstock is also a good alternative.
Feathers (various colors) The classic turkey tail! Use colorful craft feathers for a fun look.
Hot glue gun and glue sticks provide a quick and strong bond. Adult supervision is required
A pencil for tracing and drawing shapes before cutting.
Black marker to draw the eyes.
Scissors for cutting the foam paper.

How to make Toilet Roll Paper Turkey

The first step for creating this project is covering the toilet paper roll. To wrap it, you can use brown fabric, maybe brown felt, or brown paper. I recommend choosing a material that gives your turkey a nice texture

Since I wasn’t able to find the perfect shade of brown fabric, I’ve used brown tissue paper. If you can see through the paper, use two or three layers for a solid, uniform color, as shown in the pictures. Apply a thin line of glue to the roll to secure the paper. You will then push all the ends into the middle of the toilet paper roll hole to create a neat finish. If any pieces stick out, simply use a dab of glue to secure them inside.

Now, it’s time to create the head. Since it is easier for me I’m using a pencil to draw it first and then to cut it I’ve used scissors. Make sure that the head is in right proportions with the body.

To finish the head, you will need to draw the eyes. I’ve used a black marker to give my turkey simple, expressive eyes. Next, cut a small orange triangle for the beak and a little wavy red shape for the wattle (the dangling piece of skin). Attach the beak and wattle on the head, right below the eyes, using a small amount of glue. Tip: Sticky-backed foam paper is a great time-saver!

Attach the finished head to the upper front of the wrapped toilet paper roll using your glue gun. Hold it firmly in place for a few seconds until the glue is dry. Make sure the head is centered and looking straight ahead!

This is where your turkey gets its magnificent look! Take your assortment of colorful feathers and insert them into the top, back hole of the toilet paper roll. Arrange them in a fanned-out pattern to look like a vibrant tail. You can use a bit of glue on the feather tips before inserting them to make sure they stay securely in place and don't wiggle around.

To finish the look of the turkey you need to create the turkey feet with spurs. I’ve used orange foam paper to create them. Attach them on the bottom of the toilet paper roll and with this step this project is finished.

And with this step, your cheerful and festive Toilet Roll Paper Turkey project is finished!

Craft Video

Your completed turkey makes a wonderful centerpiece for a table at Thanksgiving, a cute desk decoration, or a fun addition to your fall mantel display. It's a simple project that brings a lot of personality to your holiday decorations!