Find out how to make this adorable chunky fox tail with yarn! This DIY fox tail costume tutorial is easy to make and great for costumes or imaginative play! It’s also a great idea for a DIY Halloween fox costume.

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What you need to make a yarn fox tail

To make a chunky yarn fox tail, you need the following items:

• Yarn in 2-3 colors (I used Red Heart Yarn in Carrot (see note about choosing colors), Coffee, and White)
• A box or long piece of cardboard
• Heavy-duty scissors
• Measuring tape
• A belt or carabiner

In regards to the color of the tail, you can choose to do the yarn only in orange and white, but I liked the added depth and dimension the brown strip added to the tail.

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How to choose the right color yarn for your fox tail

I suggest making or purchasing your fox ears BEFORE buying the yarn.

That way, you can take the ears to the yarn store or compare online before you purchase.

The brown that I used on my tail turned out to be quite a bit darker than the adorable ears that I purchased.

I still love both, but in retrospect, I might have chosen a lighter brown for the tail like this one.

(I highly recommend the ears in the picture; they can be worn as clip-ins or as a headband, which makes it easier for children with short hair, like my son.)

Making a yarn fox tail

I actually made one of these fox tails YEARS ago, when I saw this cute tutorial on making a wolf tail.

This gorgeous yarn fox tail is sure to delight the wearer and if made correctly will last for years, even decades.

That being said, this is not a quick one-hour-and-done tail. You are going to need to devote a decent amount of time to this.

I created my fox tail over a period of several days, working on it an hour or two at a time.

Don’t try and make this as a last-minute Halloween costume!

Why I don’t brush out my fox tail

Unfortunately, brushing out the yarn for my fox tail DID NOT work for me.

The Red Heart brand yarn that I used did not take well to brushing and simply pulled off as I ran the brush through the yarn.

Also, I found that I really liked the look of the chunky yarn fox tail — it gave a rather “ragamuffin” feeling to this DIY fox tail that I found adorable!

You will find that because of the size of the initial braid this fox tail turns out quite plump, which is just the look we were going for!

Step by step instructions to make a fox tail

1. Measure your tail and assembling items

Gather all of your items together.

Take the measuring tape and measure from the waist to the desired length of your tail. Mine was 14 inches in length.

When the tail is completed, you will be attaching it either by using a belt or a carabiner at the waist or pants.

You may want to experiment and see how the belt/carabiner sits before you finish measuring.

2. Cut out a cardboard rectangle

Use the measuring tape to then mark your desired length onto the cardboard box and cut out a wide rectangle that is equal to your length (again, mine was 14 inches).

We are going to be wrapping the yard for the tail base around the cardboard.

3. Wrap the yarn for the tail base

Take the white yarn and begin to wrap it around the cardboard, continuing until you have it wrapped many, many times.

You want a tail that is about 1-1.5 inches thick.

Make sure you are in this range. If the tail base is too thin, your tail will be thin. If your tail is too thick you will have trouble attaching the yarn pieces later. 

The bottom of the tail base will become the white part of your tail.

You need a Goldilocks tail; not too thick, not too thin, just right!

4. Cut the tail base

Take one end of the yarn on the cardboard and cut THAT SIDE ONLY.

Take the white tail base and immediately use another piece of yard to wrap several times around the top of the tail, tying it off at the middle.

This is going to help keep our tail nice and secure, and give an easy access point for the belt or carabiner to slide on.

After securing the yarn at the top, attach the tail at the exact middle to the belt or carabiner.

5. Separate the tail for braiding

Taking the white tail, separate it evenly into three pieces to braid. Make sure to take a portion from both the right and the left evenly to make a middle piece (see pic).

6. Braid the tail

Now braid the tail all the way down, leaving some white at the bottom.

This will become the very end of your fox tail.

7. Cut and attach tail fur

This party is the trickiest part and takes the longest.

You are going to now take the white yarn and wrap it loosely around your hand 6-7 times.

Once you have it wrapped around your hand, cut one end and immediately tie the white strands around the middle in a knot. Make it tight!

After tying in a knot, take one strand from each side of the knot and tie it around the fox tail base, making sure to double knot the strands.

Continue to do this, rotating around the tail as you go so that the strands fan out evenly around the entire tail to make it nice and plump and bushy.

8. Continue in all colors

You are going to repeat step 7 until finished.

Add a little bit more of the white to the base, then add a layer of brown, finally finishing up with orange all the way up to the top of the tail.

When you get to the top of the tail, make sure to leave a little white space so that the orange pieces don’t slip off the end.

Enjoy your fox tail!

Now that you are all finished, you can attach your fox tail as desired with the belt or carabiner. Sing “What does the fox say?” as you dance around in glee, enjoying your gorgeous new fox tail!

I hope you loved this tutorial!

Continue to Content

How to Make a Fox Tail Out of Yarn (With Pictures)

Yield: One yarn fox tail

Active Time: 3 days

Total Time: 3 days

Difficulty: Medium

Estimated Cost: 18

This adorable DIY yarn fox tail makes a cute Halloween costume or dress up item for pretend play. Find out how to make your own DIY fox tail costume today!

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Materials

• Yarn in 2-3 colors (I used Red Heart Yarn in Carrot, Coffee**, and White)
• A box or long piece of cardboard

Tools

• Heavy-duty scissors
• Measuring tape
• A belt or carabiner

Instructions

1. Measure from waist to desired lenth for tail; assemble supplies.
2. Cut a long rectangle of cardboard for desired length.
3. Wrap the white yarn around the cardboard many times until you have the desired tail thickness.
4. Cut the white yarn tail base ON ONE END ONLY.
5. Anchor the tail at the middle and seperate the loose ends into three even strands for braiding.
6. Braid the tail. Leave some white yarn loose at the very bottom for the end of the tail.
7. Prepare the body of the tail by wrapping the yarn around your hand 6-7 times, cutting, and tying in the middle with a tight double knot. Repeat as many times as needed to get enough "fur" for the tail. Attach to tail by by tying with double knot. (See post.)
8. Repeat with white, brown, and orange until the tail is filled up to the top and looks like a fox tail!
9. Attach to pants with belt or carabiner.

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