Wish my first puppet was that good, you are doing great.

Wish my first puppet was that good, you are doing great.

thanks! honestly...while i can't wait to learn more, and stuff, I have a feeling that no matter how awesome my puppets get in the future, this one will always be my favorite.

You'll get better. The more you work with fabric and learn how it moves and stretches the easier it is to drape and get the wrinkles out.  You almost always end up with some wrinkle at the corner of the mouth. It often enhances the smile of the puppet.

MB, good job so far! 

Thanks everyone. Can't wait to finish this guy.

Heres a question...and its more preventative than anything...What are some good ways to repair mouthplates once the puppet is together? It hasn't loosened yet, but I have a feeling the material I used for the strap is going to stretch to the point its not going to do any good.

I figured if it breaks, I could do a slit up the back of his head, and attack it from that direction, and put him back together, but if there is an easier way, thatd be sweet. From here on, I think I'm going to do leather with rivets or something.

Yep you are on the right track there about splitting the head up the back. About the only thing you can do after the fact.

It looks like maybe you used felt for the straps and it well stretch. You can try to stuff some foam inside the felt pocket to tighten it up if you don't want to dig into the back of the head. I would say in the future to use something that does not stretch. You know the straps you find on back packs? It makes good straps and won't stretch. Google Search: Nylon Belting

yea, it was felt. I was leery of using it, but I made sure to stitch down the least stretchy side. Its not stretched yet, just planning for the future. When it goes, I'll likely just cut up an old belt.

Michaels sells bags of scrap leather for $7 or $8 out of which you can make quite a few straps. It's a good deal thinner and softer than most belts and still plenty durable.

As to your first puppet. Yup, you'll never forget your first and you'll continue to learn with pretty much every new puppet you make. I'm continually amazed at how much I keep learning with every puppet build. I nicknamed my first puppet Franky (for Frankenstein) because his seams were all pretty obvious and he was more than a little rough around the edges. Still love that old monster of a puppet though. It occurs to me that I've never taken a picture of him. I'll have to do that and add it to my gallery.

You're doing a great job on your first build and I'm sure you're having the time of your life doing it. Keep on building, learning and having a blast! I know I'm going to.

thanks for the michaels tip. theres one right down the road, so I can do that on my way home from work tomorrow.

I'm just catching this thread.  You really put a lot of thought into your first puppet!  Great job!