Izzy Puppet Pattern

Here is Izzy. It took me a few days to figure out a design that worked. I thought Captain Hook would be the hardest puppet to come up with, but he proved to be easy compared to Izzy. My daughter, Cosette, kept rejecting my designs telling me, "She looks funny." I can now proudly say that she has been approved by my 4-year old.

Materials:

• 1 sheet yellow, dark pink, dark brown, black, brown, and white felt.
• 2 sheets pink felt
• 3 sheets tan felt
• Dark brown, dark pink, and pink floss (You will use 3 ply unless otherwise stated in the instructions)
• Pony Bead Lacing about 1 foot (I found it in the beading section for kids.)
• Hot glue gun
• Scissors
• Needle
• Pom poms to use as pixie dust.
• Pins
• Fabric marker
• Pattern (located at the bottom of this page)

Cut out all your pieces. With dark brown floss, sew wrong sides of mouth and face together with a running stitch. (Running stitch is made by making a stitch, leaving a little space and then making another stitch. Try to keep your stitches and spaces the same length.) Sew the wrong sides of mouth and chin/neck together. Put aside.

I worked on the embroidery of the hat next. Using a fabric marker, draw the design on the hat as seen below.

Using the pink thread backstitch the loops all the way across. (If you have never backstitched before, instructions for the backstitch are given below with the shirt.) When reaching the other side, go back and add a french knot between each loop. If you have never attempted a french knot before, then I have added instructions to the pictures below.

Push needle from the back of your fabric the spot you want you knot to be. Wrap your thread around the needle 4 times.

Holding your thread tight, turn your needle and insert it close to the same hole as you started with. Pull the thread through and pull tightly.

Ta Da!

Once you have finished the fun design on the hat, pin the front and back of the hat together. Glue the back side of the front part of the hat to the front of the head. Then glue the back side of the back of the hat to the back of the head. (Note: My pictures don't show the hat glued first, but I believe that this way will be a little easier.)

Use a fabric marker to mark the ear lobes as noted in the pattern. Using a backstitch, stitch the area you have marked. (Just backstitch on the front of the right and left ears.) When backstitching is completed, stitch the front and back of the ears together using a running stitch.

Pin the ears to the side of the puppet in between the front and back of the face.

Starting at the bottom of the neck, and using the dark brown thread, sew the front face/neck to the back of the head using a running stitch. When you get to the ear, make sure you are sewing through all thicknesses. Continue with the running stitch with the brown over the top of the hat and then down along the other side of the face to the bottom of the neck. Make sure you sew the other ear in place as you go along.

This is what it will look like when completed, except yours will have the hat as well. Sew the arms together with a running stitch as shown.

Now it's time for the shirt. Mark the design on the front shirt using your fabric marker. Using the backstitch and the dark pink thread, stitch the design along the bottom of the front shirt.

The Backstitch
Push the needle out the length of the stitch you desire.

Push the needle through the same hole as the last stitch made.

Repeat.

Pin the front and back shirt together. Pin the arms into place at the sleeves. Continue the backstitch along the side through both thicknesses of the shirt. When reaching the sleeves, don't forget to add your little loopy designs and make sure you sew your arm into place as well. Once you reach the shoulder area where the neck goes in (imagine a straight line from the armpit), stop sewing both sides together. Continue backstitching along the front to the other shoulder. When the other shoulder is reached, continue backstitching both front and back together. Don't forget to sew the other arm into place. Continue down the side until you reach your beginning stitch.

Shoulder area of shirt

You only need to backstitch one more thing, or two, but you're almost done! Backstitch the hair ties with the dark brown thread. 

Now for the fun part. It's time to put her all together. Okay, I just realized that I lied a little. You still need to stitch in the nose holes with the brown thread, but this will just take a few minutes of your time. And while you are doing that, you can be warming up the hot glue gun. See! I just saved you time wasted twiddling your thumbs while you waited for that to warm up. You're welcome.

Alright, start wherever you like, but I'll show the face first.

I glued all the pieces of the eye together first before I glued it to her face, starting with the outline and whites of her eye. I worked my way up to the reflection of the eye. I know the reflection isn't in the pattern, but all you need to do is cut out a tiny piece of white. When your eyes are glued together, place all your pieces on Izzy and move them around until you like what you see. Glue into place.

Glue the hair to the back of the hair tie. Glue the hair tie into place below her jawline. Do not glue her hair into place. Glue the right arm to the back of her shirt. (Your right, not hers.)

Now it's time to stuff your little bag with "pixie dust." I used little pom poms that I had lying around. I then tied a knot around the outside of the bag using the bead lacing tube. 

Tie a knot at the end of each side of the tubing. Make a little slit in her neck, behind her hair on both sides of her neck. Be careful to not cut through the back side of the puppet. Push the knot through the hole and then glue into place.

Now "Pixie dust away!" (I have no idea what that means, but I have heard it so many times that it will forever be ingrained in my mind.) Congratulations! Izzy is completed.

Pattern:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0o9QMnEgqetSGxncFFCcnlnTEU/view?usp=docslist_api