Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 01:13:24 -0400 From: Joe Dunfee <jdunfee-AT-shadow.net> Subject: Muppet Stitch After having described this stitch several times to various people in brief format, I decided to finally do it up right. Here is an attempt to describe the "Muppet Stitch" in an E-mail format. This stitch is very useful because it allows you to sew something by hand and make the seam turn away from you. Very useful for closing the last few inches of a stuffed puppet. But, in my context for the these instructions I am covering the head of a foam puppet with cloth and not sewing any of it by machine. I learned it from Verna Finley, who learned from on of the "Muppet guys". Later it was learned that the origional name for the stitch is a "ladder stitch". First the puppet is done in foam and the features carved with scissors and the only thing left is to cover it in cloth. Note that the nose is not added yet, it will be sewn on separately, after the face is covered with cloth. On a puppet's face, I first start by dabbing a small amount of contact cement on the foam, then stretch the cloth over it. I then arrange the extra folds in an orderly way, and try to eliminate them as much as possible by the way I stretch the cloth. It is even possible to eliminate sewing most seams because if the fold of extra cloth falls behind the hairline, I don't need to sew it -just glueing it down well is OK. After I have covered the face and have the extra folds of cloth arranged, I then trim off those extra folds. This results in the same darts you might have cut into the fabric if you were machine sewing from an established pattern. I don't need to alow for a "seam allowance", since my sewing will be rather close to the edge of the cloth and the materal will stretch as well. Start sewing by tieing off at the "V" of the dart you just cut. Then start sewing in a zig-zag pattern... hmmm... zig-zag is not the best term to use. A square wave format for those of you familar with electronics. The places I go under the fabric are represented with dots .... [remember, you must view ASCII drawingS using a mono-spaced font like Courier] Tie off here | Needle | | V .... .... V | | | | o------- '\...| |....| |..../ To desribe it in words, after you tie off, you go into one side of the dart with your needle and come out. Then to the other side of the dart. After 5 or 6 of these stitches, you pull the thread tight and the two sides of the dart will be pulled to each other and the edge of the fabric will be turned towards the inside of the puppet. You keep up doing this untill you reach the end of your dart. After you pull the thread tight, the thread will no longer be in the "square wave" form, but will be pulled straight and the two edges of the cloth will be pulled together. Joe Dunfee Miami, Florida USA --- Personal replies to: Joe Dunfee <jdunfee-AT-shadow.net> --- List replies to: puptcrit-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu --- Admin commands to: majordomo-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu
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