RUBY and GOLD JUDY
My preference these days is to match up the costumes of Judy and Joey the Clown.
It subliminally hints at an affair between the two.
Luckily I had a carved Judy head ready and waiting to go from a couple of years ago.
This allowed me to lavish extra workshop days on a really swanky costume for her.
As always the inside of the puppet is very important to me. It's the part my hand makes contact with, also it is the bit I actually see the most when performing the show.
So although the audience never see this part, I like to spend time creating something attractive just for myself.
I like my Judy to have a big dress that really flounces when she moves.
To achieve this I always make an underdress in matching or complimentary fabrics. Extra work, but always worth it !
For the top dress, a regular trick of mime is to 'baste' coloured but see through organza fabric over a cotton print. This elevates the pattern and gives it a nice shimmer in the sunlight when the puppet is moving.
A nice big pleated frill also gives the dress good swishy movement.
The gold metal thread tissue used here is shiny, but would fray easily if not given some protection.
So this time there is a layer of yellow organza sewn on top.
My friend Joe Burns has taught me that ric-rac braid always look nicer if applied over a layer of ribbon first.
Cheers Joe !
The daisy pattern fabric was a lucky find : it's actually a wide bias-binding.
It looks great with gold braids sewn over the top.
As if a panelled sections, braid and detailed frill were not enough, extra lines of gold ric-rac are added to further decorate the dress.
"More is More !" as they say in show-biz.
Certainly true for Puppets !
At least I know all the attention to detail is appreciated.
The Tripadvisor revues for my Summer shows at the Heights of Abraham are full of people saying how spectacularly detailed the puppets are.
Both dress layers are sewn directly onto the glove body with strong button thread.
The puppet will need to withstand a lot of wear and tear in performance.
Some puppeteers like their Judy in a bonnet.
Most favour a traditional Mob-Cap.
I like a high bonnet with a brim and a big bow.
The hat is made of the same fabrics and braids as the dress.
I find this keeps the overall design looking sharp.
The hat is made after the dress, to make sure there is enough of any braid I've bought to actually cover the whole dress.
The bonnet has a stuffing ball inside ( the blue part )
This is fixed to the top of Juys head , but free to 'wobble'
My fellow Punch Clubster, Geoff Felix, calls this 'secondary movement'.
It really gives the puppet extra life.
The bonnet is fixed to the head with glue and brass tacks. When she is painted her hair will cover the join line, then the brim will sit on top of the hair.
Sleeves are next.
again made from the same two fabrics and braids as the dress and bonnet.
Hands and arms will need adding before the sleeves are fixed into place.
But it's always nice to check the overall effect.
The bonnet brim is given a gold frill to match the dress.
I made auburn hair which I thought would suit her.
But this got very lost in the colours of her outfit. In the end I went for mauve hair instead.
Yellow and Gold was a sharp choice for her apron, Ruby And Gold Anniversaries are the theme of the season at Heights this year.
Having both Mr Punch AND Judy have humps is a personal preference of mine.
Some other puppet makers do the same, but we are in a minority.
It is a huge amount of extra work, which is probably why many don't bother.
It's a cute look, especially when both puppets are sideways on together. It makes a pleasing silhouette .
All the elements are still only pinned here. No fixings until she is painted.
I don't seem to have taken any photos of her wooden hands being made.
But this has been well documented in most of the other puppets. So no problem.
Fur fabric hair is easy enough to simply glue to a wooden head. But for wool hair I have devised my own method of using small screw eyes peppered all over the skull and then weaving in the wool.
This gives me firm anchor points for both the hat brim and her pom-pom hair bun.
The finished puppet has a nice clear profile. A bit heavy, but she does move beautifully.
