How to start making puppets?

[Gonzo's Hobbit]

So I have a quick question for anyone willing to answer it. This was the best thread I could find to put it in.

So, you know when you make a puppet and you glue the fleece "lip" around the mouth, does anyone have a technique to make it less, for lack of a better word, ratty? It seems every time I do that I get that little bit of edge from the scissors and it doesn't look clean. I tried doing what the sock puppet pattern suggests where you sew the mouth in and then glue it to the mouth board. But on other puppets it throws off the balance of the head. Or is it just a manner of practice and gluing it straighter?

 

[Arthur Smith]

I would invite anyone with ideas and or questions to 'like' https://www.facebook.com/MakingPuppets. Thanks!

 

[Buck-Beaver]

So, you know when you make a puppet and you glue the fleece "lip" around the mouth, does anyone have a technique to make it less, for lack of a better word, ratty? It seems every time I do that I get that little bit of edge from the scissors and it doesn't look clean. I tried doing what the sock puppet pattern suggests where you sew the mouth in and then glue it to the mouth board. But on other puppets it throws off the balance of the head. Or is it just a manner of practice and gluing it straighter?

Don't glue it. It's much better to machine sew the fabric for the mouth to the hole that's cut or patterned for the mouth (the "lips") together and then glue the mouth fabric to the mouth plate afterwards. A little practice is sometimes required, but this will almost always give you the clean, perfect edge that you're looking for.

 

[CaseytheMuppet]

I am a new puppet builder. In fact I have only made one. I cant figure out how to get fabric completely around the head. Is there a pattern that works. I had a big hole in the back of puppet's head, and had to slap on some fur on the back to cover it up.
Can anyone help me?

Casey

 

[Gonzo's Hobbit]

There's a bunch of patterns everywhere. It seems like people like the ones on projectpuppet.com a lot.
I've also gotten patterns from http://www.sonshinepuppetco.com/
There's also this great video sequence on ehow.com on making a basic puppet
http://www.ehow.com/videos-on_3283_make-puppets.html

Between the three of these or whatever else you can find I bet you'll be able to find something that can help you.

Don't glue it. It's much better to machine sew the fabric for the mouth to the hole that's cut or patterned for the mouth (the "lips") together and then glue the mouth fabric to the mouth plate afterwards. A little practice is sometimes required, but this will almost always give you the clean, perfect edge that you're looking for.

Thanks for the tip Buck Beaver. I tried doing that and it seemed like the head didn't work right after that. But I'll see if I can get it to work on the next puppet.

 

[CaseytheMuppet]

Thank you!

 

[Gonzo's Hobbit]

Thank you!

You're welcome. One thing I wanted to add that might help. I just got the patterns I ordered from http://www.sonshinepuppetco.com/ Came in yesterday. They're mostly words with some sketches, some have more details than others depending on the patterns. So they might be a little hard to get through. It looks like it's enough to get you through it. But they're also really cheap. This compares to the stuff at project puppet which is a whole lot more comprehensive and easier to understand but are more expensive.

Not trying to convince anybody of either but I figure those details might be helpful.

 

[CaseytheMuppet]

Thanks, that's great!

 

[MineKBMuppets]

I have a question. Im planning to make a puppet. But I am struck where to buy some fur. Like a neon green-ish fur or any other color. Help!

 

[NextJim1225]

Have you tried Mendal's?