Hey all,

First time posting, few weeks lurking. I'm going to be making some puppets soon for the purposes of a short film. I've not made any before, but I have bought some books and patterns and I've read a lot of info so I figure I know what I'm doing.

My question is how much foam and fleece would you recommend I buy per puppet? I am making mouth puppets complete with arms and legs, around a similar size of the Avenue Q puppets. Picture below for guidance. The website I am buying from sells in lengths to the nearest meter and as I've not done this before I don't want to come up short handed and not have enough, but I obviously also don't want loads of material left over afterwards as I probably won't use it again. I was thinking 2 meters (square) per puppet of foam/fleece, would this be enough?



Also if anyone has any handy tips for a first puppet build please let me know. I've seen that people say not to use scissors to cut material as it can tear, stuff like that.

Thanks all! Great website. When my build is under way in the next few days I'll likely post pictures

I think that a meter is about 3 feet which in fabric terms here in the US is a yard. Normally one yard of fabric would be more then enough per puppet. In fact you may be able to get two out of a yard. Foam really depends on what pattern you are using. Take it an lay it out on the table to get an idea of how much you would need.  I am betting it is going to be just about the same as the fabric. With the fabric you only need to cover head and arms but with the foam you also have the body that you'll make it out of.

I've never heard not to use scissors. Many puppet builders do. Alternatives to scissors for your foam are electric knife, razor blades or a serrated knife.

Really? As little as one yard/meter of foam/fleece to cover a puppet (head, body, arms, legs)? That seems like very little, but I've not done one before. I will buy one yard and see how it goes. I suppose I can always buy more

Remember you don't have to cover the body.  Only cover the areas that are not covered by clothing.  Now if for some reason you are making a naked puppet then yes you may need more.

You can use alternate less expensive fabrics to cover areas like the body, upper arms, legs etc that do not show. I would often by cheap cotton or muslin to do this. In fact cottons and muslin are often more durable then fleece.  Fleece should be considered a finishing decorative fabric.

A lot of folks use foam for arms and legs but I always used cotton or muslin sewn in a tube and then stuffed with poly fill. You can create the "hinge" by sewing two lines about 1/2 - 1 inch apart where you want the arm or leg to bend. Stuff to where you want the bend then sew the two lines without any stuffing in that area then continue to stuff.

Now if for some reason you are making a naked puppet then yes you may need more.

Those are for my personal collection... ahem.

Thank you for your answer! I think I will end up covering them all though, because I just want a consistent finished product. I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and actually in one of the scenes one of the puppets is nude O_O

Assuming I am covering all of the puppet (which I am) 2 meters per puppet would be a good estimate? Oh, these puppets are commissioned, so price isn't that much of a factor. I live in a piddly little village in Wales (England's little brother country) so I have to order things online... I'd be nice to go into a shop, but alas. 

Yes if I have the conversion correct then 2 meters should be enough.

Regarding the use of scissors, it isn't that the scissors are hard on foam, but foam is hard on scissors. It can dull any cutting edge quickly. If you use scissors, you may want a dedicated pair for the foam, and not use them when cutting fabric. The alternative is a sharpener for your scissors.

Amazing, both. Thanks! I have the completed designs for heads:

In terms of challenges, I foresee the bottom one, and the thin one on the right as being difficult to shape. Any tips for getting the right shape of the head? My plan was to use a generic pattern and then just glue additional layers of foam onto the 'skull' to form the design shape and then to cover that in fleece. They don't have to look amazing quality thankfully, as the shortfilm is of a dark and graphic nature - so scruffiness may actually suit the look!

Yes adding on foam should work for the two puppets in question.  For the bottom one you may be able to cover the bottom jaw before  you attach it to the head.

Ok thats good, thats what I was hoping to do. I've looked up different methods for skinning the puppets. What I thought I would do was just trace the pattern onto fleece, cut it out and set it up then put it on the puppet (giving myself seam room, etc). But I think I might go with the pinch, pin, cut method for the most part. Good advice about skinning the jaw before attached, I think I'll do that.

Feel like I may be biting off more than I can chew for my first puppet project, but fingers crossed!