How to Make Your Own Professional Looking Puppets
The art of puppet-making encompasses many different styles from shadow puppets to larger than life parade puppets. Puppets seem to come to life when used to tell a story and are often included in both elementary school events and comedy shows. Several comedians have centered their entire career around puppets and Jim Henson's Muppets and Sesame Street characters continue to entertain children and adults throughout the world. Since puppets can be customized to represent any character, consider designing one to give as a gift too someone that has everything.
Things You'll Need
- Paper and pencil
- Newsprint
- Stretchy fleece material
- Straight pins
- Sewing machine
- Craft foam
- Cereal box
- Scissors
- Felt
- Long sleeved infant T-shirt
- Hot glue gun
- Hot glue sticks
- Pom poms, yarn, feathers (optional)
Instructions
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1
Draw sketches of the puppet you want to create. Include as many details as possible to use as a reference point.
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2
Place your open palm on a piece of newsprint. Loosely trace around your arm and the outside of your fingers, leaving an approximate two-inch border all around. The finished pattern will look like a long rectangle with a rounded top. Cut this pattern out.
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3
Pin the pattern to a double piece of stretchy fleece fabric. Trace and then cut out.
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4
Pin the two pieces of fleecy fabric together. Place the fabric so that the right-sides are touching each other. Sew together along the edge, leaving the bottom open. Turn the tube inside out.
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5
Cut an oval shape from a sheet of black craft foam. Measure the width of the oval against your hand. It will be the slightly larger than your four fingers next to each other. Glue to an identical piece of cereal box cardboard. Fold in half with the black craft foam on the inside.
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6
Cut a slit in the fabric tube where the mouth will be placed. Only cut through the front of the tube. Place the oval inside this slit with the fold facing toward the inside of the tube. Pull the edges of the fabric tube around the edges of the oval. It will overlap approximately 1/2 inch. Use hot glue to hold in place.
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7
Cut eyes and eye brows from felt. Hot glue in place. Attach a pom pom nose with a needle and thread. Continue to embellish your puppet according to the sketches, adding ears, hair, feathers or other features.
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8
Slip a long sleeved infant-sized T-shirt on the puppet. Sew hands cut from a piece of felt or craft foam on the ends of the shirt. Stuff the arms with a small amount of cotton balls. Attach one of the hands to a dowel in order to manipulate the arm while the puppet is "speaking."
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit purple fabric image by Lytse from Fotolia.com
