Starting with the COSTUME
This is unusual for me as I normally start with the puppets head.
The truth is I wasn't planning to make a new Joey for the 2025 Season, just a new Judy.
I went to my favourite fabric shop in Walsall for Judy fabrics.
While there I found this splendid metallic spotty fabric.
There wasn't much left on the roll, and the ladies said they would never be able to get more.
I knew this fabric would make a lovely Joey.
Sometimes you just have to go for it !
Being metallic thread fabric it was very flimsy. So the first job is to iron on a thin interfacing for strength .
Next I make a sandwich (called basting in sewing).
Cotton underneath for thickness and a layer of white see through Organza on top to prevent the metal thread pulling and fraying.
The top layer of Organza does alter the look of the original fabric. It dulls it slightly.
Without Organza the puppet would fray within a few days of use.
But I have a plan to bring back some sparkle ... BUTTONS !
All my Joeys have the same 'sillouette' like they have big clown trousers.
This means extra padding sewn onto of the usual underbody glove that every glove puppet has.
... and NOW the Face !
The best little gadgets in my workshop are the Pom-Pom Makers.
If you are into crafting these are an absolute must have.
Relatively inexpensive and so much easier than any other method.
The pom-poms come off the mini looms a bit ragged.
But they look much better once they've had a haircut .
They wont get the final trim until they are fixed to Joey.
A 'Betwixtmas' walk round the Charity Shops turned up these beads.
Two different shops, but exactly the same size red and white beads I needed. A Lucky Find !
It was a nice relaxed evenings job to sew them on while re-watching a couple of favourite DVDs
This is my method for making necks for wooden heads. I don't throw away any bits of plywood, however small. They get put into the "Neck Scraps" box.
The bits of ply are drilled with a 22mm spade bit. Then the hole is fully shaped on the bandsaw, before gluing a stack of them together and clamping them solidly.
Hollowing out the back of the 'mask' to keep the weight as low as possible.
First a spade drill bit to make big holes, then a profile sander to neatly remove more wood.
Building up depth on the sides of the head in plywood.
Shaping a nose, and pegging it into place with PVA wood glue.
He looks good from the front.
But he has no back to the head at all yet.
Joining the mask/face to the neck section. As soon you can put fingers up it : it's a puppet !
Aluminium cooking foil is light, even when scrunched up. So I use it here to bulk out the head ready to paper pulp the back of the skull. I've done this part with wood on previous Joeys.
Aluminium cooking foil is light, even when scrunched up. So I use it here to bulk out the head ready to paper pulp the back of the skull. I've done this part with wood on previous Joeys.
A little ritual that only I ever get to see: I like inside of every puppets neck and head to match the colour of its inner costume. When I look down at them hanging in the booth they look smart.
