Children love to perform and what better way to do so than with their own portable puppet theater? Guest Lynne Farris joined host Susan Khalje to demonstrate how to construct an ornate puppet theater from suede fabric and satin, then adds embellishments for a finished look. She also has a few ideas for some fabulous hand puppets to complete the ensemble. Materials:
tension rods
felt
flocked suede fabric
transparent satin
red thread
trims
thick batting
curtain rod
two, two-inch tabs (for curtain rod)
gold cording
gold bouillon
Proscenium arch and stage curtain
Steps:
1. To make the proscenium arch or top of your theater, create a paper template for the shape you want using the width of the door as a guide. You can fold a piece of brown craft paper in half and trace half of the pattern. Cut out the design and open the paper for a symmetrical design.
2. Measure the width of the door opening and cut two pieces of fabric six inches wider than the opening by 15 inches high. A red flocked-suede fabric was used because it is easy to maintain, looks rich and is not as expensive as velvet. Cut a piece of the thick batting the same size as the fabric. Quilt batting is not thick enough.
3. Stack and pin together two layers of fabric, right sides facing, and one thick layer of batting underneath.
4. Trace the template onto the wrong side of the fabric using an air-soluble marker. Cut it out leaving 1/2-inch seams.
5. After pattern pieces are cut out, pin them together. Stitch along the traced lines all the way around top and two sides. The bottom will be closed when the trim is added.
6. Turn the proscenium arch right side out.
7. Topstitch over the traced design to form a quilted look. Use a child's initials or a shape in the quilting to personalize it.
8. Create buttonholes in both tabs.
9. Cut out a rectangular piece of red fabric, about 10" x 4". Hand sew this onto the back of the arch, parallel to the tabs. The tension rod will thread through one buttonhole, through this piece of fabric and through the last buttonhole.
10. Add decorative trim to the bottom of the proscenium arch piece for a decorative finish (figure A).
11. To make the main stage curtain, cut two panels of red fabric that's one and a half times the width of the door.
12. Hem the sides and fold over the top edge to make the casing at the top to thread through the curtain rod. Hem the bottom edge of each curtain panel.
13. Cut a length of gold cording and fold it in half; then cut a small 3/4-inch wide piece of bouillon. Wrap the bouillon around the cut ends of the cording. Secure all of this in place with a few stitches.
14. Create a flat panel for the lower part of the stage from one piece of fabric (the same way you made the curtains) and embellish it with gold trim on the hem. Make a casing at the top to hold the tension rods.
15. To create the backdrop, hem a panel of black or gold semi-transparent fabric and make a casing at the top for a tension rod. The transparent fabric allows the children to see out--but not be seen by the audience.
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