I'm finally going to finish this post. I've done quite a few things since this raccoon but I wanted to finish this up here before I blog about something else. Sooooo......
The next thing to do is make the body. The body is cut out of fleece using a pre established pattern. Parts of the pattern, like the hands, were altered for this puppet to make it different from the last. After having had some new experiences with puppet making since this project, I would definitely recommend using faux furs, feathers, or crepe wool when creating small animal puppets. The fur really brings them to life. The anti pill fleece is good because it can stretch to accomadate the hand and it's cheap but it loses that extra effect.
After the two pieces were sewn together, the fabric is turned right side out. I use an embroidery needle to aid in the turning. These needles are much stronger than normal needles and won't bend easily.
The features are ladder stitched to the surface and stuffed with poly fill. Be careful with your stitches otherwise the material will bunch and pull.
The tail is created out of pieces of fleece sewn together, and then the pattern is cut from that.
And here's the finished raccoon! Obviously I painted the head somewhere along the way. I used acrylic paints and then sealed it with modge podge hard coat.
