Question about making puppets

[staceyrebecca]

are you pinning your fabric before you sew?

 

[puppetsmith]

Check the tension on the sewing machine. If your two fabric pieces are shifting as you sew the tension may be too loose. Or if the bottom piece is ending up "longer" than the top, the tension may be too tight. Refer to the user manual of the machine. It's probably just a setting.

 

[pepperwink]

are you pinning your fabric before you sew?

DUH! I'm so stupid! I should have thought of that. Thanks.

 

[pepperwink]

Check the tension on the sewing machine. If your two fabric pieces are shifting as you sew the tension may be too loose. Or if the bottom piece is ending up "longer" than the top, the tension may be too tight. Refer to the user manual of the machine. It's probably just a setting.

Thanks. I will try that.

 

[staceyrebecca]

Pepperwink, Another trick I learned from making teddy bears is to cut your fabric just slightly larger, with your pattern drawn out on the fabric, sew before you cut. It works well for smaller details like fingers/toes. You still need to pin, but its less detrimental if something should off-balance while you're working.

 

[Onath]

Hey stacy,

What do you use to make eyes on your finger puppets(ex elephant or dragon). I have a small puppet I am making for an order and having a tough time getting something for an eyeball that will work. If anyone else has an idea of something I could use I would appreciate it. I am making the sting ray from the book Toys Go Out. I have everything done except the eyes.

 

[staceyrebecca]

the eyeballs on my tiny finger puppets (they're about 2" tall at most) are white pom-poms. I use glass seed beads as the pupil.

I use larger poms on larger puppets, too. I love them. John Kennedy turned me onto the bigger ones.

If you want non-googly eyes on a sting-ray, then just use the seed-beads.
How big is he?

 

[Patience]

The Links included in this post no longer work! Please Help!

This is very true. I think it's important to remember that when you buy a pattern you're not just paying for pieces of paper, you're paying for the years of experience the builder uses to make them and you're paying to save the time and energy it takes to figure it all out on your own.

That being said, there's some good free patterns and tutorials available depending on what you need. There is a free round headed puppet pattern available as well as a "Kermit" head pattern that's very simple and flexible.

You can also find a lot of links to various other patterns, tutorials and resources on PuppetBuilding.com.

This is exactly what I am lookinf for. Just the HEAD would help me GREATLY! But the links no longer work, can someone post the actual www... Please!

Thanks in advance,
Patience
Hope I did this right

 

[Patience]

Storage and Display

Sorry, I can't remember (it is 4:20 am, so bear with me!) who asked but thought I would throw in some advice on these topics.

To store for a long time, you should avoid Plastic! I know Dry Cleaners use plastic, but they don't expect you to leave your stuff wrapped. If you store your precious work in plastic (especially bags or even plastic garment bags) they will deteriorate mush faster. Always store in a cloth bag! (You may have to make something out of Muslin (cheap cotton)) It will be less harmful to your creations. Something I learned before I nodded off in a class called "Fabric Science" zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz (The Prof didn't really notice why I was sleeping 'cause she was as bored as the rest of us)

The other thing I wanted to comment/mention on was the DISPLAY. I haven't checked it out, nor have I cost any of it. Just something to make you say mmmmm!

You could go to Home Depot (Plumbing Dept) and get all kinds of piping (PVC) and build your own with a variety of connectors for a custom design. I think a display would look something like a "naked Christmas tree" (hope you get the visual, if not try a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree ) They have all sorts of different lengths etc. You could even build a Mobile Puppet Theatre using the same pipe/tube with connectors and curtains. I'm not entirely sure, but you may find that a can of spray paint intended for lawn furniture will add a custom color as well (check with both the Plumbing and Paint dept).

I made a custom bridal arch using PVC pipe. I filled 2 plastic flower urns with cement, stuck a piece of pipe into each. Once the cement was dry, I made an arch out of another piece of pipe that fit into the cemented ones. Then wired and hot glued flowers, tulle etc all over it to hide what it actually was. Very inexpensive to make, but looked like big bucks!

Hope this helps someone!

Also hope I'm doing this posting and smilies right!

Patience

 

[Blink]

..............To store for a long time, you should avoid Plastic!.................The other thing I wanted to comment/mention on was the DISPLAY.................You could go to Home Depot (Plumbing Dept) and get all kinds of piping (PVC) and build your own with a variety of connectors for a custom design.................I'm not entirely sure, but you may find that a can of spray paint intended for lawn furniture will add a custom color as well (check with both the Plumbing and Paint dept).
Patience

I would think that it's the chemicals in the plastic that your prof was warning about. Would by that thinking it be adviseable to use PVC (plastic pipe) or spraypaint (filled with chemicals) and put it inside your puppet?

I don't personally use the PVC pipe, nor do I have any major concerns for others using it. It is interesting thinking though, about not using plastic bags or containers.

I just wondered how that translated with other plastic storage/displays for puppets.

I wouldn't think it is a major problem, since I often use plastic components for my puppets.

But it is interesting.

Hummmmmmm.