Paws Button

erk erk ... can't resist a silly pun. Well, work on the dog costume continues sporadically - some time ago I showed you the front paws and now for the hind feet. Once again cartoon-like but not too large.

I started with the toes ...
Using methods learnt at TAFE when making the shoes for a 'Munchkin' Costume - it can be seen here. PE foam is wonderful stuff and this was just thin enough to cut with scissors :-) A basic layering for the rough shape. That black object is one of the canvas shoes that these paws are going to be built unto. Glued those layers together ... erg - contact adhesive is so ... snot-like! Then lots of sanding back & a bit of wadding to refine the shape, put vinyl on the sole & fur on the top and suddenly it looks a bit like a paw. This is pre- glue & stitch as you can see by the pins sticking out!The fur is mostly glued with some stitches in strategic spots. Had trouble achieving "toe cleavage" the valleys between the toes which are important to achieve a cute paw. Had to stitch right through the thickest parts of the paws and nearly lost my needle a few times! Here is the 'sole' and you can see those stitches - and how the toe will fit round the shoe (once sewn together, they fitted more snugly).

Here is the pair of toes ...Stitched the toes to the canvas shoes and made furry tops to cover the remaining parts of the shoes and the wearer's ankles - he will have fur legs which are rather like track-pants. I'm not sure if the tops of these paws (now looking rather like ugg boots!) will be tucked inside the fur trackie-daks or go outside. Opted for an elastic loop and button system round the ankles for flexibility of wearing while minimising trip hazards.


Had to try the paws on - there is something about big furry feet that makes you want to giggle!

Yarn Dear - Oh Deer!

All the things you can do with yarn :-) and as Christmas is just around the corner ...
Some of the larger craft / sewing stores have cheap papier mache reindeer ... take one of those, some PVA glue, a thinish paintbrush for applying the glue and some nasty acrylic yarn + some time and some sewing pins to hold yarn in place while the glue dries ...

Gee, I'm really into the HANDicrafts ...

Those are some Lizard's Legs - front legs for the knitted Frilled Neck Lizard (see my previous post) he is now in the sewing-up stage.

And - I've been working on the mascot Dog Costume - I posted about the front paws last month. I've had a bit of help with the head - from a friend who made a quarter of the current NRL Team mascot costumes ...

First step is to mock up the head in card - this will become the pattern. I've yet to do the ears but it is looking dog-like :-)

Paws Awhile

Sorry but I do love silly puns and I have been making paws.
They are for a mascot costume - a dog. Built around a pair of cotton gloves, padded and 2 fingers are stitched together for that cartoon animal look. I was having a lot of angst about making these paws as I've seen quite a few disasters with costume gloves and animal paws. But I made these about 3 dozen times in-my-head and when I finally plucked up the courage to sew them for real - they went really smoothly :-) I'm quite chuffed with them as I think they achieve that compromise between looking like a cartoon animal & being wearable.
Have also been knitting a hand covering - a fingerless glove. There are not many garments or styles that I dislike but I have issues with fingerless gloves - traumatised by too many episodes of "Steptoe & Son". However, I've been commissioned to knit a whole lot of things for a stage production and one item is a pair of these objects. SO - in an attempt to overcome my distaste and to get my head around how they are knitted and to show the designer what sort of yarn works best - I've knitted a sample ...
This was the prettiest free pattern I could find on Ravelry (if you are a Rav member here is a link ) I used "jitterbug" Colinette's sock yarn. The 'real' mitts for the stage production will not be so pretty - I think I'm going to be knitting in distressing; holes etc to make them look old & tatty. Urrrrgh way to Steptoe!