How to Make a Hanging Puppet Stage for a Doorway

Do you like to hold puppet shows for your friends and family but don't have a puppet stage? Here is a way to make an easy puppet stage that folds up, fits in a drawer and totally works because it hangs like a curtain in a standard doorway. The puppeteers can hide behind it and the audience won't even be able to see them at all.

Things You'll Need

• 1 Spring-pressure curtain rod to fit your doorway
• measuring tape
• Colorful calico or other cotton fabric
• Sewing machine
• Iron
• Thread

Instructions

1. Measure your doorway. Purchase a spring pressure curtain rod that will fit in the doorway. The ends of the rod are covered with rubber cups so the paint in the doorway will be protected when you use the puppet stage. Multiply the width of the doorway by two. Then divide by 36. This gives you the number of yards of fabric that you will need. The fabric can be any width more than 36 inches. Choose and buy that many yards of colorful cotton such as a calico. Buy thread to match the color.

2. Fold down the edges of the fabric about 1/4 inch from the outside. Iron the fold flat. Sew the folded seam down using the straight stitch with your sewing machine. Do this on all four sides of the fabric. Then fold the fabric in half so that the length (twice the width of your doorway) is unfolded but the width of the fabic is doubled. Iron the fold so that it becomes creased flat.

3. Stitch a straight seam 3 inches below the pressed crease to make a pocket into which you will insert the curtain rod. You can decide whether to stitch another straight seam to connect the two pieces of fabric at the bottom or whether to leave the fabric loose and billowing.

4. Insert the curtain rod into the pocket that you sewed. The fabric will bunch together because it is double the length of the rod. Arrange the folds so that they are evenly spaced all along the rod. Then adjust the rod to fit tightly into the doorway.

5. Let the audience sit on the room side of the doorway so they can be comfortable. The puppeteers kneel or sit on low stools on the other side of the doorway hiding behind the hanging puppet stage. Make the puppets talk and lean out towards the audience so that no part of your hand shows. Use funny voices and gestures to make the puppet show believable to your audience.