Miss Piggy build. 'Blanket Pig method'

[FoxWorthy]

Hi all,

I'm finally building something that I hope is going to be a Miss Piggy.
A year back, I built a practice head with blue foam for chair upholstery from Wal-Mart and hot glue. I used it as a test surface and tried some low grade home flocking which didn't turn out too well. I also built her eyes with circular blind spot mirrors from the dollar store, dollar store felt and fake eyelashes from Wal-Mart. I got busy with other things and put all of this stuff away in my cupboard. My next plan was to have a local sculptor make me a clay head, cast a mould from it, fill it with liquid foam, and then flock it but I just don't have time for this complicated route these days.
Several months later, I was at the salvation army thrift shop and I happened along a queen size blanket that looked exactly like flocked Miss Piggy skin. I brought it home and tucked it away. It's like a spandexy kind of blanket with 4 way stretch to it...I will eventually post a picture of its tag.
So I try to build something for me when I take time off for the holidays so the pig head is on my table! I've reworked my prototype and added the cheeks. To get the cheeks, I just cut the line for when they flow and popped them up...lifting them and hot gluing them in place.

 

[FoxWorthy]

Then, just rounded them out.



I covered her with the blanket and have been working on the stitching. The only thing that I did that you can't see is that I added some foam where her mouth meets her cheek to extend those areas on the sides of the mouth to hopefully get the flow properly. More pics coming...

 

[FoxWorthy]

I carved out where her eyes go...I think it helps set them in better.

 

[FoxWorthy]

I've done more stitching since these pics so I will update again later.

Total costs for this so far has been less than $20 bucks!

 

[FoxWorthy]

This puppet build is really just meant to scratch a personal itch of mine....that sounds wrong.
My goal is to have a nice piece to display with my collection and to maybe have fun with now and then.

I also just simply need a pig and the good old $5000 plus price tag that some of us know of is simply not an option anymore so I will keep trying my 'blanket pig' method.

 

[Smörebröd]

Not too bad for your first try! I've never tried to build a puppet but I have a little atelier for building design furnitures and wooden sculptures. And what I can say is, that the first prototype always take a lot of time for building and also for getting the desired materials.
There are always a lot of mistakes, too.
When it is finished I'm often not really satisfied with it. But when I build a second one it goes on quite fast, because I know what to do, how to avoid mistakes and I already have the correct materials or know where I can get it.
Keep on and don't worry to much when something goes wrong. It's always a process of learning and when you find the time and the will to build a second one, I'm sure it will be absolutely great! And do remember: There should be fun all the time!
Keep on! Great Job up to now!

 

[FoxWorthy]

Not too bad for your first try! I've never tried to build a puppet but I have a little atelier for building design furnitures and wooden sculptures. And what I can say is, that the first prototype always take a lot of time for building and also for getting the desired materials.
There are always a lot of mistakes, too.
When it is finished I'm often not really satisfied with it. But when I build a second one it goes on quite fast, because I know what to do, how to avoid mistakes and I already have the correct materials or know where I can get it.
Keep on and don't worry to much when something goes wrong. It's always a process of learning and when you find the time and the will to build a second one, I'm sure it will be absolutely great! And do remember: There should be fun all the time!
Keep on! Great Job up to now!

Thanks! You're right about second and third versions going faster but I won't have the time to do that until maybe next Christmas when I build something for me.

I finished the stitching last and it looks so good, I'm almost sad that I didn't use Antron fleece. Oh well, I'm sure if I had it would have started a new chapter of trying to find the right colour of fleece.

Speaking of colour, it is very hard to get a picture where the colour looks accurate. I find that the colour looks right to me when she is in front of me but looks a little different in the pics. Oh well...I guess the true test will be how she looks when she is completed.

 

[FoxWorthy]

I'm happy with the progress and the extremely low price point.

 

[FoxWorthy]

Well, a huge mess on my table but I now have a bust!

Oof! All of my wild pig fantasies just came true!

 

[Smörebröd]

Wow... It's looking great!
It's my very first time that I see the progress of building a puppet and it's really interesting! Thanks for sharing!
Good Job!