I did a lot more pinning and sewing today. Whip stitch is the boss- works best for me for speed and durability. As you can see in the picture of the inside-out fabric, I pin all the pieces to each other before sewing. I like to do it that way so I don't have to stop to pin every couple of minutes. I've used a brown colored thread so you can see where the stitches go. This Projectpuppet.com pattern has the three body parts- head, neck and torso. It goes together really smoothly. I just love this fur- so glad I will have quite a bit more leftover to play with for other puppets and parts. So fun! Tomorrow, I will be working on the mouth plate.
 
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The fur all cut and ready to go for the head of the furry monster puppet!
The fur just arrived yesterday, so I'm off and cutting. But first- I got the best tip right here on the blog from Amy Sue and I just have to pass it on! She mentioned cutting patterns out of plastic to make them last. So awesome! I picked up some placemats at the dollar store, traced my patterns on them, and cut them out. So easy, and so amazing. Thanks, Amy Sue!

A couple tips on cutting out fur-
1. Make sure the nap is all going the right direction when you put the pattern down. (The fur will look terrible if it is sewn together in different directions!)
2. When you are cutting, only cut the bottom fabric that the fur is attached to. This is done easily using small snips.
3. Always remember to flip the pattern over to cut "the other side of the head" instead of creating 2 left sides or right sides. I know it sounds simple and silly, but I've done it. :)
I usually get all of my fur cut out before I start any sewing, so I'll wait and get started on the sewing tomorrow.


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Plastic place mats- super cheap investment in the life of your patterns.
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I usually trace my patterns onto the fabric with a marker. If it is a light fabric, I will use a chalk or something that disappears easily.
 
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one of the halves of the foam "skull"
My next step in the process is cutting out all the foam pieces. Laying out the patterns on the foam, I try to get the least amount of waste as possible. For one puppet of this sort, I usually end up using about 16" wide x 27" long of foam.  (Save the little bits- I'll show you later some fun things you can make with them.) Watch carefully when putting down the pieces, some will need to be flipped over to get the parts to lay out correctly (ie- the head pieces will need to have a left and right side) I usually use a sharp scissor, but have used a good utility knife for cutting, also. After cutting out all the pieces, apply the contact cement to the edges indicated on the pattern. I usually let it dry for about 15-20 minutes before gluing the edges together.

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the foam "skull" put together
 
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Now it's time to collect up my plethora of pattern pieces! For the monstery purple puppet, I will be using the "Mostro" pattern that I bought from projectpuppet.com . (I highly recommend their patterns- they are very complete and easy to follow!) I previously used this pattern on Brrrnadette, my teenage Yeti puppet,  so it's already been cut. When I do cut out the patterns, I have found it is really helpful to use spray adhesive to mount them to a heavy cardboard. They last quite awhile longer that way, and have some weight for holding down the fur, foam or fabric that I am tracing them onto. Looks like I've got all my pieces- tomorrow we'll be cutting out the foam!