Hey P&Sians,

Not sure if it's of interest to anyone or not but thought I'd share in case. Last year I sought your ideas to convert my garage into a studio space and an area to work. I opted to display my puppets a little differently as my guys are all full bodied (I still can't bring myself to make a lower limbless puppet!) and are operated as vents, so hanging turned out to be much simpler than the awesome pvc constructions I've seen here. Interested on whether there are other things you'd suggest to make the space more usable? After years of renting, I can't tell you how nice it is not to be cramming my work in to any spare cranny and to be able to just close the door on all my half finished projects (thus hiding the mess!). The big guys aren't hung but displayed on makeshift stands. I'd love some ideas on how to improve their design - the last time they ventured in to the real world the stands really let me down but I've struggled to come up with anything else that can be compact and can stand up to the height and weight issues.











Cheers. Happy puppet making my puppet adoring friends! 

Lizzie

Your workshop looks great! I don't see any problem with having them hang. It keeps the up and out of the way. The dog puppet in the first to pictures, is very realistic!

In regard to a stand for display at show, maybe you want to look at something that would allow them to be in a sitting position. I assume the entry to your puppets is in the middle back or  back of the neck.  Wonder if you could use PVC and elbows to create a short stand that would come up the back then L into the back or neck the L up into the head.  The reason I suggest this is so the puppets head and be in the upright position instead of sagging down.  It is always best to display puppets in a natural human postion, if that makes sense. It is like when I display my marionettes instead of just hanging there I will wrap the strings around the controls to hold their arms, legs and body kind of in mid movement.

P.S.  No sewing or work table? Or do you use the tool work bench?

Wow nice spread, your family of puppets has really grown up.  It really makes a big difference when you have your own space dedicated to puppets instead of having to clean up to live. Those tools are so orderly. Good job.

It looks great! I love the tool rack, such a great idea!

My only worry is about dust: you'll have to do an occasional dusting of those puppets just to keep them nice and clean.

I wish I could do something like that. I'm currently PACKING everything, because we're renovating the room my work space is in (sadly, less because it's becoming more work-roomy, and more because it's attached to the kitchen which is getting re-done). Now I have to manage to fit everything back into my bedroom...
Maybe I can convince the builders to add a little tool rack for me

Shawn, the sewing cabinet folds out - you can see it under the red wall. It's one of those awesome hydraulic tables that has fold out cutting spaces as well. I folded it up so the space looked a little cleaner for the purpose of photos It only fits one machine and the over locker but it was $25 at a garage sale - happy days! I also have a plastic collapsible table that I pull out when using the cutting mats and stuff but keep collapsed for space purposes when not in use. The hidden end of the garage you conveniently can't see houses my lawnmower, bike etc so space is important. It's getting there - not an ideal work space but for an amateur like me, it's probably already excessive!

As for the stands - thank you. I had wanted to steer away from seating them as the size of the big guys is usually what attracts people then they buy the smaller, more affordable puppets - but human positions has merit. I'll try that next time - you are after all the expert!

Snail, believe it or not I've actually sold a heap. I wonder if that contributed to my absence for a while. Being so prolific must take it's toll - I just all of a sudden ran out of inspiration. The bulk of the remaining ones I'll keep. As my skills have improved, I've come to see the errors in my earlier puppets. I adore them but some of them could not be used as performance puppets because of their weight - a hangover of my doll making days I'm afraid. But it's okay, they make awesome flatmates!

Na, the whole tool bench/rack was only $109 at Bunnings. They're so awesome and really compact, I say grab yourself one! I am so sorry you're temporarily losing your space, particularly given the sheer amount of stock/resources/equipment you have! I hope the build goes quickly for you!

I really hadn't given too much thought to dust. Any ideas to keep it down? What do you guys do?

Na, the whole tool bench/rack was only $109 at Bunnings. They're so awesome and really compact, I say grab yourself one! I am so sorry you're temporarily losing your space, particularly given the sheer amount of stock/resources/equipment you have! I hope the build goes quickly for you!

I really hadn't given too much thought to dust. Any ideas to keep it down? What do you guys do?

Hmm, Bunnings you say? It'll have to wait until I can afford it. I'm at the moment more interested in a cutting machine than a place for tools.

The build is apparently going to take a whole month (!!) so it's fortunate for me that this actually gives me an opportunity to work on smaller projects. It's actually good because it's forcing me to get a grip on the ever-growing materials, chuck what's not used, and rearrange everything into stack-able tubs. This has an added benefit because now my 'work space' is entirely on wheels. I've cleaned out my wardrobe and am actually thinking that I'll end up using it as a hideaway. I have a small stack of tubs with a piece of MDF on it, which I can use as a portable desk; then when I want to finish work I just carefully shove the whole thing into the wardrobe - out of sight!

Not ideal, but again since I'll be working on small builds for a while it won't be too bad. At least I won't lose any builds to temporary renovations.

... As for dust, well, I can't really answer that question as I tend not to have any large puppets on display. Any muppet-type puppets are currently either stuffed into large plastic tubs or sitting in giant garbage bags. The biggest thing I have is self-contained in its own box, so really all I do is every now and then give the outside cover a dust down.

I hope the month goes quickly for you Na - nothing worse than being temporarily uprooted although there is benefit as you say in having a brutal, necessary, no holds barred cull!

The only suggestion I can really give in regards to keeping dust of your puppets, is to bag em. On marionettes if they did not have a fabric bag made for them we would use dry cleaning bags to cover them. You can often get a few dozen of these from a local dry cleaner if you sweet talk them although I know you can actually buy a roll of them. I guess you could invest in one of those portable air cleaners for rooms that are intended to filter out smells and allergens but not sure how effective they really are unless you pay a fortune for them. 

I hope the month goes quickly for you Na - nothing worse than being temporarily uprooted although there is benefit as you say in having a brutal, necessary, no holds barred cull!

Actually it's been good in a way. It's forcing me to get rid of a lot of stuff: including materials for shows that came and went 10 years ago; stuff that I've been hoarding but don't actually use; stuff that might be used but is really easy to get hold of and probably it's best to buy as/when needed instead of hoarded; etc. This is basically one big 'spring clean' going back over everything, from school transcripts, drafts of scripts that piled up, clothes, everything. It's kind of good to do it, especially as my health has probably been affected by the amount of dust that's been collecting.

There's another reason why I am liking it. I was utterly inspired by the tool rack... and built my own! More info and pics here:
http://www.puppetsinmelbourne.com.au/blog.php/2013/06/05/customised-tool-racks

I guess you could invest in one of those portable air cleaners for rooms that are intended to filter out smells and allergens but not sure how effective they really are unless you pay a fortune for them. 

I'd be concerned about buying those. I've read a lot that suggest that they could be or are a scam. So much cheaper to buy or make bags, no?