File spoon-archives/puptcrit.archive/puptcrit_1997/puptcrit.9705, message 160


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



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