I'm not real sure what you are asking in your first question but many puppeteers start with the mouth plate and kind of build the puppet around that.

So you sewed the mouth to the face on the sewing machine with right sides together and then turned it right?  If that is the case then it is not really the sewing that is the issue but that you need to now "press" the seam with an iron.  I know this can be a bit hard with a puppet. You might be able to straighten out the line by pulling the seam out and just pressing it between your fingers.  Also before you turn the puppet you need to make some small triangle cuts in the seam allowance on the curve.  This gets rid of some of the excess fabric on the inside when you turn it that can pucker the seam.

Part of the issue with the "big lips", is the foam more then likely but the other issue is the size of the mouth plate itself.  It needs to be smaller so that when you sew the two together and then turn the mouth plate will pull and wrap the face material into the mouth.  

Yes if you use the glorified sock puppet pattern things well be easier but I don't how free handing the pattern from the screen is going to go. You might lose some of the dimensions that are needed to make things work together. Is there  anyway that you can take it to a copy store and have them print it off for you?

I see Chris beat me to the punch on the clipping.

Clipping?!!!  I am a cretin ---Yes you are absolutely right.  I remembered to do it for the paws...flippers...claws--just what do bug-eyed puppet frogs have?  ...but didn't even think to do it for the mouth.

Great advice on the size of the mouthplate...I'll make corrections on the next incarnation, and hopefully avoid the same problems. I think i might skip the foam next time and see how that works out.  I didn't iron, because the fabric came from the most hideous 60's polyester skirt.  The kind that hopefully can withstand the tribulations of 5 year olds, but melts, if it sees an unplugged iron in the same room.

Thanks again all!

If you want to maintain the quality of a true "sock puppet," then you are right that you don't need the foam mouth.  The great thing about sock puppets is that their mouths can move and twist in all manners because there is no mouth plate.  Just be sure to use flexible material or just paint directly onto fabric for the mouth area.  I'll try to dig up some old pictures of my sock puppets.  I have used the Glorified Sock Puppet but my favorite thing to use to achieve that nostalgic look is a good old pair of socks.  Of course new ones if others are going to be enjoying them as well.  I have a closet full of new patterned socks that I haven't done anything with.  People give them to me as gifts all the time.  The thing is, they are so pretty that I don't want to cut them or alter them....lol.  I need to get over that and start working on them again.  Thanks for the inspiration and motivation.  You first creation is great.

xoxo,
N

Here's a link for some fun looking sock puppets: http://www.daniellesplace.com/HTML/puppets.html

Welcome Aboard!

You might try adding a hard palate against the inside mouth fabric on the inside.  You can stick a piece in your finished puppet as a trial just to see if you like what it does. On small hand puppets I like laminated cereal box cardboard.  I take two layers and glue them together with white glue and dry under a something heavy to keep them flat, like a block of wood. The cardboard is thin enough that you can sew thru it to hold it inplace, but flexible enough that you still can bend the mouth more than a true hard palate.  It gets more flexible after you work it a bit.  If I sew it in place I trim cardboard outside seam very close to stitching.  I have ripped out many a mouth seam and tried again, I use lots and lots of pins with very small stitches sewing from the hinge of the mouth to the center front, then repeating from the other side.  I don't always trim the fabric but I do cut the notches on curves.  The extra fabric inside seam allowances can look like lips on the edge of the mouth and give the seam more durability. For the loose stuffing I make little pillows of muslin for parts of the head that need padding, then make tacking stitches for pillows to inside the head. I love the really long doll needles for sewing hair to heads.
Sorry so long,
Snail