12/29/97

Barbara Cox

Here's a great idea for converting a simple stuffed toy or cloth doll pattern into a hand puppet. Use a pattern that is about the right size for a hand puppet. The best pattern will be one of flat construction.

1. Layout the pattern as you normally would with one or two exceptions.

a. If the pattern for the body is one solid piece, create a new pattern for the back body by cutting the legs off and adding seam allowances where you made the cuts, at the top of the legs, and at the bottom of the torso.

b. If the neck is too narrow for a hand to pass through, enlarge the neck pattern.

2. Cut your fabric.

3. Construct the doll as you normally would with these exceptions:

a. Sew the back legs to the front legs leaving the top of the legs open for stuffing later. Do not attach to the back torso. Now you will understand why you cut the legs away from the back body in step 1a.

b. Hem the back torso with a topstitch (where the legs would normally be attached). Leave that edge open when sewing the back to the front.

4. Don't add facial features yet. If the pattern calls for a separate snout, stuff it and whipstitch it in place. This does wonders to give the puppet's head some shape and definition. If you are using a doll pattern, cut another face from the same cloth, and apply the eyes, nose, and mouth to this face, then add a thin layer of quilt batting behind it and whipstitch it to the head. This will firm up the face and keep it from wrinkling during the puppet show. You could add some shaping to the face by handstitching through all layers to form lips, and nostrils, etc.

5. Don't stuff the doll as instructed in the pattern. Don't stuff the head. Instead, stuff the legs and topstitch or whipstitch the opening to the front torso only. If the pattern has a tail you can stuff it and whipstitch it in place too. If the arms are long you may want to stuff and stitch them closed. If they are short, you can leave them open so that fingers can be used to operate their movements.

6. Add finishing touches: hair, clothes, whatever and you've got yourself a fine puppet.

I made a cat and dog puppet for my son for Christmas with fur scraps I had around the house. He loves them. He came up with the idea of making a bean bag that could be inserted into the puppets when he's not playing puppeteer so that he can sit them on his shelf with his other stuffed toys. Since in all other respects they are stuffed toys, I thought that was a great idea. I guess that means I've got to get back to my sewing machine.

Barbara Cox

Raleigh, NC
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