For Monica’s birthday, I decided to make a puppet of her. She does, after all, have a round enough head that’s very similar to a puppet’s.
I found a video tutorial on YouTube and a simple pattern for the head online (I enlarged the pattern to fit an 8.5″ by 11″ sheet of paper). I went to Michael’s to buy some flexible foam for the puppet’s basic shape, the same kind of foam used in patio cushions. The hair was made of yarn — with three, detachable (with Velcro) extensions that would correspond with whatever color she dyed her hair. She’s a big fan of fur, so I purchased a yard of fake, white fur for the collar (and to hide any mistakes I made on the head). For the skin and clothes, I made a trip to Manhattan’s Garment District and bought some wool at a fabric store that was going out of business. I used some googly eyes I had laying around, as well as any additional cloth I had from previous sewing projects. I even crafted a small paintbrush and an essential oil bottle out of felt, because if there’s anything anyone knows about Monica she loves painting and essential oils. Overall, a lot of hot glue and minor stitching was used to piece everything together.
It’s not much and I wish I documented the process more, but here are some photos of the development and the final product. I have to admit, though, that it turned out pretty well for my first puppet:
I presented Monica her gift at her surprise party at Beast of Bourbon in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. I’m pretty sure she enjoyed it, and Gino and I are talking about making a series of videos starring the puppet.